1536
Historical drama with a modern edge – 1536 play tickets
500 years since Anne Boleyn was murdered by her husband… how much has really changed for women? Susan Smith Blackburn Prize winner Ava Pickett’s “bold and electrifying” (The Evening Standard) 1536 play transfers to the West End following a 5-star, sold out premiere at the Almeida Theatre. Pickett’s funny, foul-mouthed and absolutely gripping debut explores how a king’s treatment of his queen echoes through the ages, as told by three young village girls in Essex. Don’t miss this smart, cutting story of female friendship and male violence – at the Ambassadors Theatre for a strictly limited season.
In Tudor England, three women meet in a field to exchange gossip. News has travelled from London to rural Essex: King Henry has fallen out with his wife, and Anne Boleyn will be executed. As Anna, Jane and Mariella excitedly discuss events in the capital, another rumour that’s much closer to home begins to gather speed…
Exploring the impact of royal behaviour on the common people – in particular, treatment of women – Ava Pickett’s 1536 play is a funny, dark and “vividly engaging” (The Stage) new take on the story of Henry VIII and his wives. Pickett developed the play as part of the Almeida Theatre’s New Playwrights programme, and won the 2024 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for her work. Other winners of the prize include Caryl Churchill, Lucy Prebble (A Very Expensive Poison) and Lynn Nottage (Sweat).
Pickett has previously worked in film and TV, co-writing historical comedy-drama The Great and the screenplay for Baz Luhrmann’s upcoming Jehanne d’Arc.
Director Lyndsey Turner (Girls and Boys, Chimerica) transfers 1536 from the Almeida to the West End, with casting to be announced. At the Almeida, the cast included Liv Hill, Siena Kelly and Tanya Reynolds.
A tale as old as time, retold by women who heard about it in whispers: 1536 play tickets promise an unmissable night at the theatre that will have you laughing one minute and unsettled the next. Don’t miss out on gripping historical drama with a cutting contemporary edge at the Ambassadors Theatre.
Child friendly?
The 1536 play age rating is 15+. The show features strong language, violence and explicit content.