20 Nov 2025
Deborah Heath catches up with OVO’s artistic director and founder Adam Nichols to talk about future productions and the company’s ongoing campaign for a new theatre in the city.
When I last saw Adam Nichols during the Roman Theatre Festival, it was impossible to catch a word. Having recently launched the St Germain’s Barn theatre conversion project, not to mention running the festival, he was a man very much in demand.
Now, that the dust is settling a bit we sat down for a cup of tea and catch up. I asked how the barn theatre project was going.
“We are hoping to start building work in the New Year and it will take around six months to complete so the idea is that it will be ready towards the end of the 2026 Roman Theatre Festival.
“So far we have raised more than £300,000 from 55 different investors and supporters. We had no idea what the response would be when we launched the project but it’s such a great endorsement for what we do.”
OVO are currently preparing for their annual promenade ‘A Christmas Carol’ production which this year will take place not at the Roman Theatre site but in the Vintry Gardens. I asked what had prompted the change.
“The Roman Theatre can be difficult to use in winter so it seemed sensible to leave it fallow for a year. The Vintry Garden (in the centre of town nestled between the Cathedral and Heritage Close) is an underused space that many residents aren’t even aware of. The council and Cathedral have been so supportive and we are really excited to be using it.”
They are also taking the show to the Hitchin British Schools Museum where they will use both the indoor and outdoor spaces.
In the New Year, when they might feel deserving of some feet-up time, the OVO team will be busy preparing their contribution to “Bacon 400” commemorating 400 years since Francis Bacon’s death. This is will take the form of an adaption of Sunday Times bestseller ‘The Winding Stair’ by Jesse Norman. There will be many other events locally, nationally and internationally linked to this festival which is being organised by Lady Verulam. With his body laid to rest in St Albans, it is fitting that OVO are getting involved.
As for plans for next year’s Roman Theatre Festival, I was pleased to discover we can expect adaptations of Sherlock Holmes and Jane Eyre. There will also be a revival of ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ and ‘Much Ado About Nothing’, the latter being directed by Adam himself, and OVO plan to try out their new repertory company model.
I left our meeting feeling privileged to have OVO in my home town. Not only are they focused on bringing us imaginative theatre projects in different locations but are doing their best to rebalance some inequalities in the current theatre scene. The St Germain’s barn theatre project which encompasses repertory training is a great way to kickstart the careers of actors who cannot afford the drama school pathway.
I already have my ticket for ‘A Christmas Carol’ and encourage you get one too – some nights are already sold out. For me, it has become an integral part of my Christmas preparations and it is always a joy to see how OVO reinvent their production every year.
https://ovo.org.uk/shows/a-christmas-carol-vintry-garden/#book
