August Wilson’s Fences is coming to the Lyric Hammersmith this autumn as part of a major UK tour, with Ray Fearon and Madeline Appiah starring as Troy and Rose. Headlong’s new production, which is the first major revival of the play in over a decade, comes to London from 6 to 31 October 2026, alongside dates in Leeds, Oxford, Manchester and Nottingham.
Along with Ray Fearon (Othello, Coronation Street) and Madeline Appiah (In the Long Run, Tina Turner the Musical), the principal cast for Fences will also include Michael Ahomka-Lindsay (Cabaret) as Lyons and Josh Tedeku (Supacell) as Cory.
Simon-Anthony Rhoden (Gone, The Harder They Come) and Everal A Walsh (Small Island, Through It All Together) will also join the company as Gabriel and Jim Bono respectively.
Lisa Maguire, executive director of Headlong said: “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.”
This new production will be directed by award-winning director Daniel Bailey (Red Pitch, August in England) and play in Leeds, Oxford, London, Manchester and Nottingham.
View live availability for Fences at the Lyric Hammersmith
The cast and creative of Fences
The cast of Fences will include:
- Ray Fearon as Troy, a trash collector who has grown bitter about his lack of success due to the colour of his skin.
- Madeline Appiah as Rose, his long-suffering wife who fights to hold the family together.
- Michael Ahomka-Lindsay as Lyons, a musician and Troy’s son from his first marriage.
- Josh Tedeku as Cory, Troy and Rose’s teenage son.
- Simon-Anthony Rhoden as Gabriel
- Everal A Walsh as Jim Bono.
Joining director Daniel Bailey are set & costume designer Lily Arnold, composer and sound designer Khalil Madovi, lighting designer Jai Morjaria, movement director Shelley Maxwell, and fight director Kev McCurdy.
What to know about August Wilson’s seminal play Fences
This new production marks the first major revival of Fences in over a decade, but the show has a rich production history. It has had two major Broadway productions that starred James Earl Jones and Denzel Washington as Troy. Washington also played the role in the film adaptation of the play.
The playwright August Wilson is considered one of the most influential 20th century writers due to his Pittsburgh Cycle, a series of 10 plays all set in Pittsburgh in each decade of the twentieth century that explore the Black experience in America.
Fences is the sixth play of the series, set in the 1950s. It follows the Maxson family, headed by Troy, a 53-year-old African American man who struggles with providing for his family. He once played baseball in the Negro League but ended up serving time. His wife Rose and their son Cory have their own dreams and understandings of the world, in direct contrast to his clear resentment about how his life has turned out.
The play is an ambitious examination of masculinity, motherhood, identity, agency, and of course, the ever-present hope for a different future. Over the course of the play, the Maxson family inch closer to an explosive reckoning that could reshape everything they know.
Book tickets to Fences at the Lyric Hammersmith
Plan your visit to Fences
- Theatre: Lyric Hammersmith, London
- Booking dates: 6 October 2026 – 31 October 2026
- Performance schedule: Monday to Saturday Evenings, Wednesday and Saturday matinees
- Running time: 2 hours 40 minutes (including interval)
- Age range: 14+
Lyric Hammersmith, London
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