Roman Theatre Open Air Festival Set to Kick off in June

OVO will present The Roman Theatre Open Air Festival at the historic Roman Theatre in St Albans beginning in June.

The festival will run June 5th to September 6th.

Check out highlights below:

JUNE 5th (opening night) - July 29th OVO presents a musical version of Shakespeare's ROMEO & JULIET set in 1998 Belfast

June 13th-18th OVO presents the first co-production with Pitlochry Festival Theatre:
SHERLOCK HOLMES: A STUDY IN LIPSTICK, KETCHUP and BLOOD by Lesley Hart

June 23rd - August 19th OVO's Artistic Director Adam Nichols directs a new production of Noël Coward's PRIVATE LIVES

July 5th-8th OVO and Creation Theatre, Oxford present Shakespeare's MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING

July 14th - August 20th OVO presents Mike Kenny's Olivier Award winning adaptation of E. Nesbitt's THE RAILWAY CHILDREN

August 2nd-5th OVO presents Louisa May Alcott's LITTLE WOMEN adapted by directors Stephanie Allison, Amy Connery and playwright Sophie Swithinbank

August 31st - September 6th OVO presents a bold, imaginative and immersive new production of Kurt Weill's THE THREEPENNY OPERA

"I'm particularly excited about this year's Roman Theatre Open Air Festival in which we mark a number of dramatic firsts," says Adam Nichols, Artistic Director of OVO.

"We're mounting our first co-production with Pitlochry Festival with the presentation of Sherlock Holmes: A Study in Lipstick, Ketchup and Blood, which played to capacity audiences at last year's Pitlochry Festival. OVO's principal focus is to present modern updates of classic stories and Lesley Hart's version of perhaps the best-loved Sherlock Holmes story really fits the bill.

"To mark OVO's 20th anniversary, we return to the very first show we produced back in 2003, Romeo and Juliet, given a 1990s Northern Irish twist by Stephanie Allison and Amy Connery, who will also revive last year's audience favourite, Little Women (left: photo by Elliott Franks).

"I'm delighted to welcome Scott Le Crass, fresh from his award-winning production of Rose, starring Maureen Lipman, which transfers to the West End in May. Scott will mark his OVO directing debut with children's classic The Railway Children, performed by our repertory company in tandem with a new production of Noel Coward's brutal comedy Private Lives, which I will direct.

"I'm also looking forward to directing a new immersive production of Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill's riotous musical comedy The Threepenny Opera, with a stellar creative team that includes Lada Valesova (Royal Opera House) as conductor and musical director and Julia Mintzer (Welsh National Opera) as associate director. This show will transfer to the Minack Theatre in Cornwall in September.

"For the first time we're collaborating with two other leading outdoor producing companies on co-productions of Much Ado About Nothing with Creation Theatre from Oxford, and with Pitlochry Festival Theatre on a post-apocalyptic update of Sherlock Holmes original tale A Study in Scarlet. We will also be welcoming a wide range of visiting and community companies and we're offering a newly launched season ticket offer for all shows."

Roman Theatre past productions: The Importance of Being Earnest (photo: Elliott Franks);
A Midsummer Night's Dream (photo: Elliott Franks); The Winter's Tale (photo: Tim Morozzo); The Winter's Tale (photo: Tim Morozzo); A Midsummer Night's Dream (photo: Elliott Franks); Little Women (photo: Elliott Franks)

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