OVO is to have its contract to manage a St Albans theatre extended for a further five years.

The theatre company has provided a mixed programme of drama, comedy, dance and film at the Maltings Arts Theatre since September 2011 when it entered into a three-year agreement to run the venue owned by St Albans council.

In 2014-15, OVO put on 73 performances at the theatre including Puccini’s La Boheme and Playhouse Creatures by April de Angelis.

It offers opportunities for young people to get involved in the arts by hosting drama and music classes as well as hosting a youth theatre company and developing links with local schools by putting on productions of plays and texts that pupils are studying.

OVO has also built up strong partnerships with local community organisations which use the venue on a regular basis for meetings and events.

Staffed mainly by volunteers, OVO has made significant improvements to the reception area and invested its own resources in new audio visual and lighting.

Cllr Annie Brewster, the council’s portfolio holder for leisure, said: “OVO has made a great success of providing an entertaining and varied programme of drama, comedy, dance and film at the Maltings Arts Theatre. Extending the agreement provides the community theatre company with a long-term base where it can develop and go from strength to strength.”

She urged local residents to go along and see a performance at the theatre with forthcoming productions including Tom Firth’s comedy Neville Island and I, Elizabeth, a production from theatre company Dyad.

OVO founder and artistic director, Adam Nichols, added: “Through its partnership with OVO to run the Maltings Arts Theatre, St Albans city and district council has blazed a trail in showing how local facilities can be run efficiently and effectively by community organisations.

“We’ve thoroughly enjoyed breathing new life into this venerable arts venue and we’re very excited about continuing to provide people living in St Albans with innovative, imaginative and inspiring performances on their doorstep.”