West End Transfer of 1536 Finds Full Cast

Casting is now complete for the previously announced West End transfer of Ava Pickett's historical drama 1536, which follows a sold-out run at the Almeida Theatre.

Directed by Lyndsey Turner (Chimerica), the limited engagement is scheduled for May 2–August 1 at the Ambassadors Theatre. Opening night will be May 12.

The cast will be led by Liv Hill (Three Girls) as Jane, Siena Kelly (Black Mirror) as Anna, and Olivier nominee Tanya Reynolds (A Mirror) as Mariella, all reprising their roles from the earlier run. They will be joined by Oliver Johnstone (Retrograde) as Richard and George Kemp (High Noon) as William. The company will be rounded out by understudies Harry Bradley, Saroja-Lily Ratnavel, and Sydney Spencer.

The play, which explores the dynamics of female friendship in a world stacked against women, won Pickett the 2024 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, the award for Best Writer at the 2025 Stage Debut Awards, and a special commendation from The George Devine Award. This week, Pickett won both the Critics’ Circle Theatre Award and The Standard Theatre Award for Most Promising Young Playwright.

In an earlier statement Pickett said, “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—which still feels a bit like I’m downplaying it.…It's hard to talk about 'inspiration' for the play, as to be honest, 1536 was written in response to the never-ending stories in the news about violence against women. It asks the question if a King can kill his wife in a palace, how does that impact three working class women in Essex? Because the world we live in has not changed as much as we are made to believe, because what happens in the corridors of power still bleeds down, as it always has."

The play is set in Tudor England as 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. Closer to home, another rumor 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 existence.

The production will also have set and costume design by Max Jones, lighting design by Jack Knowles, sound design by Tingying Dong, movement and intimacy direction by Anna Morrissey, music and arrangements by Will Stuart, casting by Amy Ball, fight direction by Sam Lyon-Behan, and dialect coaching by Edda Sharpe.

1536 is produced in the West End by the Almeida Theatre, Sonia Friedman Productions, Annapurna Theatre, and LuckyChap.

Visit 1536OnStage.com.