Apocalyptour

StarKid Productions

StarKid Productions

American musical theatre company

StarKid Productions, also known as Team StarKid, is an American musical theatre company founded in 2009 at the University of Michigan by Darren Criss, Brian Holden, Matt Lang, and Nick Lang. Originally known for the viral success of their first musical, A Very Potter Musical, a parody of the Harry Potter series, the troupe primarily produces musical comedies inspired by pop culture, with original scripts, songs, and music. StarKid distributes their musicals for free on YouTube, with recent projects being funded by Kickstarter and physical ticket sales.

Quick Facts Founded, Founders ...

Since the success of A Very Potter Musical, the group has produced thirteen stage musicals (including two Potter sequels), three national tours, two reunion concert specials, three sketch comedy shows, and three web series. They also have a planned concert to be held in London in May 2024.

As of 2023, the company has charted 13 albums in the top 10 on Billboard charts.[2] The cast recording of Me and My Dick debuted at number 11 on the US Cast Albums chart in 2010, becoming the first student-produced musical recording to chart on Billboard. The following year they landed at number one on the same chart with the cast recording of Starship, a feat that has since been repeated with their 2019 musical Black Friday, and their 2023 musical Nerdy Prudes Must Die.

History

StarKid Productions is composed of actors, writers, directors, composers, choreographers, and designers, most of them originating from the University of Michigan's School of Music, Theater and Dance. The members met while collaborating on plays through Basement Arts, the university's student-run theater organization.

In April 2009, the students staged a musical parody of the Harry Potter series entitled A Very Potter Musical.[3] The video of the play went viral on the Internet, garnering StarKid a worldwide fanbase.[3] Inspired by the viral nature of the video, StarKid Productions was formed, named after a quote from A Very Potter Musical. Later, two sequels were performed and released on YouTube, A Very Potter Sequel in 2010 and A Very Potter Senior Year in 2012.[4][5]

The Team StarKid YouTube channel was created on June 19, 2009.[6] As of April 2024, the channel has over 809,000 subscribers and over 340,000,000 combined views.[6] Aside from the viral Harry Potter adaptions, Team StarKid has produced a number of other musical theatre parody shows, creating both original stories and pop culture-based parodies of Disney, DC Comics, Star Wars and The Oregon Trail.

StarKid and its members are associated with various other theater groups, most notably Tin Can Brothers (creators of Spies Are Forever) and Shipwrecked Comedy.

Team Starkid has had two major moves since its founding in 2009. The first was to Chicago after the founders graduated from The University of Michigan. The second was to Los Angeles.

Musical theatre productions

More information Production, Dates ...

Starship: Requiem (2014)

Team StarKid produced a sequel to their 2011 musical Starship called Starship: Requiem that was performed on August 2, 2014 at LeakyCon in Orlando, FL. However, it was a one-time "theatrical reading" and, as such, Team StarKid does not include it in their musical canon.[14] The story followed the adventures of the android Mega-Girl and her half-witted Starship Ranger husband, Tootsie Noodles, as the newlyweds go to visit Mega-Girl's human-hating family.[15]

VHS Christmas Carols (2023)

VHS Christmas Carols is a musical originally performed in 2023. It expands on the 2020 live-streamed production based on A Christmas Carol, with The Gift of the Magi and The Little Matchstick Girl serving as additional bases, making it a "trilogy" version of the original.

Cinderella's Castle (2024)

Cinderella's Castle is an upcoming musical based on the tale of Cinderella. It is scheduled to be performed on July 2024.[16]

Cast members

The following is a list of cast members and their appearances in StarKid's musical theatre productions. The Trail to Oregon! has the smallest cast with 6 members, while A Very Potter Senior Year has the largest with 33.

More information Member, AVPM ...

Other performances

More information Production, Dates ...

