Team StarKid
Encyclopedia
StarKid Productions, also known as Team StarKid, is a student-created theatre production troupe formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...

, founded in 2009 by theatre students at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...

. The troupe's videos of their productions (excluding the mini web-series Little White Lie) combined have gained more than 100 million views on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....

 with their YouTube channel having over 200,000 subscribers. After they graduated (the youngest members in 2011), most of the members have moved to Chicago, Illinois where the troupe is now centered.

History

Before officially forming StarKid Productions, some members including Matt Lang, Nick Lang, Eric Kahn Gale, Brian Holden, Darren Criss
Darren Criss
Darren Everett Criss is an American actor, singer-songwriter, musician, composer, and a founding member and co-owner of the theater company StarKid Productions. He currently portrays Blaine Anderson, an openly gay high school student, on the FOX television series Glee...

, Lauren Lopez, Elona Finlay, Chris Allen, Brian Rosenthal, and Jim Povolo worked on an online video series called Little White Lie
Little White Lie (web series)
Little White Lie is an American web series created by members of what would eventually become Team StarKid. The series follows Sami and Duder Reese who steal a friend's music to turn their go-nowhere band, Reeses Pieces, into the next sensation, Little White Lie...

in 2007. It was funded by the money they won from a competition on SOAPnet
SOAPnet
SOAPnet is an American cable television channel that broadcasts current and past soap operas and primetime dramas, along with some original programming. The channel launched on January 20, 2000, and is owned by Disney-ABC Television Group, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...

. The video that earned them the prize is called "The Harder They Fall."

The name, Starkid, comes from a line in the group's first production, A Very Potter Musical
A Very Potter Musical
A Very Potter Musical is a musical with music and lyrics by Darren Criss and A.J. Holmes, and a book by Matt Lang, Nick Lang, and Brian Holden...

, said by Lauren Lopez while portraying Draco Malfoy
Draco Malfoy
Draco Malfoy is a fictional character and a major antagonist in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. He is a Slytherin student in Harry Potter's year. He is frequently accompanied by his two accomplices, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, who act as henchmen...

. Currently only eight of the members work full time for Starkid.

Production Descriptions

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. The troupe thereafter changed the name of the production to A Very Potter Musical
A Very Potter Musical
A Very Potter Musical is a musical with music and lyrics by Darren Criss and A.J. Holmes, and a book by Matt Lang, Nick Lang, and Brian Holden...

due to copyright. StarKid Productions joined YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....

 under the username StarKidPotter on June 19, 2009, and uploaded the show as A Very Potter Musical on July 5, 2009. This musical parody follows years 1
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is the first novel in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling and featuring Harry Potter, a young wizard...

, 4
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is the fourth novel in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling, published on 8 July 2000.The novel won a Hugo Award in 2001, the only Harry Potter novel to do so...

, 6
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is the sixth and penultimate novel in the Harry Potter series by British author J. K. Rowling...

, and 7 of the Harry Potter
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...

 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.

Following A Very Potter Musical, StarKid Productions performed and recorded a second musical in the fall of 2009, entitled Me and My Dick
Me and My Dick
Me and My Dick is a musical with music and lyrics by A.J. Holmes, Carlos Valdes, and Darren Criss, and a book by Matt Lang, Nick Lang, Brian Holden, and Eric Kahn Gale....

The cast recording to Me And My Dick, released on iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....

, became the first student-produced college musical to reach the Billboard Top 100 (Cast Albums).

StarKid Productions thereafter produced a second musical about Harry Potter
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...

 named A Very Potter Sequel
A Very Potter Sequel
A Very Potter Sequel is a musical with music and lyrics by Darren Criss, and a book by Matt Lang, Nick Lang, and Brian Holden. The story is a parody based on several of the Harry Potter novels, particularly Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and...

. 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
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...

 and was subsequently released on YouTube on July 22. It follows years 1
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is the first novel in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling and featuring Harry Potter, a young wizard...

, 3
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is the third novel in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling. The book was published on 8 July 1999. The novel won the 1999 Whitbread Book Award, the Bram Stoker Award, the 2000 Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel, and was short-listed for other...

, and 5
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the fifth in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling, and was published on 21 June 2003 by Bloomsbury in the United Kingdom, Scholastic in the United States, and Raincoast in Canada...

 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. Many of the songs from the sequel were released on A Very StarKid Album
A Very StarKid Album
A Very StarKid Album contains several songs from the musical A Very Potter Sequel, sequel to the Harry Potter parody musical A Very Potter Musical, produced by Team StarKid with music and lyrics by Darren Criss , and book by Matt Lang, Nick Lang, and Brian Holden...

, which peaked at #14 on the iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....

 Pop Charts. 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.

On November 1, 2010, StarKid Productions announced their new musical, titled Starship
Starship (musical)
Starship is a musical with music and lyrics by Darren Criss, and a book by Matt Lang, Nick Lang, Brian Holden, and Joe Walker.Starship is about an alien planet inhabited by giant insects, called Bug-World...

