🎭 CINDERELLA'S CASTLE - A New StarKid Musical Coming to KICKSTARTER on April 6th!
Hello StarKid Backerkit community,
As we continue to push forward on SK Labs and wrap up the StarKid Returns rewards, we're also launching a new crowdfunding campaign on Kickst...
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Nick Lang
about 2 months ago
💫 UPDATE on STARKID 🧪 LABS, 🎁 REWARDS, and a POV VIP TOUR of the 🪩 JANGLE BALL!!!
Hi Everyone!
Since the STARKID RETURNS campaign ended in October of 2022, we've toured with the JANGLE BALL, produced NERDY PRUDES MUST DIE (and released the show on YouTube). ...
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Anonymous Cat
11 months ago
🔔 Big ‘Ol Update!
Hey SK backer fam–💕
📝 The SURVEYS are in, 🎁 REWARDS are in production, 🎞 the NPMD pro-shot is currently on the cutting room floor, being edited for your future viewing pleas...
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Team StarKid
about 1 year ago
🔒 Time to Lock it Down!
Hey SK backer fam–
The Nerdy Prudes live shows are barely in our rearview and we're already hard at work on our upcoming SK Labs projects! But we wanted to give you a quick ...
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Team StarKid
about 1 year ago
💫 We did it! NPMD premiere, Digital Tickets & Surveys!
We've done it!
Nerdy Prudes Must Die premiered at the El Portal Theatre in Los Angeles, and was a big success! We are so, so grateful for the opportunity to hit the stage ag...
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Team StarKid
over 1 year ago
📋 Survey Says: It's Survey Time!
💫 If you were a StarKid Returns Backer:
Soon, you’ll receive an email from us with a special link to your BackerKit survey. It’s important to respond to your survey as quickly ...
As we continue to push forward on SK Labs and wrap up the StarKid Returns rewards, we're also launching a new crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter this Saturday, April 6th, 2024. This time we'll be raising funds for a fantasy-filled musical adventure...
StarKid invites you on a journey to The Lands That Are for our latest stage production, CINDERELLA’S CASTLE! This grim retelling of the classic fairy tale is filled with humor, puppetry, and an electrifying musical score by Jeff Blim. We've put together an amazing cast and crew that we're excited to reveal over the coming weeks, so be sure to check out the new campaign to learn more.
Below is a sneak peek at what's in store... the full Kickstarter trailer will launch on April 6th, along with the campaign! Follow our Pre-Launch Kickstarter Page HERE to help us build the hype and stay notified about updates on the show!
Follow the campaign for:
Exclusive Previews: Dive into the depths of the production, from peeks at the musical score, to cast reveals, to glimpses at this new fantasy world we'll all create together.
Backer-Exclusive Perks: We're lining up special rewards to celebrate your support, including new apparel, exclusive digital backstage content, and more!
Join the Story: Our journey would not be complete without all of you. Your contribution helped make our StarKid Returns campaign a success, and we'd love to have your support in creating the magical realm of Cinderella's Castle.
Since the STARKID RETURNS campaign ended in October of 2022, we've toured with the JANGLE BALL, produced NERDY PRUDES MUST DIE (and released the show on YouTube). We've shipped physical rewards and signed scripts, but we're not through yet!
Last weekend, on Saturday March 16th, we hosted our STARKID REACTS Livestream for SK Returns backers who contributed $25 or more. If you missed the stream (where SK cast & crew members re-watched our latest musical NERDY PRUDES MUST DIE), you can still catch the unlisted video on YouTube. Be sure to check your email for the STARKID REACTS messages, containing the link to the stream.
And speaking of emails, we've already started scheduling our $1,000 tier STARKID RESPONDS video chats. So if you're one of the 24 backers who we'll be having an hour-long Zoom conversation with, please make sure to look out for messages from us about planning those hang-outs. We had our first round of video chats today, and they were tons of fun!
As far as rewards go, that just leaves the STARKID RECORDS Personalized Songs! We're pleased to report that those are being worked on right now and should go out within the next few months.
WHICH BRINGS US TO THE SK RETURNS PROJECTS THAT ARE IN CURRENT DEVELOPMENT. Namely, STARKID LABS...
