August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning family drama Fences comes to Oxford Playhouse this month in a major new production starring Ray Fearon and Madeline Appiah.
The production runs from Wednesday 30 September to Saturday 3 October as part of a five-venue UK tour by Headlong, Leeds Playhouse, Lyric Hammersmith Theatre and HOME Manchester.
Directed by Daniel Bailey, the revival brings Wilson’s portrait of ambition, race, family and disappointed dreams to Oxford during the opening days of Black History Month.
At a glance
| Production | August Wilson’s Fences |
| Dates | Wednesday 30 September to Saturday 3 October 2026 |
| Venue | Oxford Playhouse, 11–12 Beaumont Street, Oxford, OX1 2LW |
| Performances | 7.30pm evenings, with 2.30pm matinees on Thursday and Saturday |
| Cast | Ray Fearon, Madeline Appiah, Michael Ahomka-Lindsay, Josh Tedeku, Simon-Anthony Rhoden and Everal A Walsh |
| Director | Daniel Bailey |
| Age guidance | 12+ |
| Running time | Not yet confirmed for Oxford; the production includes an interval |
| Tickets | Current listings advertise tickets from £15, subject to availability |
| Young people | Limited £5 tickets are listed for Oxford Playhouse 14–25s members |
| Booking | Book through Oxford Playhouse or call 01865 305305 |
What is Fences about?
Set in Pittsburgh during the late 1950s, Fences follows Troy Maxson, a former player in the segregated Negro leagues whose chance of a professional baseball career came before the sport offered Black players meaningful opportunities.
Now working as a refuse collector, Troy spends his evenings telling stories in the yard of the family home he shares with his wife, Rose, and their son, Cory.
He is funny, charismatic and fiercely proud, but years of disappointment have hardened into bitterness. The barriers Troy encountered in his own life begin to shape the choices he makes for everyone around him.
Rose can see that America is changing and hopes Cory will have greater freedom than his father. Cory’s own sporting ambitions, however, bring father and son into conflict as Troy struggles to separate protecting his family from controlling it.
The fence being built around the Maxsons’ home becomes both a practical part of the story and a wider image for the emotional boundaries people create. Some fences keep danger out, while others confine the people inside.
Wilson balances the pressure within the family with humour, music and the rhythms of everyday conversation. The result is not simply a story about one difficult father, but a drama about how racial injustice, frustrated ambition and inherited expectations can move from one generation to the next.
Why August Wilson’s play remains significant
Fences won the 1987 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and four Tony Awards during its original Broadway production.
It forms part of August Wilson’s ten-play American Century Cycle, sometimes called the Pittsburgh Cycle, in which each work explores a different decade of Black American life during the 20th century.
Nine of the plays are rooted in Pittsburgh’s Hill District, the neighbourhood where Wilson spent his early life. Together, they examine family, work, migration, music, racism, community, love and the effort to build a future while carrying the weight of the past.
Fences is among the best-known works in that cycle, helped by major stage productions and the 2016 film adaptation directed by and starring Denzel Washington.
Headlong describes the new tour as the first major UK revival of the play in more than a decade.
Director Daniel Bailey has called the drama “a barometer for our time” and said the production would seek to introduce a new generation to Wilson’s work while recognising the importance of the stagings that came before it.
Ray Fearon and Madeline Appiah lead the cast
Ray Fearon plays Troy Maxson, one of the most demanding roles in modern American theatre.
Fearon’s stage work includes Othello for the Royal Shakespeare Company, while his television credits include Fleabag, Champion and Coronation Street.
Madeline Appiah plays Rose, whose strength and emotional clarity gradually emerge as the consequences of Troy’s choices reach the wider family. Appiah’s previous work includes the Royal Shakespeare Company’s The Winter’s Tale, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical and Sky comedy In the Long Run.
Michael Ahomka-Lindsay plays Troy’s musician son Lyons, while Josh Tedeku takes the role of Cory, the younger son hoping to pursue opportunities unavailable to his father.
Simon-Anthony Rhoden appears as Troy’s brother Gabriel, a war veteran living with the effects of a serious head injury, and Everal A Walsh plays Troy’s friend and fellow refuse collector Jim Bono.