,
about a planet of large bugs where the lead character, Bug, finds a human starship and wants to become a Starship Ranger. The show was performed in Chicago from February 11, 2011 to February 22 2011, and was released on YouTube April 30th 2011, with premiers 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: Senior Year.

On May 19, 2011, Starkid Productions announced via Twitter, Facebook, and their website a novel named "The Bully Book", which was released on June 7th, 2011.

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 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, New York. The StarKids who participated in the tour were Lauren Lopez, Joey Richter, Joe Walker, Brian Holden, Dylan Saunders, Jaime Lyn Beatty and Meredith Stepien. Darren Criss was in the Boston and New York shows.

Principal cast

Team Member Production
Little White Lie
Little White Lie (web series)
Little White Lie is an American web series created by members of what would eventually become Team StarKid. The series follows Sami and Duder Reese who steal a friend's music to turn their go-nowhere band, Reeses Pieces, into the next sensation, Little White Lie...


(2007)
A Very Potter Musical
A Very Potter Musical
A Very Potter Musical is a musical with music and lyrics by Darren Criss and A.J. Holmes, and a book by Matt Lang, Nick Lang, and Brian Holden...


(2009)
Me and My Dick
Me and My Dick
Me and My Dick is a musical with music and lyrics by A.J. Holmes, Carlos Valdes, and Darren Criss, and a book by Matt Lang, Nick Lang, Brian Holden, and Eric Kahn Gale....


(2009)
A Very Potter Sequel
A Very Potter Sequel
A Very Potter Sequel is a musical with music and lyrics by Darren Criss, and a book by Matt Lang, Nick Lang, and Brian Holden. The story is a parody based on several of the Harry Potter novels, particularly Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and...


(2010)
Starship
Starship (musical)
Starship is a musical with music and lyrics by Darren Criss, and a book by Matt Lang, Nick Lang, Brian Holden, and Joe Walker.Starship is about an alien planet inhabited by giant insects, called Bug-World...


(2011)
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
Darren Criss
Darren Everett Criss is an American actor, singer-songwriter, musician, composer, and a founding member and co-owner of the theater company StarKid Productions. He currently portrays Blaine Anderson, an openly gay high school student, on the FOX television series Glee...

Toby Phillips Harry Potter
Harry Potter (character)
Harry James Potter is the title character and main protagonist of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. The majority of the books' plot covers seven years in the life of the orphan Potter who, on his eleventh birthday, learns he is a wizard...

 
[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
Hermione Jean Granger is a fictional character and one of the three protagonists in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. She initially appears in the first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, as a new student on her way to Hogwarts...

 
  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
Draco Malfoy
Draco Malfoy is a fictional character and a major antagonist in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. He is a Slytherin student in Harry Potter's year. He is frequently accompanied by his two accomplices, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, who act as henchmen...

 
[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
Sirius Black
Sirius Black is a fictional character in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. Sirius was first mentioned briefly in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone as a wizard who lent Rubeus Hagrid a flying motorbike shortly after Lord Voldemort killed James and Lily Potter...

 
[Cameo]
Alle-Faye Monka   Tiffany, Ensemble  
Joe Moses   Severus Snape
Severus Snape
Severus Snape is a fictional character in the Harry Potter book series written by J.K. Rowling. In the first novel of the series, he is hostile toward Harry and is built up to be the primary antagonist until the final chapters. As the series progresses, Snape's character becomes more layered and...

 
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
Joey Richter
Joseph Michael "Joey" Richter is an American actor, singer, and internet personality. Richter rose to fame co-starring as Ron Weasley in the fan-parody musicals, A Very Potter Musical and A Very Potter Sequel , created by University of Michigan theatre group, Team StarKid...

  Ron Weasley
Ron Weasley
Ronald Bilius "Ron" Weasley is a fictional character and one of the three protagonists in the Harry Potter book series written by J. K. Rowling. His first appearance was in the first book of the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone as the best friend of Harry Potter and Hermione Granger...

 
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
Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore is a major character in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. For most of the series, he is the headmaster of the wizarding school Hogwarts...

 
  Albus Dumbledore Tootsie Noodles, Pincer, Ensemble
Sango Tajima   Lavender Brown    Lavender Brown, George Weasley, Past Harry  
Joe Walker   Lord Voldemort
Lord Voldemort
Lord Voldemort is the main antagonist of the Harry Potter series written by British author J. K. Rowling. Voldemort first appeared in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, which was released in 1997...

 
Dick Dolores Umbridge  Up, Ensemble

Principal crew

Role Production
Little White Lie A Very Potter Musical Me and My Dick A Very Potter Sequel Starship
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
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...

Chuck Criss
Freelance Whales
Freelance Whales is an American indie rock band from Queens, New York, formed in 2008. Consisting of frontman Judah Dadone , and bandmates Doris Cellar , Chuck Criss , Jacob Hyman...


