THE NERD is Next at Bucks County Playhouse

Executive Producer Robyn Goodman, Producing Director Alexander Fraser and Producers Stephen Kocis and Josh Fiedler recently announced details on the cast and creative team of "The Nerd," Larry Shue's outrageously funny comedy, which will run at Bucks County Playhouse (BCP) from June 23 through July 15.

Leading the cast are Grant Shaud, most recently seen on Broadway in "Relatively Speaking" and known to millions of Americans as Miles from the Emmy-award winning television series "Murphy Brown;" Zuzanna Szadkowski, remembered for five seasons as Dorota Kishlovsky on the drama series "Gossip Girl" and as Nurse Pell in Steven Soderbergh's "The Knick;" and Joe Kinosian, writer and star of the award-winning musical "Murder for Two." The 2017 Bucks County Playhouse Season is sponsored by Bank of America.

Willum Cubbert, an aspiring young architect in Terre Haute, Indiana, has often told his friends about the debt he owes to Rick Steadman, a fellow ex-GI who saved his life - but whom he never met! He had written to Rick with an oath -as long as he is alive, "You will have somebody on Earth who will do anything for you." Obviously, Willum is delighted when Rick shows up unexpectedly at his apartment on the night of his birthday. Hilarity ensues when it becomes apparent that Rick is a bumbling oaf with no social sense, little intelligence and less tact. Most importantly, it looks as if Rick never plans to leave!

Kinosian will play Rick Steadman, the "Nerd" of the title. Along with Shaud and Szadkowski (who will play Warnock and Clelia Walgrave), the cast is led by Kyle Cameron (Dora Maver Moore Winner for "Cranked") as Willum Cubbert, Clea Alsip (BCP's "Steel Magnolias" and "Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike") as Tansy McGinnis and Gavin Lee (Tony nominee for Broadway's "Mary Poppins") as Axel Hammond. They are joined by Avey Noble (Showtime's "The Affair" and NBC's "The Mysteries of Laura") as Thor Waldgrave.

"When we first read Larry Shue's play we found ourselves laughing out loud," says Fiedler. "It is outrageously funny - some reviews have even called it one of the funniest plays ever written. We are truly excited to bring this play to the Bucks County Playhouse, with an extraordinary cast headed by Joe Kinosian as The Nerd."

Directed by Marc Vietor (Off-Broadway's "School for Scandal"). Maruti Evans is set designer. Thom Weaver is lighting designer. Costume design is by Annie Simon. Greg Pliska serves as sound designer. Alyssa Howard is production stage manager.

The production will play the following schedule: Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m., Wednesdays at 2:00 pm and 7:30 pm, Thursdays at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Fridays at 8:00 p.m., Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. The opening night performance on Saturday, June 24 will be at 7:30 p.m. The Playhouse will hold a special LGBT Night performance with a post-show talkback on Tuesday, June 27 and a Ladies' Night performance on Thursday, July 6.

Single tickets to "The Nerd" are on sale now. Tickets range from $40 - $75. Special rates for groups of 10 or more. Subscriptions to the full 2017 Season are still available. For complete details, and to purchase tickets, please visit buckscountyplayhouse.org, call 215-862-2121, or visit the box office at 70 South Main Street, New Hope, PA.

ABOUT BUCKS COUNTY PLAYHOUSE

Bucks County Playhouse, a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization, is the oldest and largest professional Equity performing arts center in Bucks County. Under the direction of Tony Award-winning producers, Alexander Fraser and Robyn Goodman, the Playhouse provides first class professional theatrical entertainment as well as community events, partnerships and arts education programming for visitors and residents of New Hope, Doylestown, Lambertville and the Delaware Valley.

Located between Philadelphia and New York, Bucks County Playhouse opened in 1939 in a converted 1790 gristmill after a group of community activists, led by Broadway orchestrator Don Walker and playwright Moss Hart, rallied to save the building. The Playhouse quickly became one of the country's most famous regional theaters, featuring a roster of American theatrical royalty including Helen Hayes, Kitty Carlisle, George S. Kaufman, Grace Kelly, Robert Redford, Bert Lahr, Walter Matthau, Angela Lansbury, Bernadette Peters, Alan Alda, Tyne Daly, Liza Minnelli and Audra McDonald and remained in continuous operation until December 2010. In 2012, the Playhouse re-opened thanks to the efforts of the Bridge Street Foundation, the nonprofit family foundation of Kevin and Sherri Daugherty, and Broadway producer Jed Bernstein.

Since its renovation, significant productions include Terrence McNally's "Mothers and Sons" starring Tyne Daly, which moved to Broadway and was nominated for two Tony Awards, and "Misery" by William Goldman based on the Stephen King novel which also went on to a Broadway run in the 2015-16 season. Two of the Playhouse's recent productions -- "Company" starring Justin Guarini, and William Finn's "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" -- were named by Wall Street Journal to its "Best of Theatre" list for 2015. The Playhouse's productions of "Steel Magnolias" and "Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story" broke box office records in 2016.