Barron, Fernandez, Houdyshell, Rogers, Welch, et al. Set for Playwrights Horizons’ The Pain and the Itch

Mia Barron, Aya Cash, Peter Jay Fernandez, Jayne Houdyshell, Reg Rogers, and Christopher Evan Welch will star in the Playwrights Horizons’ production of Bruce Norris’ The Pain and the Itch, September 1-October 8. The production, to be directed by Anna D. Shapiro, will open officially on September 26. It will also feature child actors Nora Markus and Ada-Marie L. Guitierrez alternating in the role of Kayla.

The show was previously produced by the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, where it was also directed by Shapiro and starred Houdyshell, who received the Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Supporting Actress. The creative team will include three designers from that production, Dan Ostling (sets) and Rob Milburn and Michael Bodeen (sound), along with Jennifer von Mayrhauser (costumes) and Donald Holder (lighting).

The play concerns an average Thanksgiving for one privileged family that quickly unravels, especially with a young girl in serious need of attention and a ravenous creature possibly prowling upstairs. Norris’ other plays include The Infidel, Purple Heart, and The Unmentionables, which is currently onstage at Steppenwolf in a production directed by Shapiro.

Barron starred on Broadway in QED and has appeared Off-Broadway in The World Over and She Stoops to Comedy. Cash’s regional credits include Much Ado About Nothing and The Winter’s Tale. Fernandez has starred on Broadway in Julius Caesar and Jelly’s Last Jam. Houdyshell was recently seen on Broadway in Well, for which she received a Tony Award nomination. Rogers received a Tony nomination for Holiday and a Lucille Lortel Award for The Dazzle. Welch was recently on Broadway in Festen and received an Obie Award for A Streetcar Named Desire.