1536 Transfers from the Almeida Theatre to the West End
Published on 17 November 2025
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.
Gossip; Tudor Style
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
Meet the Creative Team
Written by Ava Pickett, whose debut play won the 2024 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize and Best Writer at the 2025 Stage Debut Awards, 1536 is directed by Lyndsey Turner (Chimerica). Ava says, “It’s hard to put into words how much this whole process has meant to me so I’m going to resort to cliché and say it’s beyond my wildest dreams!” The production also features Max Jones’ inventive set and costume design, Jack Knowles’ award-winning lighting, Tingying Dong’s sound, and Anna Morrissey’s movement and intimacy direction, with music by Will Stuart.
Why You Can’t Miss It
Critics have hailed 1536 as “razor-sharp, darkly comic and blisteringly relevant” (The Independent) and “effortlessly funny, bold and ballsy” (The Guardian). Whether you’re a Tudor history fan, a lover of smart, modern theatre, or just after a thrilling night out, this is a play that promises to entertain, provoke, and stick with you long after the curtain falls.
Grab your 1536 tickets when we go on sale tomorrow - Tuesday 18th November
By Hay Brunsdon
I've 15 years of writing and editorial experience, and starting working in the West End theatre industry in 2012. When not watching or writing about theatre I'm usually swimming, hiking, running, or training for triathlons in the Stroud valleys.