Cast
| Performer | Role |
|---|---|
| Ray Fearon | Troy Maxson |
| Madeline Appiah | Rose Maxson |
| Michael Ahomka-Lindsay | Lyons |
| Josh Tedeku | Cory |
| Simon-Anthony Rhoden | Gabriel |
| Everal A Walsh | Jim Bono |
A major Headlong production with an Oxford connection
The revival is produced by Headlong with Leeds Playhouse, Lyric Hammersmith Theatre and HOME Manchester.
Headlong is now based in Oxford and is an associate partner of Oxford Playhouse. Fences is the company’s third major touring production to visit the Beaumont Street theatre since its relocation to the city.
Oxford Playhouse Director of Programmes Katy Snelling said the theatre’s relationship with Headlong had brought ambitious touring drama to local audiences and had become an important part of its programme.
Headlong Executive Director Lisa Maguire said the company wanted to place Wilson’s writing “front and centre” and argued that the play’s exploration of race, opportunity and family pressure remained highly relevant.
The creative team includes set and costume designer Lily Arnold, composer and sound designer Khalil Madovi and lighting designer Jai Morjaria.
Creative team
| Writer | August Wilson |
| Director | Daniel Bailey |
| Set and costume designer | Lily Arnold |
| Composer and sound designer | Khalil Madovi |
| Lighting designer | Jai Morjaria |
| Movement director | Shelley Maxwell |
| Fight director | Kev McCurdy |
| Voice and dialect coach | Aundrea Fudge |
| WHAM supervisor | Dominique Hamilton |
| Associate director | Amber Ruby |
| Associate designer | Emily King |
| Casting director | Heather Basten CDG |
Oxford performance times and accessible shows
There are six Oxford performances, including two matinees.
| Date | Time | Performance information |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday 30 September | 7.30pm | Opening performance; 50% Friends offer and limited £5 tickets for 14–25s members |
| Thursday 1 October | 2.30pm | Matinee |
| Thursday 1 October | 7.30pm | BSL-interpreted performance followed by a post-show discussion |
| Friday 2 October | 7.30pm | Evening performance |
| Saturday 3 October | 2.30pm | Audio-described and captioned performance, with touch tour |
| Saturday 3 October | 7.30pm | Final Oxford performance |
Audience members wishing to join the touch tour should contact the Box Office for its start time and booking arrangements.
Oxford Playhouse lists limited £5 tickets for members of its free 14–25s scheme at every performance. Standard tickets are currently advertised from £15, subject to seat availability.
A £2.75 transaction fee normally applies to main-stage bookings, although Oxford Playhouse waives it for 14–25s members, access patrons, Friends, Patrons, school groups and some other booking categories.
The theatre confirms that the production contains an interval, but has not yet published an Oxford running time. Audience members arranging a final bus, train or lift should check their booking information closer to the performance.
Age guidance and content information
Oxford Playhouse recommends the production for audiences aged 12 and over.
The story contains themes of death, injury and implied sexual assault. There is occasional strong and racially explicit language, including use of the n-word.
Anyone under 14 attending Oxford Playhouse must be accompanied by an adult aged 18 or over.
How to get to Oxford Playhouse
Planning your visit
| Address | Oxford Playhouse, 11–12 Beaumont Street, Oxford, OX1 2LW |
| From Oxford railway station | Approximately ten minutes on foot |
| From Gloucester Green | The bus and coach station is around two minutes away |
| Nearest public car park | Gloucester Green underground car park; access is by steps and there are no Blue Badge spaces |
| Blue Badge parking | Spaces are available on Beaumont Street and St Giles, subject to the displayed restrictions |
| Traffic filters | Oxford’s traffic-filter trial is due to be operating from 28 September, so drivers should check their route and permit position before travelling |
| Box Office | 01865 305305 |
| boxoffice@oxfordplayhouse.com | |
| Booking | Oxford Playhouse event page |
The theatre recommends travelling by public transport, walking or cycling where possible.
