1536 announces West End cast as Margot Robbie’s LuckyChap joins producing team

Casting has been announced for Ava Pickett’s hit play 1536, directed by Lyndsey Turner, which will transfer to the West End in May.

The play, set in Tudor England, centres on three women in Essex whose lives are disrupted by rumours spreading from the court of Henry VIII concerning the fall of Anne Boleyn. It will open at the Ambassadors Theatre in the West End for a strictly limited run from 2 May to 1 August 2026.

Margot Robbie’s production company LuckyChap has also joined the producing team alongside Sonia Friedman Productions, Annapurna Theatre and the Almeida Theatre.

Robbie said that the move came after the LuckyChap team read the script, and she approached Friedman to explore possible collaboration. Heralding Pickett’s work as a “phenomenal piece of art”, Robbie added: “At LuckyChap, we’re always drawn to bold, female-driven stories, and Ava’s brilliant play is exactly that. We’re absolutely thrilled to be coming on board as co-producers for its West End transfer. The show is fearless, witty and emotionally resonant, and it gives voice to women whose stories still feel timely today.”

Set to appear in the West End run will be the three Almeida stars: Siena Kelly, Tanya Reynolds and Liv Hill, with further names to be confirmed in due course.

The West End production follows a sold-out engagement at the Almeida, where it premiered last year, being described as “an impressive, involving evening marking Pickett as a real talent to watch.”

Pickett’s debut script has won her the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize and the award for Best Writer at the Stage Debut Awards. She was also singled out as one of WhatsOnStage’s theatre faces to watch in 2026.

This year, she will also premiere two new shows – The Manningtree Witches at Mercury Theatre in Colchester and Bloodsport: After Helen of Troy, opening at Stratford East. On the film side, she’s also cooking up a big-screen version based on the life of Joan of Arc with Baz Luhrmann.

You can listen to her discuss all of these projects on the WhatsOnStage Podcast:

The production’s creative team includes Turner as director, Max Jones as set and costume designer, Jack Knowles as lighting designer, Tingying Dong as sound designer, Anna Morrissey as movement and intimacy director, and Will Stuart as composer and arranger. Casting is by Amy Ball.

The running time is approximately two hours without an interval.