| StarKid Productions | |
|---|---|
| Formation | 2009 |
| Type | Community Theatre |
| Purpose/focus | Theatrical productions |
| Location | Chicago, Illinois |
| Official languages | English |
| Affiliations | University of Michigan, Basement Arts [1] |
| Website | www.teamstarkid.com |
StarKid Productions, also known as Team StarKid, is a student-created musical theatre production company formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It was founded in 2009 by Darren Criss, Brian Holden, Matt Lang, and Nick Lang, former theater students from the University of Michigan's School of Music, Theatre & Dance.[2] The troupe's videos of their combined productions (excluding the mini web-series Little White Lie) have gained more than 100 million views on YouTube, and their YouTube channel has over 200,000 subscribers.[3] After graduation, most of the members moved to Chicago, Illinois, where the troupe is now based.[4] The StarKids describe themselves as "an ensemble of writers, actors, directors, designers, producers, and other goof-offs. Blending live performance with the accessibility of the internet, Starkid has taken the long-revered art of parody and fumblingly marched forward with it into the 21st century."[5]
Contents |
Prior to officially forming StarKid Productions in 2009, a number of future members produced plays and a web-series at The University of Michigan.
In February 2006, a selection of members put on a play based on J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit.[6]
In 2007, members including Matt Lang, Nick Lang, Eric Kahn Gale, Brian Holden, Darren Criss, Lauren Lopez, Elona Finlay, Chris Allen, Brian Rosenthal, and Jim Povolo produced an online video series called Little White Lie. It was funded by the money they won from a competition on SOAPnet. The video that earned them the prize is called "The Harder They Fall." [7]
In 2008, members which included Nick Lang, Jamie Lynn Beatty, Bonnie Gruesen, Lauren Lopez, Devin Lytle, Brian Holden, and Matt Lang, put on a production of The Lord of the Rings, a sequel to their Hobbit play performed in 2006. The play was notable for featuring a full-body puppet of Gollum, maneuvered by Nick Lang and Jaime Lyn Beatty. According to Nick Lang, the members did not like how the play turned out. Most of the footage from the play is lost due to the camera they were using running out of tape during the second Act.[8][9]
The name StarKid comes from a line in the group's first production, A Very Potter Musical, said by Lauren Lopez while portraying Draco Malfoy[10].
StarKid Productions first performed their show "Harry Potter, The Musical" on April 9–11, 2009 at the Walgreen Drama Center on the University of Michigan campus.[11] The troupe thereafter changed the name of the production to A Very Potter Musical due to copyright[12]. StarKid Productions joined YouTube under the username StarKidPotter on June 19, 2009,[13] and uploaded the show as A Very Potter Musical on July 5, 2009. This musical parody follows years 1, 4, 6, and 7 of the Harry Potter books, though it is set during their second year. The musical was named one of "The 10 Best Viral Videos of 2009" by EW.com.[14]
StarKid Productions performed and recorded a second musical in the fall of 2009, entitled Me and My Dick. The cast recording to Me And My Dick, released on iTunes, became the first student-produced college musical to reach the Billboard Top 100 (Cast Albums).[15][16]
StarKid Productions produced a second musical about Harry Potter named A Very Potter Sequel.[16] It was performed at the Walgreen Drama Center on May 14–16, 2010. The video-recording of the show premiered at the Harry Potter Fan Conference Infinitus on July 17, 2010 in Orlando, Florida and was subsequently released on YouTube on July 22.[17] It follows years 1, 3, and 5 of the Harry Potter books, and it is set during Harry's first year at Hogwarts. The sequel made the "What's Hot for the Week" list in August 2010 on EW.com.[18] Many of the songs from the sequel were released on A Very StarKid Album, which peaked at #14 on the iTunes Pop Charts.[16] A Very Potter Sequel was nominated for a Mashable Award for "Best Web Video" and competed against The Truthcaster, GameZombie TV, "Bonamana" by Super Junior, and YouTube user Jayparkaom, but did not win.[19]
On November 1, 2010, StarKid Productions announced their new musical, titled Starship,[20] about a planet of large bugs where the lead character, Bug, portrayed by Joey Richter, finds a human starship and wants to become a Starship Ranger.[20] The show was performed in Chicago from February 11, 2011 to February 22 2011, and was released on YouTube on April 30, 2011, with premieres in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. The group has also shown interest in making a third Harry Potter musical, tentatively titled A Very Potter Threequel (the main problem in making it is finding a time when Darren Criss is available).
In July 2011, Starkid Productions performed at LeakyCon in Orlando, Florida. They sang a selection of songs from both A Very Potter Musical and A Very Potter Sequel.[21]
On August 27 and 28, 2011, StarKid Productions performed in the "Funtastic Slamaganza" show at the Center on Halsted in Chicago. The proceeds of the Slamaganza went to a local Chicago charity called Snow City Arts which provides arts education to hospitalized children.[22] The show included performances from Jim and the Povolos, Matt the Magnificent and Corey Lubowich, Joe Walker's Clown routines, Meredith Stepien's stand-up comedy, songs from the StarKid Production shows and more.
On September 27, 2011, StarKid Productions announced their first national concert tour: The SPACE (StarKid Precarious Auditory Concert Experience) Tour. The group performed at 21 stops in 15 cites. The tour began on November 4, 2011 in Ann Arbor, Michigan and ended on November 27, 2011 in New York. The tour featured songs performed in all their productions and the StarKids who participated were Lauren Lopez, Joey Richter, Joe Walker, Brian Holden, Dylan Saunders, Jaime Lyn Beatty and Meredith Stepien. Darren Criss performed in the Boston and New York shows. [23] The New York shows featured several StarKid members who hadn't appeared with StarKid in several years, including Elona Finlay, who played Sami Reese in Little White Lie.
