August Wilson 'Fences' to open Leeds Playhouse autumn season

Classic August Wilson play Fences will open the autumn season at Leeds Playhouse in September (September 11-16).

The co-production with Leeds Playhouse, pioneering company Headlong, Lyric Hammersmith and HOME Manchester (where it will also be part of the theatre's autumn season), it is the first major UK revival of the race-relations dwrama in over a decade.

Director Daniel Bailey said: “It's an enormous privilege to be doing August Wilson's play this year - a play that is a barometer for our time. I have a lot of admiration for the productions that came before, but I hope we're able to create an idea of of this play for a new generation.”

Set in the 1950s, Fences is a story of ambition. Troy Maxson has cheated death once, but the past keeps closing in. On Pittsburgh’s streets he cracks jokes and spins stories, but at home the pressure is building. His wife Rose holds the family together in a changing world and hopes their son, Cory, might step into it with more freedom than Troy ever had...

Headlong and the playhouse have forged a highly successful associate partnership, collaborating on a string of productions including Henry V, The House Party, A Raisin in the Sun, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and August Wilson’s Jitney.

Playhouse artistic director Tom Wright said: “Fences is an exhilarating way to open my first season at Leeds and the next chapter of our partnership with Headlong.

"August Wilson's landmark play reminds us that every classic was once a brave new work. As we look to champion original voices and new writing, it feels right to start with a play of such power, humanity and enduring relevance.”

More info and tickets here