OVO awarded £300,000 grant to create a new theatre in St Albans

OVO has been awarded a £300,000 grant from the government’s Community Ownership Fund to create a new theatre and community space in the city.

The grant will enable us to renovate and convert a derelict 18^th century barn and an adjacent disused sports pavilion into an atmospheric performance space.

The Community Ownership Fund is a £150 million fund over 4 years to support community groups across England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland to take ownership of assets which are at risk of being lost to the community.

The new theatre and community space will be located within the scheduled ancient monument of Roman Verulamium, close to the Roman Theatre of St Albans, where we have been running our hugely successful annual open air theatre festival since 2014.

We aim to complete the conversion of the buildings by the end of 2024, with the new theatre opening in 2025.

OVO’s Artistic Director, Adam Nichols, commented:

“We are absolutely thrilled to have been awarded this grant from the Community Ownership Fund.

Our new theatre will provide a Winter home for OVO, just a stone’s throw from the Roman Theatre where we have built a loyal audience over the past nine years. It will enable us to realise our long term dream of creating a permanent repertory company and attracting the brightest and best theatre performers and creatives to our wonderful city.

The beautiful St Germain’s Barn will make an intimate and atmospheric setting for bold and imaginative theatre, whilst the conversion of St Michael’s Changing Rooms will provide a fantastic place for our audiences to eat, drink and mingle and great rehearsal and backstage spaces for our performers and creatives.”

The full press release can be found here: OVO COF press release 25.9.23.