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 projects being funded by crowdfunding and physical ticket sales.
Since the success of A Very Potter Musical, the group has produced fourteen stage musicals (including two Potter sequels), three national tours, two reunion concert specials, two concerts in London, three sketch comedy shows, and three web series.
As of 2023, the company has charted 13 albums in the top 10 on Billboard charts. 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. Many of their early 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. The video of the play went viral on the Internet, garnering StarKid a worldwide fanbase. 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.
The Team StarKid YouTube channel was created on June 19, 2009. As of April 2025, the channel has over 850,000 subscribers and over 340 million combined views. 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. In recent years, the group has forayed into original content, including their musical Firebringer as well as the Hatchetfield series encompassing both musicals and streamed content beginning with The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals.
StarKid and its members are associated with various other theater groups, most notably Tin Can Brothers 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, corresponding with the production of The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals.
Members There have been many artists involved with StarKid projects over the years, and it's usual for actors to feature in a few of their productions as opposed to just one.
Among the members who have been part of many of their projects, and can therefore be considered regular collaborators, are Julia Albain (cast, producer, director, tour manager), Chris Allen (cast), Clark Baxtresser (composer, musician, music director), Jaime Lyn Beatty (cast, producers, prop master), Jeff Blim (cast, composer, writer), Mariah Rose Faith Casillas (cast), Darren Criss (cast, composer), Matt Dahan (musician, music director), Denise Donovan (cast, choreographer), Corey Dorris (cast), Nick Gage (musician, composer, cast), Angela Giarratana (cast), Eric Kahn Gale (writer, cast), Brian Holden (cast, writer, director, producer, editor), A. J. Holmes (composer, musician, cast), Matt Lang (writer, director, producer, prop master), Nick Lang (cast, writer, director, producer, editor, prop master), Lauren Lopez (cast, choreographer, director), Corey Lubowich (scenic designer, producer), Jon Matteson (cast), Curt Mega (cast, director), Joe Moses (cast), Sarah Petty (lighting designer), Jim Povolo (cast), Joey Richter (cast), Brian Rosenthal (cast), June Saito (costume designer), Dylan Saunders (cast), Meredith Stepien (cast, composer, musician, writer), Mark Swiderski (sound designer, composer, musician), James Tolbert (choreographer, cast) and Joseph Walker (cast, writer), Kim Whalen (cast).
Several members of Team StarKid have gone on to notable careers in television or theatre. This includes Tony and Emmy Award winner Darren Criss (Glee, The Assassination of Gianni Versace, Maybe Happy Ending), A. J. Holmes (The Book of Mormon), Carlos Valdes (The Flash), Britney Coleman (Tootsie, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Company), Mariah Rose Faith Casillas (who went on to play Regina George in the first National Tour of Mean Girls) and musician and comedian Charlene Kaye was also one of Starkid's touring guitarists and opening act.
Musical theatre productions ProductionDatesLocationMusic and lyricsBookYouTube publicationA Very Potter MusicalApril 9–11, 2009University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MIDarren Criss, A. J. HolmesBrian Holden, Matt Lang, Nick LangJuly 5, 2009Me and My DickOctober 29–31, 2009University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MIDarren Criss, A. J. Holmes, Carlos ValdesEric Kahn Gale, Brian Holden, Matt Lang, Nick LangNovember 13, 2009A Very Potter SequelMay 14–16, 2010University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MIDarren CrissBrian Holden, Matt Lang, Nick LangJuly 22, 2010StarshipFebruary 11–23, 2011Hoover-Leppen Theatre, Chicago, ILDarren CrissBrian Holden, Matt Lang, Nick Lang, Joe WalkerApril 30, 2011Holy Musical B@man!March 22–25, 2012Hoover-Leppen Theatre, Chicago, ILNick Gage, Scott LampsMatt Lang, Nick LangApril 13, 2012A Very Potter Senior YearAugust 11, 2012LeakyCon, Chicago, ILClark Baxtresser, Darren Criss, A. J. Holmes, Pierce SiebersBrian Holden, Matt Lang, Nick LangMarch 15, 2013Twisted: The Untold Story of a Royal VizierJuly 4–28, 2013Greenhouse Theatre, Chicago, ILA. J. Holmes, Kaley McMahonEric Kahn Gale, Matt Lang, Nick LangNovember 27, 2013Ani: A ParodyJuly 3 – August 10, 2014Stage 773, Chicago, ILClark Baxtresser, Pierce SiebersMatt Lang, Nick LangOctober 31, 2014The Trail to Oregon!July 3 – August 10, 2014Stage 773, Chicago, ILJeff Blim, Drew De FourJeff Blim, Matt Lang, Nick LangFebruary 14, 2015FirebringerJuly 6 – August 7, 2016Stage 773, Chicago, ILMeredith Stepien, Mark SwiderskiBrian Holden, Matt Lang, Nick Lang, Meredith StepienJanuary 1, 2017The Guy Who Didn't Like MusicalsOctober 11 – November 4, 2018The Matrix Theatre, Los Angeles, CAJeff BlimMatt Lang, Nick LangDecember 23, 2018Black FridayOctober 31 – December 8, 2019Hudson Mainstage Theatre, Los Angeles, CAJeff BlimMatt Lang, Nick LangFebruary 29, 2020Nerdy Prudes Must DieFebruary 16–25, 2023El Portal Theater, Los Angeles, CAJeff BlimMatt Lang, Nick LangOctober 13, 2023VHS Christmas CarolsNovember 17–19, 2023Apollo Theater ChicagoClark BaxtresserClark BaxtresserNovember 8, 2024Cinderella's CastleJuly 18–21, 25–27, 2024El Portal Theater, Los Angeles, CAJeff BlimMatt Lang, Nick LangApril 4, 2025VHS Christmas CarolsNovember 21–24, 2024Apollo Theater ChicagoClark BaxtresserClark BaxtresserDecember 12, 2025The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals: Reprised!July–August 2025El Portal Theater, Los Angeles, CAJeff BlimMatt Lang, Nick LangJuly 4, 2026May 14–30, 2026Apollo Theatre, LondonTBATomb QuestJuly 30–August 23, 2026The Colony Theatre, Los Angeles, CAClark Baxtresser, Eric Kahn GaleMatt Lang, Eric Kahn GaleLate 2026
A Very Potter Musical (2009)
A Very Potter Musical was performed in April 2009 at the University of Michigan. It is based on the Harry Potter series and was released on YouTube on July 5, 2009.
