Production and Marketing Assistant

Join our teamProduction andMarketing AssistantSpring 2026Who are we?OVO is an award winning theatre production and management company based in StAlbans.We create bold, imaginative and surprising new versions of classic plays and stories. We have staged well over 100 productions since we were founded in 2003. We areparticularly well known for our off the wall musical Shakespeares – from As You Like It setit the summer of love, to Twelfth Night on a 1920s cruise liner - as well as fresh literaryadaptations including, in recent years, The Great Gatsby, Little Women and A ChristmasCarol.We have also developed a strong reputation for “first revivals” by some of the country’sleading contemporary playwrights, from Lucy Kirkwood to David Eldridge. Live music, dynamic movement and film are all important elements of our style. We havetoured extensively – from London’s off West End to the Edinburgh Festival, iconicoutdoor theatres like The Minack in Cornwall and a range of leading mid scale venuesaround the UK.“Well balanced and gripping.The chemistry is electric.”The Stage“A high energy revival.The production is phenomenal.”Reviews HubWe manage three venues in St Albans:• The Roman Theatre, the oldest operational theatre in the UK (1,700 years and counting),where we present an annual 3 month open air theatre festival every summer that hasgrown to become one of the largest outdoor arts events in the country.• The Maltings Theatre, a rehearsal and R&D space and base for community performancesand events.• St Germain’s Barn and St Michael’s Pavilion, two derelict buildings which we areconverting into a new 100 seat playhouse, housing a permanent repertory companywhich will open in late 2026 / early 2027.Our work has received numerous awards and critical acclaim. Our production of As YouLike It won the 2016 Minack Trophy and was named as one of The Guardian’s best showsof 2019. In 2021 our Artistic Director Adam Nichols was named in The Stage 100, thedefinitive guide to the most influential figures working in the UK theatre and performingarts industry today.“Like being given a lovely warm hug after alittle cry. A captivating production.”St Albans TimesWhy are we expanding our team?Since 2020, OVO has grown exponentially, and we are now four times the size we werebefore the pandemic in terms of productions, audience numbers, actors and creativesemployed, and revenue.So this has been an exciting period! But we have hardly had a moment to pause for breathand attend to our organisational development and infrastructure, and our core teamhasn’t grown much since we were a much smaller company. As you can imagine, this hasput enormous strain on our people and infrastructure, so we are now embarking on amuch needed expansion of our team.We also recognise that we need to broaden our existing expertise and experience to takeus to the next level. Whilst we’re proud that we still have many long standing teammembers involved in our work, we’re hungry for fresh ideas and new approaches. What is coming up this year?This is going to be our busiest year yet!We are currently in the preliminary phase for the 2026 Roman Theatre Festival, with 4OVO productions, 3 visiting companies and a range of one off music and comedy eventsin the programme. We are making some changes to the way the event is managed, so a lotof work is going into these new operational arrangements and partnerships.We are experimenting with touring one of our flagship shows in the Autumn. This is a newdeparture for us, and is requiring new capacity and expertise to be built.We are developing our new indoor venue, converting the derelict St Germain’s Barn andSt Michael’s Pavilion. This is the first major capital project we have undertaken and, whilstextremely exciting, is also a complex logistical and commercial undertaking.Finally, we are improving our operational systems and processes, including theimplementation of a new finance system.“Thoroughly joyful and uplifting, bringingthe audience to their feet at the end.”The GuardianWhat do you need to know about working for us?1. OVO is led by our founder, Adam Nichols. Adam set the company up in 2003 withSimon Nicholas, who remains involved as one of our associate artists, but it was still a sidehustle until 2020 when he stepped up to run the organisation full time. This is still verymuch a founder led organisation; albeit with a highly collaborative way of working and anethos of shared leadership.2. We are a commercial production company and we earn every penny of our operatingincome from our productions and venue activities. We have made a conscious decisionnot to seek government subsidy, as we believe this keeps us responsive and attuned toour audiences, who would soon vote with their feet if the quality or content of our workwas not up to standard. This means that everyone in the organisation is highly focused onbeing financially efficient and audience focused, without compromising the creativity andimagination that our reputation has been built on.“Establishes OVO as a must-see theatrecompany. Boy do the cast know how to party!”Welwyn Hatfield Times3. We are highly collaborative. Everyone says that, don’t they? But we really mean it. Ourproductions are created jointly by every member of the team. Our directors arefacilitators, not auteurs. We bring outsiders into our rehearsal room and expect everyoneto be comfortable with giving and receiving feedback. We eschew rigid hierarchies, but wevalue and celebrate leadership, wherever it comes from.4. Although we’ve grown a lot recently, we remain a fairly small organisation. This meanswe don’t necessarily have a dedicated person, let alone a department, for every role. So,from time to time, we all get involved in lots of things that aren’t necessarily “in our jobdescription”. If the generator needs restarting at the Roman Theatre, or the bar has runout of ice creams at the Maltings, or a prospective partner production company hasinvited us to watch one of their shows, we’ll all lend a hand. It’s a collegiate, highlysupportive environment.