Headlong

Call Directions Website Contact the establishment

Theatre with the power to move. Commissioning new classics and making classics feel new. Always with a thrilling question to ask. On main stages nationwide.

www.headlong.co.uk Headlong is one of the most ambitious and exciting theatre companies in the UK, creating exhilarating contemporary theatre: a provocative mix of innovative new writing, reimagined classics and influential twentieth century plays that illuminate our world. Headlong makes bold, ground-breaking productions with some of the UK’s finest artists. We take these industry-leading, award-winning shows around the country and beyond, in theatres and online, attracting new audiences of all ages and backgrounds. Previous Headlong productions include Henry V, Jitney, Corrina, Corrina, Best of Enemies, People, Places & Things, The Nether, 1984 and Enron, and major digital theatre innovations Signal Fires and Unprecedented.

‘A touring company of generous unpredictability’ The Observer

‘The indefatigably inventive Headlong’ The Times

06/10/2026

📍London here we come!!!

We've had a wonderful time playing to audiences in Leeds and Oxford, next up is London! We open Fences at the Lyric Hammersmith this week, our home for rest of the month 🤩🎷

🎟️ Book via the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre website. Previews neasly sold out ‼️
📅 6th Oct - 31st Oct
🗒️ Age 12+. Audio described, captioned and BSL performances available.

TOUR DATES:
📍 Lyric Hammersmith 6th - 31st October
📍 HOME Manchester 3rd - 7th November
📍 Nottingham Playhouse 10th - 14th November

Last seen in the UK over ten years ago. Don’t miss your chance to see this “classy, brassy, superbly accomplished” (The Stage) show.

02/10/2026

FULL CIRCLE. ❤️

Our wonderful Ray Fearon (Troy in Fences) secured his very first professional job with Oxford Stage Company — many years before it became Headlong.

Back in 1991, Ray played Ferdinand in The Tempest, directed by John Rettallack.

35 years later, Ray and John were reunited at our Fences Press Night in Oxford! 🤩

A beautiful, full circle moment ☺️❤️

29/09/2026

We are on the move. Our “fizzing” (The Times) production of August Wilson’s Fences is coming to Oxford! 🎷 https://www.headlong.co.uk/productions/fences

Today we are building Lily Arnold’s beautiful set, setting up backstage, doing safety briefings and sorting out all the tech. Tomorrow… we open the show. 🎭

🎟️ Book via the Oxford Playhouse website: https://www.oxfordplayhouse.com/events/august-wilsons-fences
📅 30th Sept - 3rd Oct
🗒️ Age 12+. Audio described, captioned and BSL performances available.

TOUR DATES:
📍 Lyric Hammersmith 6th - 31st October
📍 HOME Manchester 3rd - 7th November
📍 Nottingham Playhouse 10th - 14th November

Last seen in the UK over ten years ago. Don’t miss your chance to see this “classy, brassy, superbly accomplished” (The Stage) show.

22/09/2026

🎭 Behind every Headlong production sit deliberate conversations and decisions about resonance, risk and relevance.

We’re writing a new series to try and let you into that thinking through one central question: what makes a show a Headlong show?

Read the full article on our site. 👀

Link in bio 🔗

📸 Johan Persson photograph of Henry V at The Globe.

21/09/2026

Trailer for Fences is here ‼️

"Extraordinary...everything theatre can be." (The Yorkshire Post)

Alive with rhythms of blues and jazz, humour and heartbreak, Fences is August Wilson’s Pulitzer prize-winning masterpiece. Set in the 1950’s, it is a timeless and deeply human portrait of grief, love and what it means to be a family in post-war Black America.

One of the defining plays of the 20th century, it returns to the UK for the first time in over a decade in a vital new production directed by award-winning director Daniel Bailey.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ The Yorkshire Post
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ The Reviews Hub
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ The Guardian
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ The Times
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ The Stage

Open now in Leeds, then touring to Oxford, London, Manchester and Nottingham.

📣 TOUR DATES 📣
11 – 26 Sept Leeds Playhouse
30 Sept – 3 Oct Oxford Playhouse
6 –31 Oct Lyric Hammersmith
3 – 7 Nov HOME Manchester
10 – 14 Nov Nottingham Playhouse

A Headlong, Leeds Playhouse, Lyric Hammersmith Theatre and HOME Manchester production, generously supported by Charles Holloway OBE.

🎟️ Tickets on sale now.

