J. Smith-Cameron, Reed Birney, Dan McCabe to Star in David Marshall Grant’s Pen

J. Smith-Cameron, Reed Birney, and Dan McCabe will star in David Marshall Grant’s new play, Pen, which will run at Playwrights Horizons from March 23 through April 16. Directed by Will Frears, the production will open officially on April 2.

The play is about a controlling mother (Smith-Cameron), confined to a wheelchair, who keeps a tight hold on her son (McCabe) by influencing his enrollment at a nearby college, while her ex-husband (Birney) tries to free the young man from her grasp. The creative team of the Playwrights Horizons production includes Robin Vest (sets), Jenny Mannis (costumes), Matthew Richards (lighting), and Obadiah Eaves (sound). Frears is currently directing The Pillowman at the George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

Grant’s other plays include Snakebit and Current Events; as an actor, he has starred on Broadway in Bent and Angels in America. Smith-Cameron received a Tony Award nomination for Our Country’s Good and has also been seen on Broadway in Night Must Fall, Tartuffe, and After the Night and the Music. She is a three-time Drama Desk Award nominee for The Naked Truth, As Bees in Honey Drown, and Sarah, Sarah. Birney appeared on Broadway in Gemini, and his many Off-Broadway credits include Homebody/Kabul and Bug. McCabe was seen earlier this season in The Dear Boy Off-Broadway.