While the three SKLabs projects are all in various stages of pre/production, we're looking to have all of them completed within the next year. In fact, here are some brief updates from the three SKLab teams: First off, the forces behind SISSY had this to say: "The script for Sissy is in active development, with Tammy and Corey L. setting some deadlines for different stages of the script and production. We’re aiming to mount the reading in summer of 2024." Next, Lauren Lopez, the creator of THIS TITLE IS PERMANENT! teased a winter '24/'25 release with the following statement: "Ok you ABSOLUTE FREAKS™️! This Title is Permanent will be premiering in the winter, which should give everyone ample time to watch Divas Live 1999 (in full!) before listening." And the producers of SPACE BABY (currently targeting a fall 2024 release) sent this transmission: "Ahoy there, Interstellar travelers! We’ve been hard at work bringing our new anthology series, Space Baby, to life! You might ask… what IS Space Baby?!
Space Baby was conceived as a safe space for artists to bring to life their wildest, most WTF ideas. This cosmic variety show will feature the work of a diverse array of creators and digital mediums seen through the eyes of our titular tot as he sets out to discover the origins of life itself. Participants are given a prompt, a budget, and (most importantly) permission to get weird. Don't overthink it. At its core, Space Baby is an experiment in creativity, comedy, and play.
So where’s the show?!
Starting back in early 2023, we began the process of finding someone to bring our titular tot to life in puppet form! After meeting with several different puppeteers, we found an amazing artist based in the Washington DC area who agreed to take on the challenge within our limited budget. Turns out, making a puppet takes a long time! Over the summer and into fall, as we awaited the arrival of our heroic space child, we met with a variety of artists as we assembled the creative team for this first episode. Then, in late November of last year, Space Baby was done and sent to us! Now in 2024, the time has finally come to begin production. The creative team is assembled, our intergalactic infant is in our hands and we are SO excited to show you all what we’ve been working on. It’s gonna get weird!
The creative team (so far) includes: Jaime Lyn Beatty (co-creator) Curt Mega (co-creator) James Tolbert (writer and director) Matt Dahan (original music) Angela Parrish (original music) Leigh Lahav (animation) Sinead Persaud (writer and director) Kim Whalen (producer and actor) Amy Plouff (original props) Nick Gage (theme song) And more!!!
Be on the lookout for an official trailer dropping later with a target release date of late summer / early fall! Thank you for helping us bring new stories to life!
Sincerely, Jaime, Curt, and the Space Baby Team"
In fact, you can watch a teaser for SPACE BABY right here!
In addition to the SKLab projects themselves, we'll also be producing the SKLABUMENTARY (a short documentary detailing the process of bringing these experimental endeavors to life). That featurette should be coming out in late 2024/early 2025 as well, so stay tuned for more updates!
In the meantime, THANK YOU again for supporting the STARKID RETURNS BackerKit campaign. We so appreciate your involvement and your patience. We hope you've enjoyed all the projects that have been released thus far, and we can't wait to show you the rest of them!
Gratefully yours, Nick Lang StarKid Productions
PS. We've got one more treat for you! A special peek backstage at the STARKID JANGLE BALL in your first POV VIP TOUR (the NERDY PRUDES backstage tour will be coming soon)! Enjoy!!!
📝 The SURVEYS are in, 🎁 REWARDS are in production, 🎞 the NPMD pro-shot is currently on the cutting room floor, being edited for your future viewing pleasure and SK Labs, 🚀 SPACE BABY is currently in pre-production. 🔥🔥
WE'RE IN PRODUCTION
We've been working hard to get these rewards juuust right. The SK sweats are currently in production with Ann Arbor Tees, and we’ve been spending the last months finalizing prototypes of the other rewards. Once the final production of the apparel is done, you will get a notification from BackerKit to lock in your addresses and we’ll ship you everything. Thank you for your patience as we do our due diligence to make sure the rewards are “totally awesome”. Below are some samples of our sunnies and fannies when we were finalizing them for production.
SK Fanny Sample
Super cool right?
SK Sunglasses Sample - Different Color
We loved the sunnies, but the sample color was a little too gold/green than we were wanting. The logo needed a little lift too.