On June 7, 2011, Starkid Productions released a novel named "The Bully Book", written by Eric Kahn Gale with illustrations by Matt and Nick Lang.
| Team Member | Production | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Little White Lie (2007) |
A Very Potter Musical (2009)[24] |
Me and My Dick (2009)[25] |
A Very Potter Sequel (2010)[26] |
Starship (2011)[27] |
|
| Julia Albain | Vincent Crabbe | Vincent Crabbe, Percy Weasley, Candy Lady | Specs, Ensemble | ||
| Chris Allen | Duder Reese | [Cameo] | |||
| Jaime Lyn Beatty | Ginny Weasley | Sally | Rita Skeeter, Ginny Weasley | Neato Mosquito, Ensemble | |
| Tyler Brunsman | Cedric Diggory, Cornelius Fudge | Lucius Malfoy | [Cameo] | ||
| Richard Campbell | Neville Longbottom | Rick, The Kid That Hates Joey | Neville Longbottom, Past Hermione | [Cameo] | |
| Britney Coleman | Bellatrix Lestrange | Dean Thomas | [Cameo] | ||
| Brant Cox | Roach, Ensemble | ||||
| Darren Criss | Toby Phillips | Harry Potter | [Cameo] | Harry Potter | |
| Denise Donovan | February, Ensemble | ||||
| Corey Dorris | Big T | Yaxley | |||
| Elona Finlay | Sami Reese | ||||
| Arielle Goldman | Weenie, Ensemble | Lily Potter, Luna Lovegood, Hedwig, Fred Weasley | [Cameo] | ||
| Ali Gordon | Vanessa, Ensemble | ||||
| Bonnie Gruesen | Hermione Granger | Hermione Granger | |||
| Brian Holden | Zack | Flopsy, Ensemble | Remus Lupin | Junior, Veeto Mosquito, Ensemble | |
| A.J. Holmes | Joey's Heart | [Cameo] | |||
| Nick Lang | Kevin Bushwald | Arthur Weasley, Sorty, Scarfy, Peter Pettigrew, | The Caller Bug, Mister Bug, Ensemble | ||
| Lauren Lopez | Tanya Freemont | Draco Malfoy | [Cameo] | Draco Malfoy | Taz, Buggette Buggington, Ensemble |
| Devin Lytle | Cho Chang | Miss Cooter | Cho Chang, Charlie Weasley | [Cameo] | |
| Lily Marks | Pansy Parkinson, Molly Weasley | Sally's Heart, High Council Pussy | Molly Weasley | [Cameo] | |
| Nicholas Joseph Strauss-Matathia | The Old Snatch | Sirius Black | [Cameo] | ||
| Alle-Faye Monka | Tiffany, Ensemble | ||||
| Joe Moses | Severus Snape | Rick's Dick | Severus Snape | Krayonder, Ensemble | |
| Jim Povolo | Jim Povolo | Gregory Goyle, Rumbleroar | Gregory Goyle, Firenze, Bill Weasley, Past Draco | The Overqueen, Sweetheart Mosquito, Ensemble | |
| Joey Richter | Ron Weasley | Joey Richter | Ron Weasley | Bug | |
| Brian Rosenthal | Quirinus Quirrell | Seamus Finnigan, James Potter, Past Ron, King's Cross Person | [Cameo] | ||
| Meredith Stepien | Meredith | Mega-Girl, Ensemble | |||
| Dylan Saunders | Albus Dumbledore | Albus Dumbledore | Tootsie Noodles, Pincer, Ensemble | ||
| Sango Tajima | Lavender Brown | Lavender Brown, George Weasley, Past Harry | |||
| Joe Walker | Lord Voldemort | Dick | Dolores Umbridge | Up, Ensemble | |
| Role | Production | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Little White Lie | A Very Potter Musical[24] | Me and My Dick[25] | A Very Potter Sequel[26] | Starship[27] | |
| Director | Eric Kahn Gale | Matt Lang | |||
| Assistant Director | Nick Lang Brian Holden |
Nick Lang | Nick Lang Brian Holden Eric Kahn Gale |
Nick Lang | |
| Writer | Chris Allen Eric Kahn Gale Matt Lang Nick Lang |
Matt Lang Nick Lang Brian Holden |
Matt Lang Nick Lang Brian Holden Eric Kahn Gale |
Matt Lang Nick Lang Brian Holden |
Matt Lang Nick Lang Brian Holden Joe Walker |
| Music | Chuck Criss Darren Criss Mark Swiderski |
Darren Criss A.J. Holmes |
A.J. Holmes Carlos Valdes Darren Criss |
Darren Criss | |
| Choreographer | Britney Coleman | Alle-Faye Monka | James Tolbert | Denise Donovan | |
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billboard Top Albums[28] | Billboard Top Cast Albums [15][16][28][29] |
Billboard Top Compilation Albums [29] |
iTunes Top Albums [16] |
iTunes Top Pop Albums [16] |
|||
| Little White Lie[20] |
|
— | — | — | — | — | |
| A Very Potter Musical[20] |
|
N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Made only available for free on Bandcamp, therefore not eligible for Billboard/iTunes chart listings.[30] |
| Me and My Dick (A New Musical)[15][16][20] |
|
— | 11 | — | — | — | |
| A Very StarKid Album[16] |
|
— | — | 19 | 27 | 14 | |
| A Very Potter Sequel[20] |
|
N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Made only available for free on Bandcamp, therefore not eligible for Billboard/iTunes chart listings.[30] |
| Starship[20][28] |
|
134 | 1 | — | 4 | — | |
|
||||||||||||||