Concerts and tours

The SPACE Tour (2011)

Main article: The SPACE Tour

The SPACE Tour is a North American concert tour with 21 stops in 15 cities. "SPACE" in the tour title stands for StarKid Precarious Auditory Concert Experience.[18]

Apocalyptour (2012)

Main article: Apocalyptour

Apocalyptour is a North American concert tour with 24 stops in 21 cities. The tour title is a reference to the 2012 phenomenon.[19][non-primary source needed]

A Very StarKid Reunion (2015)

A Very StarKid Reunion is a reunion concert performed in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the University of Michigan School of Music, Theater, and Dance.[20]

StarKid Homecoming (2019)

StarKid Homecoming is a reunion concert held at the Theater at the Ace on July 25–26, 2019.[21][non-primary source needed]

The Jangle Ball Tour (2022)

The Jangle Ball Tour is a North American concert tour with 8 stops in 7 cities from December 2 to December 17, 2022.

It's StarKid, Innit? (2024)

It's StarKid, Innit? is a one-night-only concert due to take place at the London Palladium on May 12, 2024.[22] It will be StarKid's debut performance in the United Kingdom.[23]

Sketch comedy productions

Airport for Birds (2013)

Airport for Birds was performed in January–March 2013 in Chicago, IL. StarKid Productions teamed up with The Second City to produce their first sketch comedy show. The show was produced at the UP Comedy Club.

1Night 2Last 3Ever (2013)

1Night 2Last 3Ever was performed in September–November 2013 in Chicago, IL. StarKid Productions second sketch comedy show with The Second City. The show was produced at the UP Comedy Club. The show was a parody of various pieces of 1990s pop culture centering on the exploits of a fictional boy band, 3Ever.

Yes, I am Afraid of the Dark! (2015)

Yes, I am Afraid of the Dark! was performed in September–October 2015 in Chicago, IL. StarKid Productions first improv comedy show with iO Chicago and was produced at the iO Theater. The show was a parody of the 1990s children show Are You Afraid of the Dark? with the cast creating an entire episode based on audience suggestion.

Web series

Little White Lie

In 2007, members including Matt Lang, Nick Lang, Eric Kahn Gale, Brian Holden, Darren Criss, Lauren Lopez, Elona Finlay, Chris Allen, Meredith Stepien, and Jim Povolo produced an online video series called Little White Lie. It was released in 2009 on StarKid's YouTube channel.[24] Despite the series ending in a cliffhanger, StarKid members have confirmed at various events that there will be no season 2, as it was an expensive production and the actors who took part in it are scattered all over the country. However, Eric Kahn Gale, one of the writers for the show, stated that he would write and publish a synopsis of season 2, which was released on September 3, 2013 on his Tumblr page.[25]

Movies, Musicals, and Me

In October 2017, StarKid debuted its second web series on YouTube, Movies, Musicals, and Me. The series takes place in an alternate world where every popular movie ever has been adapted into a Broadway musical. The best of these musicals all star the same man, Halpert Evans, a vain and pompous, though brilliant, actor. The series is structured as a mockumentary of Evans, chronicling the most significant musical roles of his career, along with commentary from various colleagues in Halpert's line of work. The series introduces StarKid newcomers Esther Fallick as Halpert Evans and Mary Kate Wiles as Judy Davendale. Joey Richter, Nick Lang, Brian Holden, Dylan Saunders, Lauren Lopez, Jaime Lyn Beatty, Corey Dorris, and Clark Baxtresser also star.

Nightmare Time

On October 1, 2020, StarKid announced a new three-episode horror anthology series set in the world of The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals and Black Friday.[26] It featured six stories read by the cast of the shows. Performances took place virtually on October 10, 17, and 24, 2020. In August 2021 a second season was announced.[27][28] A cast recording was released on February 8, 2021.[29]

The next year, StarKid later livestreamed Nightmare Time 2, the second season of the series. Four performances took place virtually on October 23 & 30 and November 6 & 13, 2021. The entire cast from the first season returned with the exceptions of Robert Manion and Kendall Nicole. The series was also the StarKid debut of Bryce Charles and Jae Hughes.[30][non-primary source needed] The episodes were released weekly on StarKid's YouTube channel between May 20, 2022 and June 10, 2022.[31]

Soundtrack albums

More information Title, Album details ...

Notes

  1. From the official website: Currently, there are no concrete plans to release VHS CHRISTMAS CAROLS on YouTube.[13]
  2. Heard in a voiceover
  3. Makes a cameo appearance in the YouTube proshot
  4. Understudy, appears in the YouTube proshot
  5. "The SPACE Tour" did not enter the Billboard 200 but did enter the Top Current Albums component chart at number 182
  6. "Black Friday" did not enter the Billboard 200 but did enter the Top Album Sales component chart at number 58.

