Oxford Playhouse is delighted to host its associate partner Headlong for their brand-new production of August Wilson’s Fences, the first major revival in over a decade of the American blockbuster.  

This latest collaboration with regional venues Leeds Playhouse, Lyric Hammersmith Theatre and HOME Manchester marks Headlong’s third major touring production to visit Oxford since the company relocated to the city.  

The landmark play from one of America’s most influential 20th-century writers, August Wilson, will be directed by the award-winning Daniel Bailey (Red Pitch, West End).  

Bringing this portrait of grief, love and what it means to be a family in post-war Black America to life are Ray Fearon (Othello - RSC, Fleabag - BBC, Coronation Street - ITV) as Troy, Madeline Appiah (In the Long Run - Sky, The Winter’s Tale - RSC, Tina Turner The Musical - West End) as Rose, Michael Ahomka-Lindsay (Choir Boy - Theatre Royal Stratford East & Bristol Old Vic, Cabaret - Kit Kat Club, Playhouse Theatre) as Lyons and Josh Tedeku (Boarders - BBC, Supacell - Netflix) as Cory. Simon-Anthony Rhoden (Gone - ITV, The Harder They Come - Stratford East) joins the company as Gabriel and Everal A Walsh (Small Island - UK tour, Through It All Together - Leeds Playhouse) as Jim Bono.  

The creative team for Fences includes Set & Costume Designer Lily Arnold, Composer and Sound Designer Khalil Madovi, Lighting Designer Jai Morjaria, Movement Director Shelley Maxwell, Fight Director Kev McCurdy, Design Associate Emily King, Casting Director Heather Basten CDG, Voice and Dialect Aundrea Fudge and Associate Director Amber Ruby. 

Alive with rhythms of blues and jazz, humour and heartbreak, against the backdrop of the 1950s, Fences is a story of ambition for our time, exploring ever-present themes including masculinity, motherhood, music and the abiding hope for a different future.  

Troy Maxson has cheated death once, but the past keeps closing in. On Pittsburgh’s streets, he cracks jokes and spins stories, yet at home, the pressure is building. His wife, Rose holds the family together. She sees a changing world and hopes their son Cory might step into it with more freedom than Troy ever had. But when dreams collide, and tempers flare, the Maxson's edge towards a reckoning that could reshape everything they know.  

Oxford Playhouse Director of Programmes, Katy Snelling said: “A Headlong production always feels like a special occasion at Oxford Playhouse. We've gained so much from working closely alongside the company since their relocation back to the city and we hope it's a partnership that audiences recognise as an assurance of high-quality theatre that has the power to move, inspire and connect us all.”  

Headlong Executive Director, Lisa Maguire said: “It means so much to be putting August Wilson's work front and centre for audiences across the country. This extraordinary play encompasses so much of what drives us at Headlong - breathing new life into work that deserves its place in the canon, whilst asking our audiences to think and feel deeply about the world we share.  

“Despite being written over 40 years ago, the central themes are still all too resonant today. From the streets of Pittsburgh to our own backyard here in the UK - how much can we say has really changed? We’re thrilled to be working with Daniel on his take on this classic." 

This new Headlong production of August Wilson's Fences will play on the Main Stage from Wednesday 30 September to Saturday 3 October.