The Abbey Theatre was built in 1968 as a result of a dream. The ‘Company of Ten’, a group of actors, actresses, technicians and theatre lovers, were forced to leave their old 99-seat Abbey Mill Theatre, near the lake at Verulam in the mid sixties. After raising more than £40,000 they built the theatre and set it up as a registered charity. It was opened by the Queen Mother and has gone through a number of refurbishments and extensions since. There is a 230 seat main theatre and an intimate 78 seat studio with performances by local and visiting companies both professional and amiateur.