Some fences are built to shut the world out; others to hold a family in. Ray Fearon takes the role of Troy Maxson in Fences, August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, in a strictly limited staging at the Lyric Hammersmith directed by Daniel Bailey from 6 October 2026.
Troy has already stared down death once, yet the weight of his past will not let him go. Out on the streets of 1950s Pittsburgh he is all easy charm, trading jokes and tall tales; back at home, the tension quietly mounts. His wife Rose is the family’s anchor, watching a changing America and hoping their son Cory might inherit a wider set of choices than Troy was ever given. But as competing dreams and short tempers collide, the Maxsons are pushed towards a confrontation that threatens to unmake everything they have built.
Ranked among the great achievements of the American stage and honoured with both the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play, Fences arrives here in a new production from director Daniel Bailey. Book your tickets now.
Why it’s worth the watch
A modern classic of the American stage, led by one of Britain’s finest actors.
- Ray Fearon as Troy Maxson. The RSC and screen actor takes on one of the great leading roles in American drama.
- August Wilson’s finest. Fences won both the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play.
- An intense, no-interval staging. Daniel Bailey directs a taut production that runs straight through at the Lyric Hammersmith.
- A story that lands hard. Family, pride and thwarted ambition collide in one unforgettable Pittsburgh backyard.