Oxford’s traffic-filter trial is scheduled to begin on Monday 28 September, two days before the first performance. Drivers without a valid permit will no longer be able to pay the temporary £5 charge to pass through a restricted point, although every part of the city will remain accessible by an alternative route.
Anyone unfamiliar with the new arrangements should check the latest Oxfordshire County Council traffic-filter guidance before setting out.
Accessibility at Oxford Playhouse
There is level access from Beaumont Street into the Box Office, foyer and Stalls.
Wheelchair spaces are available at the ends of rows E and L and near the centre of row T. These spaces do not contain fixed seats, so they should be reserved directly through the Box Office together with any required companion seat.
The Circle and Circle Bar do not have step-free access.
An accessible toilet is available on the entrance level, while guide dogs and other assistance animals are welcome.
The theatre also has an Auracast audio system that can connect to compatible hearing aids, cochlear implants and headphones. Devices can be requested from the Box Office.
Full details are available through the Oxford Playhouse access guide.
Fences full UK tour dates
| Dates | Town or city | Venue | Accessible performances | Booking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11–26 September 2026 | Leeds | Leeds Playhouse | BSL: 16 September at 7.15pm, 19 September at 2pm and 22 September at 7.15pm. Captioned: 22 September at 12.30pm and 24 September at 7.15pm. Audio described and touch tour: 25 September at 7.15pm and 26 September at 2pm. | Tickets |
| 30 September–3 October 2026 | Oxford | Oxford Playhouse | BSL and post-show discussion: 1 October at 7.30pm. Audio described, captioned and touch tour: 3 October at 2.30pm. | Tickets |
| 6–31 October 2026 | London | Lyric Hammersmith Theatre | Chilled performance: 21 October at 2.30pm. Captioned: 22 October at 7.30pm. Audio described: 24 October at 2.30pm. BSL: 26 October at 7.30pm. | Tickets |
| 3–7 November 2026 | Manchester | HOME Manchester | BSL: 6 November at 7.30pm. Captioned: 7 November at 2pm. | Tickets |
| 10–14 November 2026 | Nottingham | Nottingham Playhouse | Audio described: 11 November at 7.30pm. Captioned: 12 November at 7.30pm. BSL: 14 November at 2.30pm. | Tickets |
Tour dates, performance times and ticket availability can change. Check the individual venue before travelling.
Frequently asked questions
When is Fences at Oxford Playhouse?
The production runs from Wednesday 30 September to Saturday 3 October 2026.
How many Oxford performances are there?
There are six: four evening performances and matinees on Thursday 1 October and Saturday 3 October.
Who plays Troy Maxson?
Ray Fearon plays Troy, the former baseball player whose disappointment and pride shape his relationship with his family.
Who plays Rose?
Madeline Appiah plays Troy’s wife, Rose Maxson.
What is Fences about?
The play follows the Maxson family in 1950s Pittsburgh. It explores race, work, marriage, fatherhood, masculinity, disappointed ambition and the opportunities one generation hopes to secure for the next.
Is Fences based on a true story?
No. The Maxsons are fictional, although Wilson’s writing draws on the history, speech, music and experiences of Black communities in Pittsburgh.
What age is the production suitable for?
Oxford Playhouse gives age guidance of 12+. Anyone under 14 must be accompanied by an adult aged 18 or over.
What are the content warnings?
The production contains themes of death, injury and implied sexual assault, together with occasional strong and racially explicit language, including use of the n-word.
How long is the performance?
Oxford Playhouse has not yet published a running time. It confirms that the production includes an interval.
How much are tickets?
Current local listings advertise tickets from £15, subject to availability. A £2.75 transaction fee applies to most main-stage bookings.
Are £5 tickets available?
Oxford Playhouse lists limited £5 tickets for members of its free 14–25s scheme at each performance.
Are there accessible performances?
Yes. The 7.30pm performance on Thursday 1 October will be BSL interpreted and followed by a discussion. The 2.30pm performance on Saturday 3 October will be audio described and captioned, with a touch tour.
Where can tickets be booked?
Tickets can be booked through the Oxford Playhouse website or by calling the Box Office on 01865 305305.
