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

Artistic Director Lisa Spirling makes her directorial debut at Stratford East with this fierce new play by Ava Pickett (1536, Almeida Theatre, upcoming Baz Lurhmann film about Joan of Arc).

Years after she walked out on her family, Helen has returned home after a war fought in her name. Her husband celebrates, her childhood friend Cee does not. Over the course of this first fragile night of peace time, wounds reopen, loyalties fracture and the true cost of a woman’s choice to leave her life is made clear.

Ava Pickett’s debut play 1536 (Almeida Theatre) won the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize in 2024, received a special commendation from the George Devine Award, and won The Stage Debut Award (Best Writer). 1536 was also earned Ava nominations in The Standard Theatre Award’s Most Promising Playwright category in 2025, and the Critic Circle Theatre Award for Most Promising Playwright. Following a sold out run at the Almeida, 1536 will open on the West End in May 2026. It has also been picked up for a TV adaptation by the BBC.

In addition, Ava has adapted Jane Austen’s Emma for the Rose Theatre, Kingston’s Autumn 2025 season, and her adaptation of A.K. Blakemore’s The Manningtree Witches opened at the Mercury Theatre Colchester in February 2026.

Ava is co-writing a feature film based on the life of Joan of Arc, with Baz Luhrmann for Warner Brothers. Other screen credits include Brassic, The Buccaneers, The Great and How to Get to Heaven from Belfast.

Presented by Stratford East.

The performances were flawless

Emma's Theatrics

Dockery and Aikman are mesmerising in this tale of two women torn apart by events

The Spy in the Stalls

Ava Pickett's fierce contemporary adaptation mercilessly dissects the patriarchy

London Theatre

Sharp, stylish, compelling and effortlessly entertaining

The Stage

Urgent and muscular.

The Standard

devastatingly funny but utterly furious about the state of the world and the way that women within it are treated

WhatsOnStage

Ava Pickett’s superb new play is a rip-roaring dark comedy set in the aftermath of a British Trojan War

Time Out

Michelle Dockery Commands the stage

Daily Mail

an excellent example of a modern telling

West End Best Friend

unnerving intensity make it a punchy and engaging watch

Liam O'Dell

Classical myth burns into modern England

The Guardian

Ripe, ribald and energised

London Box Office

Running time: 2 hours (including interval)
Age Guidance: 14+
Content Warning: Bloodsport contains frequent very strong language, misogyny, murder, xenophobia, war, weapons, blood, and references to sexual violence. The production also includes the use of vaping, loud sounds including gunshots, sudden noises, flashing lights, and moments of heightened intensity.

Booking information

Schools Rates
Newham schools: £12 per person
All other schools: £14 per person

Booking Enquiries
Our online booking system doesn’t allow customers to leave isolated seats. We do this in order to prevent gaps in the auditorium.

Currently seats are on sale from Row B in the stalls, and it is possible that Row A will go on sale at a later date, so please be aware that purchasing seats in Row B does not guarantee that you will be in the front row.

Please note that our boxes have a slightly restricted view. Seats marked with an ‘i’ on the seating plan have a restricted view.

Our ticket prices increase as the theatre fills. We always recommend booking early to secure the best seats at the best price.

If you require any help with your booking then please contact our Box Office by emailing tickets@stratfordeast.com or calling 020 8534 0310.

Group bookings

If you buy nine standard rate tickets then you get the 10th free. Group bookings (of nine or more tickets) can only be booked over the phone or in person.

Access bookings

Relaxed Environment: Tue 29 Sep, 7.30pm
BSL Interpreted: Thu 01 Oct, 7.30pm
Captioned: Fri 02 Oct, 7.30pm
Audio Described: Sat 10 Oct, 2.30pm

Bloodsport: After Helen Of Troy

Booking information

Group bookings

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