We are thrilled to share some monumental news for our upcoming season! Stage and screen stars Michelle Dockery and Laura Aikman will lead the company of the world premiere of BLOODSPORT: AFTER HELEN OF TROY. 

This gripping new play comes from the brilliant mind of award-winning writer Ava Pickett (1536). It also marks a major milestone as our new Artistic Director, Lisa Spirling, makes her directorial debut with us.  

Due to phenomenal early demand, we have already added an extra week of performances! The production opens on THU 03 SEP 2026 and runs until SAT 10 OCT 2026. Tickets are on sale now from just £10.  

What Is the Play About? 

GIVE IT BACK. GIVE IT BACK NOW. GIVE IT BACK OR I'LL TAKE IT BACK.  

Years after she walked out on her family, Helen returns home following a war fought entirely in her name. Her husband celebrates her return, but her childhood friend, Cee, does not. 

Over the course of a fragile first night of peace, old wounds reopen, loyalties fracture, and the true cost of a woman's choice to leave her life becomes painfully clear. 

BLOODSPORT: AFTER HELEN OF TROY explores friendship, motherhood, and what happens when the woman whose face started a war returns home to finish it.  

Meet the Cast and Creative Team 

Michelle Dockery (Helen): The multiple Emmy and Golden Globe Award nominee, best known as Lady Mary Crawley in the television series Downton Abbey, makes her highly anticipated return to the stage. She last appeared in the Olivier Award-nominated production of Network at the National Theatre. Her other stage credits include Burnt by the Sun, Pygmalion, Dying For It, and His Dark Materials.  

Laura Aikman (Cee): Widely celebrated for her role in Gavin & Stacey: The Finale and her upcoming role in Line of Duty, Laura will make her exciting professional stage debut with us. You might also know her from recent screen appearances in The Lady, Suspect: The Shooting Of Jean Charles De Menezes, and This City Is Ours.  

Ava Pickett (Writer): One of the most exciting voices in theatre right now. Her debut play, 1536, won the 2024 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize and received a 2026 Olivier Award nomination. Her screen projects include writing for Brassic, The Buccaneers, The Great, and How to Get to Heaven from Belfast.  

Lisa Spirling (Director): Stratford East’s Artistic Director lenses this story with a powerful, prescient, and visceral vision. Her extensive directing credits include the Olivier-nominated Vardy v Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial, How To Win Against History, How To Fight Loneliness, and Describe The Night.  

An exceptional creative team supports the production, including Set and Costume Designer Polly Sullivan, Lighting Designer Zeynep Kepekli, Sound Designer and Composer Nicola T. Chang, Movement Director Kloé Dean, Casting Director Juliet Horsley CDG, and Dramaturg Ed Madden.  

Dates: THU 03 SEP 2026 to SAT 10 OCT 2026  

Tickets: From £10  

Age Guidance: 14+  

Don’t wait for tickets for this world premiere event. Book your seats today and join us for this unforgettable production!