06 Feb 2026
St Albans-based theatre company OVO has announced details of the 12th annual Roman Theatre Open Air Festival.
The ancient Verulamium theatre will play host to what is promised to be a bold, imaginative and surprising programme of classic reimaginings alongside a curated line-up of live music and comedy between June 5 and August 31.
The festival regularly attracts audiences of 16,000 people each year, and 2026 features a line-up of productions which could bring in even more.
The festival opens with a thrilling new production of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, one of OVO’s signature literary adaptations. This play brings beloved characters and intriguing mysteries to life, adapted and directed by 2025 Royal Television Society award-winner, Mark O’Sullivan.
OVO’s founder and artistic director Adam Nichols will present two musical adaptations, starting with a glamorous 1920s reimagining of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest. Accompanied by a live jazz soundtrack, Wilde’s sparkling wit and fizzing physical comedy will burst onto the stage with newfound elegance.
This is followed by a celebratory 10th anniversary revival of OVO’s most popular Shakespeare adaptation, As You Like It. In this vibrant interpretation, the Forest of Arden meets the Swinging Sixties, transporting audiences on a magical, uplifting trip to the Summer of Love.
Ha Hum Ah’s The Scarlet Pimpernel will lead audiences to Revolution-era France. This theatrical retelling of Baroness Orczy’s swashbuckling classic, adapted by Ben Kernow, is a whirlwind of comedy and chaos defined by daring disguises and marital misunderstandings.
The Pantaloons Theatre Company take audiences on a breathless race through the centuries in The (almost) Complete History of Britain – a delightfully inventive play that tells the entire story of Britain in under two hours.
Continuing OVO’s commitment to local youth and community talent, Act4 Productions returns with Stephen Sondheim’s sophisticated musical masterpiece, Company.
And closing the season, OVO’s own critically acclaimed Youth Ensemble will perform a zany seaside take on Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, directed by OVO associate artist, Faith Turner.
Adam said: “It’s hard to believe that this will be our twelfth summer festival at the Roman Theatre, but I couldn’t be more excited to be sharing another mix of quirky adaptations of the classics, performed by our amazingly talented troupe of actor musicians – along with our equally brilliant friends – in this most magical of settings.”
Tickets go on general sale on February 20 priced from £15. Offering priority booking ahead of general release, Standard and Premium Season
Tickets are on sale now with an Early Bird launch offer until February 13 priced from just £72.
For more information visit www.ovo.org.uk
Aerial photo by Greenwood Drones.
