21 October 2026
Over the past few years we've seen four productions by the excellent OVO Theatre Company in Saint Albans, all performed in the open-air Roman theatre of Verulamium. ('The Merry Wives of Windsor', reviewed here in September 2020; 'The Importance of Being Earnest', reviewed here in July 2022; 'Much Ado About Nothing', reviewed here in July 2023; and 'Sense and Sensibility', reviewed here in 2024.) On Tuesday we saw an indoor OVO production for the first time. The Barn is a beautiful 17th-century Grade II listed threshing barn in Verulamium Park in Saint Albans, which has been temporarily converted into an atmospheric 120-seat live performance space by OVO. The doors opened for the first time last week, launching an autumn season of site-specific productions during the 'work-in-progress phase', ahead of the full permanent conversion of The Barn in 2027. We were one of the first audiences to see the inside of this magnificent building. We were there to see a production of 'Macbeth' directed by OVO Theatre founder and artistic director Adam Nichols. This was a powerful, muscular performance, made more impactful by the audience, on three sides of the circular wooden stage, being so close to the action. The actors felt exaggeratedly large in this intimate space, and the violence, guilt, and grief of the play felt more visceral. Ludovig Hughes was great as Macbeth, embodying his physical and mental transformation through the play - but all of the large cast were impressive. The audience seating in the temporary auditorium didn't provide great sightlines and we were unable to see much of the action when characters were sitting or lying on the stage. But it was great to be present at the inauguration of this new theatrical space in St Albans and I'll looking forward to seeing what the full transformation of the building will bring next year.
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