Productions
StarKid Productions, also known as Team StarKid is a student-created theatre production troupe formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, founded in 2009 by theatre students at the University of Michigan. The troupe’s most popular work, “A Very Potter Musical”, based on the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling, has been viewed more than 2.5 million times on YouTube and the troupe’s YouTube channel has 70,000+ subscribers.Since most members have graduated, the team is going to center its productions in Chicago, Illinois, where the writers have now moved.
THE SHOWS
Little White Lie (2007)
Starkid’s very first production, “Little White Lie” was produced in 2007. 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”
A Very Potter Musical (2009)
StarKid Productions first performed their show “H.P. 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.” StarKid Productions joined YouTube 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, 4, 6 and 7 of the Harry Potter books, though it is set in second year.
Me and My Dick (2009)
Following “A Very Potter Musical,” 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).
A Very Potter Sequel
StarKid Productions thereafter produced a second musical about Harry Potter named “A Very Potter Sequel.” 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; released on YouTube on July 22. It follows years 1, 3 and 5 of the Harry Potter books, and it is set in Harry’s first year at Hogwarts.
Starship
“Starship” was Team StarKid’s first show outside of University of Michigan. It is the story of a bug named Bug (Joey Richter) who dreams of being a Starship Ranger, but cannot because only humans can be Starship Rangers. Starship 15 A-2 with a group of Starship Rangers lands on Bug World and “Starship” chronicles their adventures on this new planet and Bug’s journey with this desperate desire to be a Starship Ranger. “Starship” was performed from February 11th-23rd 2011 and premiered on YouTube on April 30th, 2011.
Holy Musical B@man
Holy Musical B@man, or HMB as it’s known, was StarKid’s first parody show that wasn’t a Harry Potter parody. Centered around Batman (played by Joe Walker), HMB explores what happens as Batman is confronted by a new villan, Sweet Tooth (played by Jeff Blim). Throughout the show Batman struggles with the death of his parents, feeling like an outdated hero and being lonely. HMB was written and directed by Matt Lang and Nick Lang, with the music and lyrics written by Nick Gage and additional music written by Scott Lamps. HMB ran in March of 2012 and premiered on YouTube on April 13th, 2012.
A Very Potter Senior Year
“A Very Potter Senior Year”, or “AVPSY” as it is more commonly referred to, was the last of the Harry Potter parodies, bringing the trilogy to its end. It premiered at LeakyCon 2012 on August 11th, 2012. The show brought together many StarKids who hadn’t worked together since their college days, so it was a homecoming of sorts for many of them. The plot follows Harry Potter in his senior year at Hogwarts, having to deal with the fact that he’s leaving Hogwarts soon. As Harry becomes increasingly outdated and unpopular, he must find his own identity as someone other than the boy who defeated Voldemort. Directed by Matt and Nick Lang, with a book written by Matt, Nick and Brian Holden and a fantastic score written by Clark Baxtresser, Pierce Siebers and AJ Holmes, AVPSY is a perfect end to an incredible trilogy of musicals. It was a one-time performance, but was filmed and put up onto YouTube on March 13th, 2013.
