1536

‘Remarkable… the West End hit of the year… Fresh, funny and devastating’

‘Astonishing… 1536 is a once-in-a-blue-moon theatrical experience. I laughed. I cried. I probably could have screamed too… Pickett’s play is a tour de force’

‘Razor-sharp, darkly comic and blisteringly relevant… a love letter to female friendship and a sharp dissection of how systemic misogyny deforms even the most intimate bonds… Pickett, a rising voice in British theatre, has written a script that is lean but dense, rich in vernacular and laced with wit. It crackles with crude yet charming dialogue… pulls the past into the present with unflinching clarity and bitter humour… The result is a play that feels vital and gripping. With its killer laugh-out-loud one-liners, pitch-perfect performances, and chilling observations, 1536 isn’t just a period piece; it’s a call to arms, dressed up as a comedy’

‘Electrifying… bold, idiosyncratic and disturbingly funny… a terrific debut’

‘What a joy it is to be at the birth of a really good play. Ava Pickett’s 1536 is one such: a simple yet super-smart concept, a wonderfully vibrant script and a host of resonant themes… a cracking debut’

‘The hype is justified… Pickett’s dialogue nails her protagonists’ teasing intimacies and friendly rivalries from the off… then slowly but surely tightens the noose’

‘Effortlessly funny, bold and ballsy’

‘Blistering and brilliant… incredibly dark… lean and dangerous… riotously funny… It’s a bold, essential piece of theatre… the perfect play for the present day’

‘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… tremendous… a droll and perceptive period piece that’s also a searing and unsettling contemporary feminist drama… we should all listen’

‘Scorching… an astonishingly accomplished, fiery debut… it’s masterly – and haunting’

‘A phenomenal piece of theatre… The script is outstanding. Pickett has written three women who are clearly rooted in the 16th century in which the play is set – but their language and interactions are completely contemporary… it issues an important warning that resonates across the ages’

‘Compelling and accomplished… a fresh and timeless story told through a unique historical lens’

‘Bold, unsettling and darkly funny… This is a provocative and accomplished work that marks Pickett as a distinctive new voice in British theatre. Smart, savage and strikingly relevant theatre’

‘Incredibly exciting… among the most dramatic and unsettling scenes I have witnessed in a theatre… an absolute must-see’

Ava Pickett is a writer for theatre, film and television.

Her plays include:

• Bloodsport: After Helen of Troy (Stratford East, 2026)
• An adaptation of A. K. Blakemore’s The Manningtree Witches (Mercury Theatre Colchester & Frantic Assembly, 2026)
• An adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma (Rose Theatre, Kingston, 2025)
• 1536 (Almeida Theatre, London, 2025; Ambassadors Theatre, West End, 2026)

She was named Most Promising Playwright at both the 2025 London Standard Theatre Awards and the 2026 Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards for her play 1536, which also won the 2024 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize.

Her work for television includes co-writer on The Great (Hulu/Channel 4), Brassic (Sky) and Ten Pound Poms (BBC One).

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.