Darren Criss
Darren Criss
Darren Everett Criss is an American actor, singer-songwriter, musician, composer, and a founding member and co-owner of the theater company StarKid Productions. He currently portrays Blaine Anderson, an openly gay high school student, on the FOX television series Glee...


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

Productions

  • Little White Lie
    Little White Lie (web series)
    Little White Lie is an American web series created by members of what would eventually become Team StarKid. The series follows Sami and Duder Reese who steal a friend's music to turn their go-nowhere band, Reeses Pieces, into the next sensation, Little White Lie...

    (2009)
  • A Very Potter Musical
    A Very Potter Musical
    A Very Potter Musical is a musical with music and lyrics by Darren Criss and A.J. Holmes, and a book by Matt Lang, Nick Lang, and Brian Holden...

    (2009)
  • Me and My Dick
    Me and My Dick
    Me and My Dick is a musical with music and lyrics by A.J. Holmes, Carlos Valdes, and Darren Criss, and a book by Matt Lang, Nick Lang, Brian Holden, and Eric Kahn Gale....

    (2009)
  • A Very Potter Sequel
    A Very Potter Sequel
    A Very Potter Sequel is a musical with music and lyrics by Darren Criss, and a book by Matt Lang, Nick Lang, and Brian Holden. The story is a parody based on several of the Harry Potter novels, particularly Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and...

    (2010)
  • Starship
    Starship (musical)
    Starship is a musical with music and lyrics by Darren Criss, and a book by Matt Lang, Nick Lang, Brian Holden, and Joe Walker.Starship is about an alien planet inhabited by giant insects, called Bug-World...

    (2011)

Team StarKid Albums

Title Album details Peak chart positions Notes
Billboard Top
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...

 Albums
Billboard Top
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...

 Cast Album
Cast recording
A cast recording is a recording of a musical that is intended to document the songs as they were performed in the show and experienced by the audience. An original cast recording, as the name implies, features the voices of the show's original cast...

s
Billboard Top
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...

 Compilation Album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...

s
iTunes Top
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....

 Albums
iTunes Top
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....

 Pop Albums
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...


Little White Lie
  • Released: June 30, 2009
  • Formats: Digital download
    Music download
    A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...

A Very Potter Musical
A Very Potter Musical (soundtrack)
The A Very Potter Musical soundtrack contains the songs from the Harry Potter parody musical A Very Potter Musical, produced by Team StarKid with music and lyrics by Darren Criss and A.J. Holmes , and book by Matt Lang, Nick Lang, and Brian Holden...

  • Released: September 9, 2009
  • Formats: Digital download
  • N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Made only available for free on Bandcamp
    Bandcamp
    Bandcamp is an online music store, as well as a platform for artist promotion, that caters mainly for independent artists. Artists on Bandcamp have a customizable microsite with the albums they upload. All tracks can be played for free on the website and some artists offer free music downloads...

    , therefore not eligible for Billboard/iTunes chart listings.
    Me and My Dick (A New Musical)
    Me and My Dick (soundtrack)
    Me and My Dick contains the songs from the musical Me and My Dick, produced by Team StarKid with music and lyrics by A.J. Holmes, Carlos Valdes, and Darren Criss, and book by Eric Kahn Gale, Brian Holden, Matt Lang, and Nick Lang. It was recorded by the musical's cast and was released digitally on...

  • Released: January 6, 2010
  • Formats: Digital download
  • 11
    A Very StarKid Album
    A Very StarKid Album
    A Very StarKid Album contains several songs from the musical A Very Potter Sequel, sequel to the Harry Potter parody musical A Very Potter Musical, produced by Team StarKid with music and lyrics by Darren Criss , and book by Matt Lang, Nick Lang, and Brian Holden...

  • Released: July 22, 2010
  • Formats: Digital download
  • 19 27 14
    A Very Potter Sequel
    A Very Potter Sequel (soundtrack)
    The A Very Potter Sequel soundtrack contains songs from the musical A Very Potter Sequel, sequel to the Harry Potter parody musical A Very Potter Musical, produced by Team StarKid with music and lyrics by Darren Criss , and book by Matt Lang, Nick Lang, and Brian Holden, that were not released on...

  • Released: July 31, 2010
  • Formats: Digital download
  • N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Made only available for free on Bandcamp
    Bandcamp
    Bandcamp is an online music store, as well as a platform for artist promotion, that caters mainly for independent artists. Artists on Bandcamp have a customizable microsite with the albums they upload. All tracks can be played for free on the website and some artists offer free music downloads...

    , therefore not eligible for Billboard/iTunes chart listings.
    Starship
    Starship (soundtrack)
    The Starship soundtrack contains the songs from the musical of the same name produced by Team StarKid, with music and lyrics by Darren Criss, and book by Matt Lang, Nick Lang, Brian Holden, and Joe Walker. It was recorded by the musical's cast and was released digitally on April 30th, 2011 through...

  • Released: April 30, 2011
  • Formats: Digital download
  • 134 1 4

    External links

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