“A gorgeous mix of storytelling andphysical theatre. A memorable, magicalexperience filled with heart and love.”LondonTheatre1Production and Marketing AssistantPurpose of the role The Production and Marketing Assistant will support all aspects of OVO’s work, with aparticular focus on production management and marketing.This is an entry level role which will provide an amazing grounding in all areas of theatre,from the creation and marketing of shows to the longer term strategic development of arapidly growing theatre production and venue management company. We are looking for someone who wants to build a career in theatre. We are focused onidentifying potential rather than expecting loads of prior experience or academic orprofessional qualifications, recognising that getting a start in our industry is verychallenging. Most important to us is that we appoint someone who can demonstrate strong alignmentand affinity with our culture and values.This is a newly created role.Reporting toCreative Producer, with additional accountability to the Marketing Manager and ArtisticDirector / CEOMain Duties and ResponsibilitiesProduction ManagementYou will assist in all aspects of production, from casting to booking accommodation,sourcing props to liaising with venues. You will be the first point of contact for productionqueries and manage the diaries of senior colleagues, providing support to the ArtisticDirector and Creative Producer as required. Theatre production is a fast-paced andchallenging environment, and you will be required to respond to issues and makedecisions under pressure. No two days are the same - you may be assisting with auditionsor rehearsals one day and helping to ensure the smooth get in of a production in a touringvenue the next. MarketingYou will be on-the-ground ready to create and distribute content designed to inspire,enthuse, and grow our audiences. Embedded within the production team, you will be ableto routinely capture compelling video, photographic and written content from rehearsalsand performances. You’ll also assist with the delivery of all marketing-focussed events,the production of graphic design and artwork, the distribution of physical marketingassets to partners in the local area, and monitoring enquiries via email and socialchannels.We’re looking for someone with an aesthetic eye, who would love deployingtheir creativity in a professional theatre environment.Person SpecificationValues and beliefsA strong affinity for the work of OVO and a passion to play a key role in shaping andachieving our future success.Demonstrable commitment to the values that underpin our approach to making theatre– bold, imaginative and surprising.A desire to broaden diversity and access across all areas of OVO’s work. A genuine love of live theatre.AttitudeSelf motivated and able to work independently with light touch management andsupervision.Proactive - managing, organising and prioritising your own schedule and workload.A calm, logical head who can cope under pressure in demanding situations. Able to flex between the peaks and troughs of a seasonal business.Willing to work outdoors for our open air shows, sometimes in challenging weatherconditions (hot, cold, wet!).SkillsAbility to collaborate effectively with internal and external colleagues.Very well organised, and good at organising others. Ability to communicate effectively with people at all levels, in partner organisationsand in-house, in person and through remote communications - from cast, crew andcreatives to marketing teams, funders, agents and co-producers.KnowledgeA good understanding of theatre or arts organisations, trends and processes.Experience (all desirable, rather than essential)Working in the theatre, arts or events sectors. Marketing, including video content creation and editing, graphic design, e-mailmarketing, and social media monitoring.Working with spreadsheets and managing budgets.DiversityWe embrace diversity in all its forms and we are aiming to reflect the St Albans communityacross our team. We know we still have some way to go to achieve this. 16% of our localpopulation do not identify as white, so we’re particularly keen to receive applications frompeople who identify as being from Asian, black or mixed backgrounds.Application process Please send us your CV - no more than two sides of A4, and be reasonable with font size, linespacing and margins! We’d also like you to send us a short video introducing yourself,explaining why you fit the role, and telling us about something you have done recently thatyou are proud of (which doesn’t necessarily have to be career or arts-related).And remember, be bold, be imaginative and surprise us! 1.Send us your CV to jobs@ovo.org.uk by Monday 16th March 2026 at 9.00am.2.Videos should be sent to the same email address via WeTransfer.3.We will send an automated email to say we’ve received your application.4.We will let you know if you are invited to interview by 5pm on Monday 16th March 2026.5.Interviews will take place on Wednesday 18th March 2026, in person at The MaltingsTheatre in St Albans. Please keep this date free.6.We will send shortlisted candidates information about the format of the interview,including anything they need to prepare for. 7.We aim to make a job offer to our first choice candidate by Friday 20th March 2026, andlet unsuccessful interviewed candidates know of our decision by Friday 27th March 2026.8.It is not currently our policy to give feedback to applicants who are not invited tointerview, but we will let you know if you have been unsuccessful.“OVO is an extraordinary company. A highenergy and very sophisticated performance.”Seen and Heard InternationalTerms andconditionsStart date: April 2026.Period of work: 232 days per annum.Pay: National Living Wage, paid atthe rate applicable to the age of thepostholder.Hours: On average, 43 hours perweek (this is the same number ofhours as our performer contract). Working pattern: Due to the natureof this role and the theatre industry,you will be expected to work flexiblyat the times required to fulfilrequirements, which will includeregular evening and weekend work.Notice period: 1 week during the first3 months, then 3 months thereafter.Location of work: Your main place ofwork will be OVO’s 3 theatres in StAlbans, but you will be required fromtime to time to travel to and work atother locations as the role requires.This role will require you to bephysically present in our St Albanslocations for the majority of the timeso you will need to be located withineasy access of the city.Benefits: Free tickets for OVOproductions, staff discount at ourcatering and retail outlets, flexibleworking.Type of contract: OVO currentlyengages all team members on a selfemployed basis.“An inventive andlaugh-out-loudremodelling ofShakespeare’srush job.”Daily Express