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Kings don't kill their wives alright? It's not—it just don't happen. It doesn't.
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.
Ava Pickett's play 1536 is a fiendishly smart and funny new play which asks whether female solidarity can survive in a world where barbarism and misogyny are state sanctioned.
Electrifying…bold, idiosyncratic and disturbingly funny.
—Evening Standard
A love letter to female friendship and a sharp dissection of how systemic misogyny deforms even the most intimate bonds…1536 isn't just a period piece; it's a call to arms, dressed up as a comedy.
—Independent
Effortlessly funny, bold and ballsy.
—Guardian
A simple yet super-smart concept, a wonderfully vibrant script and a host of resonant themes…What a joy it is to be at the birth of a really good play.
—Financial Times
Effervescent and extremely funny.
—Telegraph
The cleverness of [1536] is the way it refracts some of the most famous events in history through the lives of unknown women, and in the process paints a portrait of a society where a King's actions validate the behaviour of men, encouraging them to treat women as disposable things…it marks Pickett as a real talent to watch.
—WhatsOnStage
Vividly engaging…leaves you eager to see where Pickett's theatrical imagination might take her next.
—The Stage
A fascinating feminist hybrid of EastEnders, Samuel Beckett and Wolf Hall…The engine of the play is Pickett's superb dialogue and the sweary, lairy modern language chats the women have.
—Time Out
A phenomenal piece of theatre…issues an important warning that resonates across the ages.
—Theatre and Tonic
Ava Pickett is a writer for theatre, film, and television. Her plays include an adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma (Rose Theatre, Kingston, 2025) and 1536 (Almeida Theatre, London, 2025; winner of the 2024 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize). Her work for television includes co-writing on The Great (Hulu/Channel 4), Brassic (Sky) and Ten Pound Poms (BBC One).