Full casting announced for West End transfer of Ava Pickett’s 1536
This week, Ava Pickett has won both the Critics’ Circle Theatre Award and The Standard Theatre Award for Most Promising Young Playwright for her debut play 1536, in the same week that the full cast is announced for the West End transfer of the production, running at the Ambassadors Theatre from 2 May-1 August.
Joining Liv Hill (Three Girls – BAFTA Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress) as Jane, Siena Kelly (Adult Material – BAFTA Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress) as Anna, and Tanya Reynolds (A Mirror - Olivier Award nomination Best Actress In A Supporting Role) as Mariella, who are all reprising their previous roles, are Oliver Johnstone (Retrograde, All My Sons) as Richard, and George Kemp (High Noon, Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?) as William.
Harry Bradley (The Play That Goes Wrong The Mousetrap) will understudy the roles of Richard and William, Saroja-Lily Ratnavel (81 (Life), Chasing Hares) will understudy the roles of Jane and Mariella, and Sydney Spencer (Hamilton, The Wizard of Oz) will understudy the role of Anna.
As well as her recent wins for Most Promising Playwright, Ava’s play has also been nominated for Best New Play at the 2026 Olivier Awards, with Lyndsey Turner also nominated for Best Director.
Previous wins for 1536 include the 2024 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, a special commendation for the 2023 George Devine Award and the Stage Debut Award for Best Writer 2025. Last month, it was announced that the BBC will be working with Ava to develop the play into an eight-part TV drama.
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 also includes set and costume designer Max Jones, lighting designer Jack Knowles, sound designer Tingying Dong, composer and arranger Will Stuart, intimacy director and choreographer Anna Morrissey, casting director Amy Ball CDG, fight director Sam Lyon-Behan, and dialect coach Edda Sharpe.