Me and My Dick (2009)
Me and My Dick was performed in October 2009 at the University of Michigan. The musical was released on YouTube on November 13, 2009.
A Very Potter Sequel (2010)
A Very Potter Sequel was performed in May 2010 at the University of Michigan. It serves as the sequel to A Very Potter Musical and is also based on the Harry Potter series. It was released on July 22, 2010.
Starship (2011)
Starship was performed in February 2011 in Chicago. It is inspired by Starship Troopers and The Little Mermaid. It tells the story of Bug, a resident of a planet inhabited by insects, who dreams of becoming a Starship Ranger. However, he is unable to become one because he is not human. Starship was released on YouTube on April 30, 2011.
In 2014, StarKid performed a sequel entitled Starship: Requiem. It was a one-time "theatrical reading" and is thus not included in their musical canon.
Holy Musical B@man! (2012)
Holy Musical B@man! was performed in March 2012 in Chicago. It is based on Batman and related characters. Holy Musical B@man! was released on YouTube on April 13, 2012.
A Very Potter Senior Year (2012)
A Very Potter Senior Year was performed in August 2012 in Chicago at LeakyCon. It is based on the Harry Potter series and is the third installment to StarKid's Harry Potter trilogy. This production is a staged reading rather than a full production. A Very Potter Senior Year was released on YouTube on March 15, 2013.
Twisted: The Untold Story of a Royal Vizier (2013)
Twisted: The Untold Story of a Royal Vizier was performed in July 2013 in Chicago. It is based on the 1992 Disney film Aladdin, the tale of One Thousand and One Nights, as well as the musical Wicked. The story is told from the perspective of Ja'far, who is based on Jafar, the antagonist of the 1992 film. It was released on YouTube on November 27, 2013.
Ani: A Parody (2014)
Ani: A Parody was performed in 2014 in Chicago and ran concurrently with The Trail to Oregon!. Based on the Star Wars series, the story centers around Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader. It was released on YouTube on October 31, 2014.
The Trail to Oregon! (2014)
The Trail to Oregon! was performed in 2014 in Chicago and ran concurrently with Ani: A Parody. It is based on The Oregon Trail video game series. It features the Father, Mother, Daughter, Son, and Grandpa characters in their journey to Oregon. In the show, audience members get to choose the names of the characters as well as decide on the musical's ending. It was released on YouTube on February 14, 2015.
Firebringer (2016)
Firebringer was performed in 2016 in Chicago. Set in the prehistoric era, the story features Zazzalil, who in pursuit of simplifying everyone's lives comes up with inventions and discovers fire in the process. Firebringer was released on YouTube on January 1, 2017.
The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals (2018)
The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals was performed in 2018 in Los Angeles. It is the first installment of StarKid's Hatchetfield saga. It depicts Paul, the titular "guy who didn't like musicals", and his experiences as the people of Hatchetfield mysteriously start singing and dancing in choreographed musical numbers. The musical was released on YouTube on December 23, 2018.
Black Friday (2019) Black Friday was performed in 2019 in Los Angeles. It is the sequel of The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals and is part of the Hatchetfield saga. In the musical, Black Friday shoppers are overcome with an overwhelming desire to obtain a "Wiggly" doll, to the point of killing anyone who gets in their way. The musical was released on YouTube on February 29, 2020.
Nerdy Prudes Must Die (2023)
Nerdy Prudes Must Die was performed in February 2023 in Los Angeles. It is the third musical in the Hatchetfield saga. In the musical, a plan by a group of nerds to fight back against a bully backfires when they become haunted by his murderous ghost with a vendetta against "nerdy prudes". It was released on YouTube on October 13, 2023.
VHS Christmas Carols (2023/2024)