Full Cast Set For West End Transfer of 1536

The full cast has been announced for the West End transfer of the 1536.  Joining Liv Hill as Jane (Three Girls – BAFTA Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress), Siena Kelly as Anna (Black Mirror, Adult Material – BAFTA Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress), and Tanya Reynolds as Mariella (Sex Education, A Mirror - Olivier Award nomination Best Actress In A Supporting Role), who are all reprising their previous roles, are Oliver Johnstone as Richard (Retrograde; All My Sons) and George Kemp as William (High Noon; Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?). 

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.

1536, the historical drama with a modern edge will run from 02 May to 01 August 2026 at the Ambassadors Theatre, with press night on 12 May.

As well we 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 Awad 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.

This must-see new play is “effortlessly funny, bold and ballsy” (The Guardian). Directed by multi-award winner, Lyndsey Turner (Chimerica), this “razor-sharp, darkly comic and blisteringly relevant” (The Independent) play explores the dynamics of female friendship in a world stacked against women.  

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 includes; Director: Lyndsey Turner; 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.