Buzzing with gossip carried out from London, they trade stories, jokes, and suspicions, but the mood shifts as news breaks of turmoil between King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. Back home, a different rumour starts to spread - one that feels uncomfortably close. As royal scandal and rural life begin to mirror each other, the women find themselves pulled into a chain of events that escalates far beyond idle talk.

Ava Pickett, winner of the 2024 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, writes this razor-sharp, darkly comic new play, directed by Lyndsey Turner (Chimerica), which crackles with energy as it explores female friendship under pressure in a world built to work against women. But what did critics think of this transfer?

BOOK TICKETS

1536 Critic Reviews

"Directed with wit and vigour by Lyndsey Turner, 1536 is both an easy and a deeply unsettling watch. The contemporary parallels sometimes feel slightly overplayed and, dare I say it, I could have seen more of the men. When they do appear, the scenes glimmer with menace and we are plunged into a world where even the slightest gesture the refusal to eat a sweet, say feels fraught with an all-too recognisable danger." - The Guardian

"1536 is a droll and perceptive period piece that's also a searing and unsettling contemporary feminist drama. I suspect that like the Almeida's recent smash The Years, women may identify with 1536 a little more strongly than men it's ultimately about the female experience, not the male one, who don't come out in a great light. But we should all listen." - Time Out

"This political message transcends the setting to make the show urgent for today's politics. By using the early modern setting to explore the issue of the radicalisation of men to extremist patriarchal anger, 1536 effectively interrogates modern gender dynamics." - Everything Theatre

"1536 is a phenomenal piece of theatre with imaginative staging, great pace and excellent performances from the five cast members. The use of contemporary language makes it feel very relevant to modern society highlighting the devastating consequences of violent misogyny. By using Anne Boleyn, surely one of British history's most maligned women, as a hook it issues an important warning that resonates across the ages." - Theatre & Tonic

"This effervescent debut refreshes the story of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn by filtering it through the perspective of three village girls." - The Telegraph

"The themes of female friendships, misogyny and the trickle-down effects of patriarchy are as present today as they are in this play set 500 years ago." - The Independent

"There is more than enough meat to sustain the drama for its 110-minute running time, and performing it without an interval helps greatly in building up intensity. Under the assured direction of Lindsey Turner, 1536 moves effortlessly from inconsequential comedy to high drama, leading up to a climax that is memorably powerful." - The Reviews Hub

"There's some flair and humour in the dialogue, which stops this from being as dark and depressing as, say, The Duchess of Malfi. For a debut play, this is extremely promising stuff from Ava Pickett. Even if there are so many f-words that they quickly lose whatever dramatic emphasis they were supposed to have." - London Theatre 1

"Pickett marks herself as a skilled writer, with perfectly pitched pacing and controlled tone: this is the kind of objectively engaging, well-written play the Almeida is known for." - Broadway World

"Ava Pickett's award-winning dbut play, 1536, is a foul-mouthed, furious, frenetically funny ride through the lives of three young women living in Henry VIII's England in the year of Anne Boleyn's execution." - The Arts Desk