SK Logo Lift
Ideal Color!
WHAT ABOUT DIGITAL REWARDS AND DEMO ALBUMS?
Digital rewards are still coming down the pipeline later this summer! We're still working out scheduling (for things like the Rewatch Livestream!), so we'll get you a more concrete update once that all settles! But once they're ready, you'll get an email from your BackerKit survey, where you'll get your download and watch links. If you're receiving one of the demo albums as part of your rewards, you'll get an email once they're ready to be downloaded from your BackerKit survey. You can expect the VHS Christmas Carol album later this month and the Nerdy Prudes album after the complete cast recording comes out! (We do not have a release date yet, but we will let you know when we do!)
PROJECT UPDATES
NERDY PRUDES MUST DIE
Hallelujah! 🙏NPMD is alive and well. With your help, StarKid filmed a pro-shot version during the run of the show. That footage is currently being edited and perfected with the goal of a release in late summer or early fall. Perfect timing to see your favorite Hatchetfield characters run for their lives...or take some. 🪓
SPACE BABY
Our intergalactic musical odyssey begins! Our intrepid space captains, Jaime Lyn Beatty, and Curt Mega have begun the voyage to boldly go where no StarKid has gone before by creating a musical anthology variety show! They have begun assembling the Episode One space crew, meeting with artists, developing stories, and creating the aesthetic and tone for this weird and wild musical odyssey. They are deep in pre-production, with lift-off/production/filming beginning this summer. 🪐👶
SISSY
We’ve begun setting things in motion for our Sisyphean play, though the work has not felt Sisyphean at all! Tammy Babich and Corey Dorris have been talking about the parameters of how we’re going to do the reading, while Corey Lubowich has been hard at work on the script using the Tammy, Corey, and Nick Lang as a creative sounding board. More to come, but for right now it’s coming along swimmingly! Also, for shits and giggles, Corey also used AI to generate a concept image of the office the show takes place in! Check that out below. But look closely at the computers: they don’t make sense! 💻
The Nerdy Prudes live shows are barely in our rearview and we're already hard at work on our upcoming SK Labs projects! But we wanted to give you a quick campaign update!
REWARDS AND SURVEY LOCK DOWN
The time has come to lock down your surveys! That means time to finalize your add-on selections, apparel sizes, and submissions to the StarKid backer yearbook.
**If you do not complete your survey before MONDAY, APRIL 10, we may not be able to get you your rewards!**
Of particular note: those of you who were only receiving digital rewards but were eligible for the bonus pin (either by being a returning backer or backing within the first 72 hours). You must complete your survey by Monday to indicate you would like to pay for shipping to get your pin! If you don't respond before the orders are locked we won't be able to add that to your survey. Don't delay or you'll feel like this guy:
WHAT'S NEXT? PHYSICAL REWARDS!
You finish surveys, we lock down surveys, charge for shipping, then our friends at Ann Arbor Tees are gear up to produce all that awesome swag!
About 4-5 weeks after survey lock downs, you'll get a final notice to confirm your address in your BackerKit survey. That'll be your last chance to update it to make sure your rewards go to the right place! And we expect Ann Arbor Tees to be shipping all of those rewards in the 2 weeks following address lock down. So your rewards should be getting to you around the end of May!
Note that this will encompass all physical rewards EXCEPT if you backed at a tier that is receiving a signed script. Those will be sent out separately after those projects premiere!
Grace may be a Nerdy Prude, but she is excited for backer rewards!
THEN WHAT? DIGITAL REWARDS AND DEMO ALBUMS
Digital rewards are still coming down the pipeline later this summer! We're still working out timeline and scheduling (for things like the Rewatch Livestream!), so we'll get you a more concrete update once that all settles! But once they're ready, you'll get an email from your BackerKit survey, where you'll get your download and watch links. If you're receiving one of the demo albums as part of your rewards, you'll get an email once they're ready to be downloaded from your BackerKit survey. You can expect the VHS Christmas Carol album in May, and the Nerdy Prudes album after the full cast recording comes out! (We do not have a release date for that yet, but will let you know when we do!)
