Headlong have announced today the first details of cast for their brand new production of August Wilson’s Fences, touring the UK this autumn. The principal cast will include 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.

Fences will be directed by award-winning director Daniel Bailey (Red Pitch), with Aundrea Fudge (Voice and Dialect) and Amber Ruby (Associate Director) also in the creative team. It is a co-production with Leeds Playhouse, Lyric Hammersmith Theatre and HOME Manchester, marking the first major revival in over a decade of this American blockbuster.

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.

Director Daniel Bailey said: “It’s a proper privilege to welcome Ray, Madeline, Michael and Josh to the Fences Family. I can’t wait to realise this shows hidden gems with artists right at the top of their game. I’ve watched them enchant audiences and now we have the opportunity to do that together.”

From August Wilson, one of one of America’s most influential 20th century writers, this landmark play 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.

Playing at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre 06 – 31 October 2026.