Diana DeGarmo, Darren Ritchie, Leslie Kritzer and More to Lead Pre-Broadway Engagement of NERDS - Full Cast Announced!

Full casting and the creative team have been announced for the limited, pre-Broadway engagement of Nerds, A New Musical Comedy at North Carolina Theatre's AJ Fletcher Theatre the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts in Raleigh, NC. The show will run from January 18, 2013 through February 3, 2013.

The cast will feature Darren Ritchie (Wonderland, Thoroughly Modern Millie) as the iconic Steve Jobs, Stanley Bahorek (25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee) as Bill Gates, Diana DeGarmo (Hair, Hairspray, "American Idol – Season 3") as Sally and Leslie Kritzer (Elf, Legally Blonde) as Myrtle. The cast also includes Benny Elledge (Chicago) as Steve Wozniak, Rob Morrison (Avenue Q) as Paul Allen, James Moye (Ragtime, The Full Monty) as Tom Watson, Matt Wilson (Emmy Award Winner for "Cyberchase") as Herbert, and Cole Escola ("Jeffery & Cole Casserole") as Dustin.

With book & lyrics by Jordan Allen-Dutton and Erik Weiner (Emmy Award-nominees for their work on Cartoon Network's "Robot Chicken"), music by HAl Goldberg, Nerds is directed by Marc Bruni (Old Jews Telling Jokes; Anything Goes - Associate Director) and choreographed by Denis Jones (Legally Blonde - Associate Choreographer).

NERDS is a cheeky original musical that celebrates the birth of computer technology and the two pop-culture icons, Bill Gates & Steve Jobs, who made it possible. The show follows the lives of the founding fathers of personal computing as they rise from Nerds to billionaires, making a mark on history, and defining the golden age of technology.

The design team includes scenic design by Lee Savage (Ordinary Days), lighting design by Jason Lyons (Rock of Ages), costume design by Alejo Vietti (Jersey Boys - Associate Costumer), projection design by Zak Borovay (Evita), and sound design by Eric Alexander Collins and Brian Hunt. The Music Supervisor is Nadia DiGiallonardo (Hair), orchestrations are by Adam Blau and music direction is by Matt Doebler.

CaroLee Baxter and Lisa Grele Barrie are producing the pre-Broadway engagement for North Carolina Theatre (NCT) by special arrangement from Vicki Halmos and Carl Levin. This is the first time NCT has produced an original musical or pre-Broadway production. Casey Hushion (Elf- Associate Director) is NCT's Artistic Director.

Earlier incarnations of Nerds were presented at the 2005 New York Musical Theatre Festival and by the Philadelphia Theatre Company in 2007, where it earnEd Barrymore Awards for Outstanding Original Music and Outstanding New Play.

For tickets, call 800-745-3000 or visit www.nctheatre.com. For groups of 10 or more, call 919-831-6941 x5204.