18/09/2026

👏 The first Fences reviews are in! We’re thrilled that Daniel Bailey’s rich, dynamic production is getting great feedback from audiences and press.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ The Yorkshire Post
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ The Guardian
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ The Times
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ The Stage
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ The Reviews Hub

Open now in Leeds, then touring to Oxford, London, Manchester and Nottingham.

Alive with rhythms of blues and jazz, humour and heartbreak, Fences is August Wilson’s Pulitzer prize-winning masterpiece. Set in the 1950’s, it is a timeless and deeply human portrait of grief, love and what it means to be a family in post-war Black America.

📣 TOUR DATES 📣
11 – 26 Sept Leeds Playhouse
30 Sept – 3 Oct Oxford Playhouse
6 –31 Oct Lyric Hammersmith
3 – 7 Nov HOME Manchester
10 – 14 Nov Nottingham Playhouse

A Headlong, Leeds Playhouse, Lyric Hammersmith Theatre and HOME Manchester production, generously supported by Charles Holloway OBE.

🎟️ Tickets on sale now.

📸 Tyler Fayose | Photos & Video

15/09/2026

Exciting moment! This is your first look at our new production of August Wilson's Fences! 👏 Directed by Daniel Bailey with an incredible cast, this is a show with a fresh take on this American classic. We are incredibly proud to be touring this show with this company across the country. ♥️

ABOUT THE SHOW
Troy is a former baseball player who could’ve gone pro. He spends his days collecting garbage and his evenings spinning stories for family and friends. He is funny, charismatic and fiercely proud.

He’s also a man with flaws, shaped by a lifetime battling a world that denies his dreams. And the scars run deep.

His wife, Rose, sees America changing. She dares to believe life can be different and dreams that their son, Cory, will have the freedom that Troy never did. But as she works to break the cycles holding her family back, Troy’s frustration and bitterness threatens to tear them apart.

TOUR DATES:
📅 Leeds Playhouse - 11 – 26 Sept
📅 Oxford Playhouse - 30 Sept – 3 Oct
📅 Lyric Hammersmith - 6 –31 Oct
📅 HOME Manchester - 3 – 7 Nov
📅 Nottingham Playhouse - 10 – 14 Nov

Link in bio 🔗

A Headlong, Leeds Playhouse, Lyric Hammersmith Theatre and HOME Manchester production, generously supported by Charles Holloway OBE.

📷 Tyler Fayose

11/09/2026

This evening we're opening Fences! 🤩

Ahead of opening night, we're sharing the second instalment of our costume deep-dive with our cast. Today Madeline, playing Rose Maxson, discusses collaborating with our Set and Costume Designer Lily Arnold, and how they're honouring Black history and mothers through fashion, and the universal languages in August Wilson's work.

Don’t miss your chance to see it all brought to life on stage…

Touring across the UK. 🎟️

📍 Leeds Playhouse 📅 11-26 Sept
📍 Oxford Playhouse 📅 30 Sept-3 Oct
📍 Lyric Hammersmith 📅 6-31 Oct
📍 HOME Manchester 📅 3-8 Nov
📍 Nottingham Playhouse 📅 10-14 Nov

This is a Headlong, Leeds Playhouse, Lyric Hammersmith Theatre and HOME Manchester production.

This production is generously supported by Charles Holloway OBE.

🔗 Link in bio.

🎥:

10/09/2026

🧥 Button up! Here’s an exclusive sneak peek into the costumes our amazing costume designer Lily Arnold has designed ahead of Fences opening tomorrow. Josh Tedeku, who plays Cory Maxson, discusses his costumes and their symbolism to both his character and to young Black men of the 50s and 60s.

Don’t miss your chance to see it all brought to life on stage…

Touring across the UK. 🎟️

📍 Leeds Playhouse 📅 11-26 Sept
📍 Oxford Playhouse 📅 30 Sept-3 Oct
📍 Lyric Hammersmith 📅 6-31 Oct
📍 HOME Manchester 📅 3-8 Nov
📍 Nottingham Playhouse 📅 10-14 Nov

This is a Headlong, Leeds Playhouse, Lyric Hammersmith Theatre and HOME Manchester production.

This production is generously supported by Charles Holloway OBE.

Address

11-12 Beaumont Street
Oxford
OX12LW

Opening Hours

10am - 6pm

Telephone

+442076332090

Website

http://www.headlong.co.uk/, http://linktr.ee/headlongtheatre

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Headlong posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Establishment

Send a message to Headlong:

Want your establishment to be the top-listed arts & entertainment in Oxford?