Team StarKid

Team StarKid is a musical theatre troupe founded in 2009 by students and alumni of the University of Michigan, most notably Darren Criss, Brian Holden, Matt Lang, and Nick Lang. The group first gained widespread attention with A Very Potter Musical, a fan-made parody of the Harry Potter series that became a viral YouTube sensation and helped launch Criss's career toward mainstream stardom on Glee. Rather than staying a one-off project, StarKid grew into an ongoing company producing original musicals alongside further fan-parody works, blending pop-punk and musical-theatre songwriting with irreverent, meme-friendly humor.

The group's catalog spans send-ups of Star Wars (Holy Musical B@man! aside, their Potter sequels A Very Potter Sequel and A Very Potter Senior Year continued the saga) and completely original productions like Twisted, a Wicked-style retelling of Aladdin from the villain's perspective, and Nerdy Prudes Must Die, a horror-comedy musical. Their songs are typically catchy, hook-driven numbers built for live theatrical staging first and streaming second, which gives their studio recordings an energetic, almost cast-album quality distinct from conventional pop or rock acts.

Based in Chicago, StarKid built its audience largely through direct-to-fan distribution — releasing full musicals on YouTube for free and touring live productions — rather than traditional label channels, making it an early and influential example of internet-native musical theatre. Its alumni network, several of whom went on to notable acting and music careers, remains closely tied to the group's ongoing releases and collaborations.