Ok, that's it for now! Thanks for your support as always, and please COMPLETE YOUR SURVEYS!!
Nerdy Prudes Must Die premiered at the El Portal Theatre in Los Angeles, and was a big success! We are so, so grateful for the opportunity to hit the stage again, and we couldn't have done it without your help! Check out a few of our production photos below!
If you weren't able to make it to the live production, don't worry! There's still time to check out our latest Hatchetfield musical - Digital Tickets will be available until March 21st. Watch the trailer here!
Click here to purchase your Digital Ticket. Once you purchase the Digital Ticket, you'll have 30 days to begin streaming. Once you click play, you'll have 72 hours to watch as many times as you like until it expires.
And backers, please fill out your surveys if you haven't already! For detailed information on filling out your survey, check out our last update on our campaign page! Further info about the timeline for these rewards will be share soon.
FAQ
WILL THE SHOW BE POSTED TO YOUTUBE/WHEN WILL IT BE POSTED? Yes! Nerdy Prudes will eventually be available for purchase via DVD/Digital Download, and for viewing on YouTube. We haven't set the release date yet, but look for it/an announcement late 2023, early 2024!
WILL THERE BE A CAST ALBUM? WHEN WILL IT BE RELEASED? Yes, there will be a Nerdy Prudes cast album! We haven't set the release date yet, it will coinside with the DVD/Digital Download/YouTube release and be available on the iTunes Store or digtal download in our merch store. Look for it/an announcement late 2023, early 2024!
WHEN WILL THE CAST ALBUM BE ON SPOTIFY/STREAMING? Initially, our cast albums are only available to purchase on iTunes or via our merch store. Buying the album is the best way you can support the show and all the artists involved!
We typically add our albums to Spotify/streaming at a later date, usually about a year after the initial release.
WHAT IS A DIGITAL TICKET? We're excited to give everyone the opportunity to see our live shows, even if you can't make it out in person. For the digital ticket, we film the show with one camera opening weekend, to get you a version you can watch as soon as possible!
HOW DO I WATCH IF I PRE-ORDERED A DIGITAL TICKET? If you pre-ordered the digital ticket, you were sent your link to watch via the email address connected to your PayPal account.
Soon, you’ll receive an email from us with a special link to your BackerKit survey. It’s important to respond to your survey as quickly as you can since we need this information to fulfill your rewards.
We'll be sending the links out on a rolling basis in the next week, so please be patient as we get them all out!
When you receive the email with the survey, click the link to respond. Answer the questions about your reward preferences (e.g. shirt size), provide your shipping information, and select any add-ons you purchased during the campaign. You can also purchase additional add-on items if you'd like! If you're receiving physical rewards, the survey will then calculate your total owed for shipping and collect your payment info. (Btw, we're sorry to note that due to the volatility of shipping prices globally right now, the final shipping prices are slightly higher than we had estimated in September.)
After you respond to your survey, you can go back later and change your responses at any time before we close the surveys and get our final counts. Once we counts are finalized, we'll have our pals at Ann Arbor Tees order and make everything to get it sent to you! (FYI you'll also receive a last call for addresses right before we ship, so you can update your address if you move between now and then)
If you need to review your information or pledge status at any time, you can return to your survey by clicking the link in your survey email or requesting your survey link under "Lost your survey?" on our BackerKit project page at https://starkid-returns.backerkit.com.
Your survey will be sent to the email address you used to pledge to the StarKid Returns BackerKit crowdfunding campaign. If you have another email address that you prefer to use, or have any other issues with surveys please contact support at https://starkid-returns.backerkit.com/faq.
⏰ If you missed out on being a StarKid Returns Backer:
Hope is not lost! For a limited time, you can Late Pledge via our BackerKit Pre-order Store and get some of these sweet limited edition rewards. We hope you take advantage of this opportunity to join us in the StarKid backer fam! 💜
Starting THIS Wednesday January 11th @ 10am PT, Nerdy Prudes Must Die presale tickets will be available to anyone who contributed $5 or more to our BackerKit campaign. (*Limit 6 per person) (Backers must log into BackerKit and find the code below)
Tickets will be available to everyone on Friday... the 13th!!! 👀
Nerdy Prudes Must Die El Portal Theatre, Los Angeles February 16-25, 2023 (🎟️ ticket link)
Check out the following new casting announcements for Nerdy Prudes Must Die. All of our Nerdy Prudes Must Die victims - uhhh - cast members have now been announced!
