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 threatens to catch fire.

As these women realise the parallels between their ordinary, rural lives and the royal drama taking place at a distance, they are faced with several choices, all of which end in violence.

Written as part of the Genesis Almeida New Playwrights, Big Plays Programme, Ava Pickett’s 1536 was the winner of the 2024 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, and was commended by The George Devine Award for its “sparkling dialogue and savage undercurrent”. Lyndsey Turner (Chimerica) directs Liv Hill (Alma Mater, Three Girls), Siena Kelly (Adult Material, Domino Day) and Tanya Reynolds (A Mirror, Sex Education) in this fiendishly smart and funny new play which asks whether female solidarity can survive in a world where barbarism and misogyny are state sanctioned.

1536 runs at London's Ambassadors Theatre in summer 2026. Secure your seat by checking dates and ticket information via Stereoboard.