St Albans theatre company OVO receives £104k to improve Roman Theatre facilities

The £104k in funding from Big Issue Invest, the investment arm of Big Issue Group, will allow Maltings-based OVO to take on a long-term lease of the famous Verulamium site.

This will not only allow it to expand its summer Roman Theatre Open Air Festival, but also to invest in reusable infrastructure, such as a permanent stage, dressing rooms, a production office and bar.

An outdoor performance at the Roman Theatre of Verulamium (Image: Tim Morozzo Photography 2021)

Ben Tiplady, investment associate at Big Issue Invest, said: “It is an absolute pleasure to be able to support a brilliant community-based arts organisation like OVO.

"At Big Issue Invest we want to support social enterprises to grow their trading revenue and increase their social impact – the expansion of the Roman Theatre Festival is a shining example of that.

"I am very excited to watch them continue to grow and offer cutting edge entertainment and outdoor theatre.”

OVO was co-founded in 2003 by Adam Nichols, CEO, and Simon Nicholas, associate artist at OVO, and has presented nearly 100 productions since 2003.

An outdoor performance at the Roman Theatre of Verulamium (Image: Tim Morozzo Photography 2021)

The organisation runs two venues – the Maltings Theatre, a 120-seat theatre in the centre of St Albans, and the Roman Theatre, a historic outdoor theatre, where it hosts the annual Roman Theatre Open Air Festival.

OVO aims to "create bold, imaginative and surprising new versions of classic plays and stories" and the company’s work has been recognised nationally.

It has also been running the Roman Theatre Open Air Festival since 2014.

OVO's production of The Importance of Being Earnest at the Roman Theatre in St Albans. (Image: 2022 A(C) Elliott Franks)

The Roman Theatre of Verulamium was built in about 140AD and was in use for 300 years.

It was rediscovered in the 19th century and fully excavated in the 1930s

The site in Bluehouse Hill is open to visitor and is linked to the Verulamium Museum situated across the road from the theatre.

An outdoor performance at the Roman Theatre of Verulamium (Image: Tim Morozzo 2021)

Adam Nichols, CEO of OVO, said: “We are incredibly pleased to have secured this investment from Big Issue Invest.

"We are very much looking forward to being able to run our Roman Theatre Festival for even longer and make it even bigger and better for our local community and visitors.”

OVO is based at The Maltings Theatre, managed on behalf of St Albans District Council.

An outdoor performance at the Roman Theatre of Verulamium (Image: Tim Morozzo 2021)

Productions at the theatre range from live music, OVO’s own productions, associate theatre companies, and community performances.

Founded in 2005, Big Issue Invest (BII) extends Big Issue Group’s mission by financing the growth of sustainable social enterprises and charities across the UK.