Tony Award-winning play ‘Fences’ Returns to The ADC Stage After Seven Years in a Never-Imagined Before Staging
CUADC (The Cambridge University Amateur Dramatic Club), the oldest and largest dramatic society in Cambridge, is proud to present August Wilson’s Fences as the Week 2 ADC Mainshow. This production takes ground-breaking inspiration from the 2016 film adaptation starring Denzel Washington and Viola Davis and brings to the ADC the first staged British production to lift up the curtain and take us inside the Maxson family home with its fresh and exciting dollhouse-set design.
August Wilson's critically acclaimed Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning play Fences has often been described as one of the most moving and accurate portrayals of the black family. Meet Troy Maxson, a disillusioned sanitation worker who has bitterly moved on from the days of his youth where he used to play in the Negro Baseball League. Wilson explores the battle between the ruthless pragmatism and hope dividing the Maxson family living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Hellbent on tearing down the dreams of his wife Rose and son Cory who aspires to one day follow in his father's footsteps in search of sporting acclaim, there is no line Troy is unwilling to cross.
Often when discussing productions, directors use some derivative of the phrase “breathing life”. Yet the cast and I have found ourselves on the inverse - how to contend with the raw and searing palpability in Wilson’s work that already arrives with its own ferocious beating heart. What makes Fences a glorious show is its familiar yet daring homage to black domesticity. It is an honour to tell this story at a time when Cambridge perhaps needs to hear it most
"This powerful drama delves into the complexities of family, race, and the human condition, set against the backdrop of 1950s Pittsburgh. At its core, Fences is a story about Troy Maxson, a man grappling with the weight of his past, his unrealised dreams and his strained relationships with those closest to him. Wilson’s masterful writing offers a profound, nuanced exploration of the African American experience, transcending the Atlantic and resonating deeply with many of our own familial and personal experiences. Through Troy’s journey, we witness the intricate legacies of history, personal choices and societal pressures that build walls both protective and confining. The play challenges us to reflect on the fences we construct in our own lives – those that provide shelter and those that isolate."
Angel Ezeadum, Assistant Director
In Fences, August Wilson presents as vivid and visceral a depiction of period and setting as has ever been put to stage. It is our enormous pleasure to bring this timeless story to audiences once again and, for the first time, to break through the fourth wall of Troy and Rose's home, allowing the audience even further into their lives.
"For just one night, I would like you to forget that this play is set in the 1950s, that it is a play pertaining to seven black characters or that its lines have been spoken by the likes of Denzel Washington and Viola Davis. Instead, I invite you to embrace Fences for what it truly is: an indelible, powerful portrayal of family dynamics. No matter who we are, we can all relate to the universal themes within this play—the desire to love and be loved, the tension between dreaming and the fear of dreaming too far, the moments when we question, in our deepest pain, if God is truly watching. Through this emotional journey, we come to understand that at the core of the human experience, there is always something lost, and something gained. Reimagining Wilson's Fences for the ADC stage, with its status as a Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning play, was a daunting task I often questioned whether we’d be able to pull off. Yet somehow here we are on the other side of the finishing line. Five months ago, on a rainy Friday afternoon, less than an hour before the ADC’s pitching deadline, I found myself on the phone with our photography genius, Chris. Together, we frantically discussed the first inklings of what would become the production you see before you."
"The set is a synthesis of the legacies of the original 1985 Yale Repertory Theatre production, the 2010 Cort Theatre production on Broadway and the 2016 film. In combining these we are proud to present an ambitious new doll house design never once attempted in any previous major production of this Show. The dollhouse set armed with plenty of gubbins (the markers of everyday life) highlights the intimacies, shared geographies and the constant exposure our characters navigate throughout the course of the play.
Over the summer, the world lost the undeniable talent James Earl Jones, who originated the role of Troy. This production is dedicated to James's legacy and his invaluable contributions to black excellence and the arts. Mr Jones, this one is for you."
Ivan Alexei Ampiah, Director
August Wilson's Fences
Tuesday 22 - Saturday 26 October, 7.45PM & Saturday 26 October, 2.30PM
ADC Theatre
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