St Albans-based theatre company OVO has announced the launch of its new 120-seat venue, The Barn, with official backing from company Patron Dame Joanna Lumley. Staged inside a historic 17th-century Grade II listed threshing barn, the intimate performance space opens this autumn following a successful fundraising effort that raised nearly £1 million from investors.
Currently listed on Historic England’s 'At Risk' Register, the 1649 building is being restored to house OVO’s year-round programming and a new permanent repertory company. While full conversion works are scheduled for completion in 2027, the venue will open its doors this October to present a series of site-specific productions during its 'work-in-progress' phase.
Dame Joanna Lumley—who serves as Patron alongside Ralph Fiennes, Brian Cox CBE, and Zoë Wanamaker CBE—expressed her excitement for the venue's inaugural season, praising the atmospheric space as a home for bold, imaginative theatre. Lumley also highlighted the new repertory company’s mission to provide crucial training and development opportunities for emerging actors, creatives, and crew, particularly those from under-represented backgrounds.
Curated specifically for the rustic space, the Autumn/Winter 2026 launch season opens with William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, running from 15 October to 8 November 2026. The programme continues with The Winding Stair by Jesse Norman (13 to 15 November 2026), a new play exploring the life of Sir Francis Bacon on the 400th anniversary of his death. The season concludes with OVO’s festive production of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol (4 to 30 December 2026), reimagined as an immersive promenade staging tailored for The Barn.
OVO Founder and Artistic Director Adam Nichols described The Barn as a new canvas to champion "Free Range Theatre," challenging conventional staging by pairing classic stories with unique, unconventional spaces. Founded in 2003, OVO also manages The Maltings Theatre and runs the annual Open Air Festival at the Roman Theatre of Verulamium.
Tickets for all inaugural productions and season passes are on sale now via the official OVO website.
