Fences

by August Wilson
Directed by Susan Dalian

August Wilson joins the Santa Cruz Shakespeare stage for the first time in 45 years. Fences is the perfect offering. Troy Maxson is one of Wilson’s great creations; Shakespearean in scope; a wordsmith and brilliant storyteller. He has survived the terrible trauma of his past and built himself a good life. But the backbone of that life, the spine that keeps it standing strong, is his wife Rose. Like all of Wilson’s best work, Fences is both mythic and intimate; the questions it asks both human and eternal.

Tickets will go on sale to members on April 1, and to the general public on May 1.

PERFORMANCES:

• Tuesday, July 28, 2026 at 2:00 PM – preview
• Wednesday, July 29, 2026 at 8:00 PM – preview
• Thursday, July 30, 2026 at 8:00 PM – opening
• Sunday, August 2, 2026 at 7:00 PM
• Tuesday, August 4, 2026 at 7:00 PM – wine club
• Friday, August 7, 2026 at 8:00 PM
• Saturday, August 8, 2026 at 2:00 PM – post-show talk-back
• Wednesday, August 12, 2026 at 7:00 PM – pre-show dramturgy
• Saturday, August 15, 2026 at 8:00 PM
• Sunday, August 16, 2026 at 2:00 PM – all-ages matinee
• Thursday, August 20, 2026 at 7:00 PM – pre-show backstage tour (ticket required)
• Sunday, August 23, 2026 at 7:00 PM
• Tuesday, August 25, 2026 at 7:00 PM
• Friday, August 28, 2026 at 8:00 PM – closing

RUN TIME:

• 2 and 1/2 hours with one 20-minute intermission

TICKETS: 

• TBA
• Call the SCS box office at 831-460-6399, open Tuesday through Friday from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m

VENUE: 

• Santa Cruz Shakespeare main stage
  Audrey Stanley Grove in DeLaveaga Park
  501 Upper Park Road, Santa Cruz, CA