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This production is recommended for ages 14+.
Performance dates
2 May - 1 August 2026
Run time: 2hrs
No interval
Kings don’t kill their wives, right?
Tudor England.
A field in Essex.
Three women hurry to their childhood meeting place, thirsty for gossip from London.
Word spreads of a clash between King Henry VIII and his Queen, Anne Boleyn. And closer to home, another rumour begins to catch fire.
As these women begin to see echoes of the royal drama in their own rural lives, a tide of violence threatens their very existence, and they realise the royal scandal could cost them everything.
The creative team for 1536 includes; Director: Lyndsey Turner; Set and Costume Designer: Max Jones; Lighting Designer: Jack Knowles; Sound Designer: Tingying Dong, Movement and Intimacy Director: Anna Morrissey; Composer and Arranger: Will Stuart and Casting Director: Amy Ball CDG.
1536 is produced in the West End by Sonia Friedman Productions, Annapurna Theatre, and the Almeida Theatre.
The award-winning new play 1536 transfers to the West End in May 2026, bringing Ava Pickett’s bold and darkly funny Tudor drama to the Ambassadors Theatre for a strictly limited season.
After a critically acclaimed premiere at the Almeida Theatre, the production quickly became one of the most talked-about new plays in London. Now soon arriving in the West End, 1536 offers audiences a striking and intimate look at friendship, power, and survival during one of the most infamous years in British history.
Set in Tudor England, 1536 takes place during the dramatic year that saw the fall of Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII.
Rather than focusing on royal intrigue inside the palace walls, the play shifts the perspective to three young women living far from court life in rural Essex. The friends reunite in a quiet field where they once gathered as girls, eager to share the latest gossip arriving from London.
Rumours begin to spread about a growing rift between Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. At first the news feels distant, but as whispers of betrayal and danger circulate, the women begin to recognise unsettling echoes within their own lives.
As conversations deepen, 1536 becomes a powerful exploration of loyalty, reputation and the realities of living in a world governed by men and monarchy. What begins as playful gossip gradually reveals deeper tensions, exposing how the politics of the crown can shape the lives of ordinary people.
Sharp, witty and increasingly haunting, the play examines female friendship under pressure while drawing surprising parallels between Tudor England and modern conversations about power and gender.
Following its acclaimed engagement at the Almeida Theatre, 1536 now transfers to the Ambassadors Theatre in London’s West End. The original production was widely praised for its bold writing and gripping performances, quickly building a reputation as one of the most exciting new plays to emerge from London theatre in recent years.
The intimate setting of the Ambassadors Theatre offers audiences the chance to experience the story up close, with the play unfolding through raw conversations, shifting alliances and moments of dark humour. With its sharp dialogue and emotionally charged storytelling, 1536 presents Tudor history through a fresh lens, focusing on the lives of women whose stories rarely appear in the historical record.
5 Mar, 2026 | By Hay Brunsdon
This Barbie produces critically acclaimed plays about the fall of Anne Boleyn
As the lead in Emerald Fennell's Wuthering Heights, Margot Robbie (Mary Queen of Scots) is no stranger to period dramas, so when she sees one and puts her name behind it, you know it’s going to be good. And when the production has already won awards during its initial run at the Almeida Theatre, you know it’s going to be really, really good. And that’s exactly what 1536 is.
Speaking on her involvement, the Oscar nominee said “At LuckyChap [Margot Robbie’s production company], we’re always drawn to bold, female-driven stories, and Ava’s brilliant play is exactly that. We’re absolutely thrilled to be coming on board as co-producers for its West End transfer. The show is fearless, witty and emotionally resonant, and it gives voice to women whose stories still feel timely today.”
28 Jan, 2026 | By Sian McBride
After a sell-out, critically acclaimed run at the Almeida Theatre, the award-winning new play 1536 is making its West End debut at the Ambassadors Theatre from 2 May to 1 August 2026. Described as “funny, saucy, and totally gripping” (The Daily Mail), the play has audiences hooked with its bold mix of history, humour, and contemporary relevance.
Set in 1536, the year King Henry VIII famously clashed with Anne Boleyn, 1536 follows three working-class women in Essex as royal scandal echoes through their lives. Anna, Mariella, and Jane gather at their childhood meeting spot, thirsting for gossip from London—and find their rural world unexpectedly mirroring the palace drama. As tensions rise, the women confront the violence that threads through history, revealing just how little power dynamics have changed
17 Nov, 2025 | By Hay Brunsdon