References

  1. [1]
    "About Team StarKid". YouTube.
  2. [2]
    Caulfield, Keith (September 26, 2023). "StarKid, Captain America & 'Oklahoma!' Meet Atop Billboard's Cast Albums Chart". Billboard. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  3. [3]
    "The Original StarKid On Fame And His Traverse City Roots". The Ticker | Traverse City News & Events. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
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    "Team StarKid". StarKid Productions. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
  5. [5]
    Borrelli, Christopher (November 1, 2011). "What exactly is Team StarKid?". Chicago Tribune. Bruce Dold. Archived from the original on September 29, 2013. Retrieved December 18, 2011.
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    "Team StarKid - YouTube". YouTube.
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    "Broadway's A.J. Holmes to Perform Solo Musical, Yeah, But Not Right Now Off-Broadway | TheaterMania". www.theatermania.com. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
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  10. [10]
    "Coming 2023... NERDY PRUDES MUST DIE!". YouTube. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  11. [11]
    "Nerdy Prudes Must Die". StarKid Productions. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  12. [12]
    "The El Portal Theatre l Nerdy Prudes Must Die". elportaltheatre.com. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  13. [13]
    "VHS Christmas Carols 2023". StarKid Productions. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  14. [14]
    LeakyCon [@LeakyCon] (March 31, 2014). "ANNOUNCING! @TeamStarKid will perform at theatrical reading of "STARSHIP: REQUIEM" http://www.leakycon.com/?p=8224" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  15. [15]
    Jordan. ""Starship: Requiem" to be Performed at LeakyCon 2014". LeakyCon. Tumblr. Archived from the original on April 7, 2014. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
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    CINDERELLA'S CASTLE Kickstart StarKid's New Fairy Tale Musical!. Retrieved April 26, 2024 – via www.youtube.com.
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    "Team StarKid's 'A VHS Christmas Carol' and Tin Can Bros' 'Wayward Guide' are a pair of holiday treats!". Hypable. December 22, 2020. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
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    "Apocalyptour". December 4, 2013. Archived from the original on December 4, 2013. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
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    "StarKid Homecoming". StarKid Productions. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
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    "It's StarKid, Innit? — StarKid Productions". StarKid Productions. February 13, 2024. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
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    Team StarKid (July 11, 2009). "StarKid Introduces: Little White Lie". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved January 18, 2012.
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    Gale, Eric Kahn (September 3, 2013). "Little White Lie Season 2 Synopsis". Tumblr. Archived from the original on September 30, 2013. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
  26. [26]
    "From stage to screen: Putting life back into virtual theater - The Arizona State Press". www.statepress.com. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  27. [27]
    "Nightmare Time".
  28. [28]
    "Nightmare Time (Web Video)". TV Tropes. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  29. [29]
    "Nightmare Time (Original StarKid Cast Recording) by Original StarKid Cast of Nightmare Time on iTunes". February 8, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  30. [30]
    "Nightmare Time 2 -- StarKid Productions". Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  31. [31]
    "NIGHTMARE TIME 2 (YouTube Trailer)". YouTube. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  32. [32]
    Austrone, Xavier (November 22, 2010). "StarKid Interview: Starship Coverage & A VERY POTTER THREEQUEL!?". Wizarding Life. Archived from the original on August 4, 2011. Retrieved November 23, 2010.
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    Caulfield, Keith (March 18, 2010). "'My Dick' Rises to Become First Charting Student Musical". Billboard. Lynne Segall. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
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  36. [36]
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  37. [37]
    "Billboard 200 - May 14, 2011". Billboard. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
  38. [38]
    "Cast Albums - May 14, 2011". Billboard. January 2, 2013. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
  39. [39]
    "Independent Albums - May 14, 2011". Billboard. January 2, 2013. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
  40. [40]
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  42. [42]
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  43. [43]
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  45. [45]
    "Compilation Albums - May 5, 2012". Billboard. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
  46. [46]
    "Apocalyptour". StarKid Productions. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  47. [47]
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  48. [48]
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  49. [49]
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  50. [50]
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  51. [51]
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  52. [52]
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