New playwrights will take centre stage in theatre company OVO’s new season at the Maltings Theatre.

OVO's New Writers' Season opens at the St Albans venue on February 1 with The Spiral Path by Andrew Sharpe, and directed by Kat Rogers.

The season runs to April 9 and includes 12 plays – 11 new works plus one rescheduled blockbuster.

The programme will wow audiences with an inspirational mix of drama, comedy, and music with multiple casts, solo performances, and at least one award-winning reworking of a classic text.

OVO artistic director Adam Nichols said: “Despite its challenges, the pandemic has been a creatively fertile time for many theatre-makers.

"As we hopefully return to normality, we wanted to provide a platform for the actors, directors and creatives who’ve been involved in our shows over the past couple of years, who’ve been developing their own innovative new work.

"We’re therefore very excited about our first New Writers' Season and looking forward to forging a new avenue through OVO in showcasing some very impressive work by the next generation of playwrights."

Founded and run by its dynamic artistic director Adam Nichols – named on The Stage 100 list 2021 – and visionary designer Simon Nicholas, OVO's inaugural New Writers' Season features 11 plays by new – and nearly-new – playwrights.

It will also feature a production of Lucy Kirkwood’s electric, critically acclaimed Mosquitoes, which has been rescheduled from last year’s lockdown cancellation.

Mosquitoes can be seen at the Maltings Theatre from February 22 to March 5 for 10 performances.

This will be the first outing for this absorbing play since its debut at the National Theatre in 2017.

Adam Nichols, who will direct the play, said: "I’m especially delighted to finally programme Lucy Kirkwood’s brilliant Mosquitoes, which was cancelled during last year’s lockdown.”

The third production of the new season will be modern dark comedy Find A Partner by Miriam Battye in March.

This will be followed by Under Electric Candlelight from March 10 to March 12.

The existential tragicomedy marks a welcome return to The Maltings Theatre stage for writers Will Pattle and Alice Briganti and director Luke Adamson, the team who presented the successful run of live, online performances of their production The Removal Service in 2021.

The season will also include Scissor Sisters by Amy Connery, Sniff by Gabriel Fogarty-Graveson, Rockstar Prince by Zak Robinson, and Three Sisters, which is adapted from the 1900 classic by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov.

Completing the spring programme are Hannah Francis-Baker's Banter Jar, Rachel Hammond's debut play Joshua (and Me), and a double bill of Playing Latinx by Guido Garcia Lueches, and Dinner Theatre by Laura May Price.

Visit ovo.org.uk for more details and to book tickets.