To access the presale tickets, use the access code below on each ticketing site!
(If you do not see anything below this ⬇️⬇️⬇️, please make sure that you are logged into BackerKit to view the access code on this page)
We know we couldn't make it EVERYWHERE with the tour. We're not that jolly ole chungus, SANTA! 🎅🏽 But DON'T FRET! Now, The StarKid Jangle Ball Tour is coming TO YOU!
Don't miss the most janglin' event of the holiday season, featuring some of StarKid's NAUGHTIEST hits, plus VHS CHRISTMAS CAROL in it's entirety!
After you purchase the Digital Ticket, you'll have 30 days to begin streaming. Once you click play, you'll have 72 hours to watch as many times as you like until it expires.
Are you ready to Jingle and/or Jangle?! WE ARE and we're PUMPED!!!
Tickets for the Jangle Ball will go on sale to the general public November 1 at 10am (local time to each venue). But backers of the StarKid Return campaign get first dibs!
The backer only presale will start October 28 at 10am (local time to each venue).
Just a reminder that the backer-exclusive ticket presale is happening now, before they go on sale to the general public starting November 1 at 10am local time. Don't miss out!
So the StarKid Returns campaign ended this past Saturday. 6,110 backers raised $386,350 to help make a brand new season of live events and more! We couldn’t be more grateful to everyone who pledged and/or spread the word. And we can’t wait to make all these projects for you! Just to review, by helping this campaign become the huge success it was, you’ve ensured that StarKid will return with:
The Jangle Ball Tour - For the first time in over ten years, StarKid’s going on tour, and this one’s a holiday tour! Join us for a naughty & nice collection of StarKid tunes, featuring a first act of villain songs, and a second half that’s a full concert version of ‘VHS Christmas Carol!’ ‘The Jangle Ball Tour’ will run THIS DECEMBER through the east coast, midwest, and west coast. We’ll be stopping in Boston on Dec 2, Philadelphia on Dec 3, NYC on Dec 4, Chicago on Dec 8, Ann Arbor on Dec 11, LA on Dec 16, and more tour dates will be announced soon! Tickets for ‘The Jangle Ball’ go on sale November 1, with an exclusive backer presale on October 28.
Nerdy Prudes Must Die - Then, in February of 2023, go back to Hatchetfield for a new nightmare. ‘Nerdy Prudes Must Die’ is a teen-slasher-musical-comedy where the biggest losers at Hatchetfield High are being hunted by a supernatural bully with a grudge against nerds. The LIVE show will run in Los Angeles, CA, at the El Portal Theater in North Hollywood, February 16-25, 2023. Then, as always, a recorded version of the show will be released on YouTube some time later. We’ll share information about live ticket sales as soon as it’s available!
StarKid Labs - In addition to the live shows, StarKid will be launching a host of experimental projects, designed to explore new mediums and feature new creative voices. The initial batch of SK Lab projects will include:
Sissy - An absurdist, one-act play reading written by Corey Lubowich and directed by Corey Dorris, about a modern, gay Sisyphus who is tasked with feeding endless training data to a machine learning algorithm.
This Title Is Permanent - A podcast created and hosted by Lauren Lopez, where each episode will feature a very special guest and segments like: “Explain It To Me As If I Am A Child,” “A FULL CRAB SALAD,” and “Hey How Are You Good Thanks Could I Just Get A Spinach Feta Wrap and Two Egg Bites To Go Please?… That’s It, Thank You”!
Space Baby - A video, anthology series created and produced by Jaime Lyn Beatty & Curt Mega, wherein a telepathic, intergalactic infant will set out on a quest to unlock the mysteries of the universe by consuming short entertaining segments made by a diverse array of guest artists, from writers and directors, to animators and composers. As all the SK Lab projects are experiments, we don’t have concrete timelines for when they’ll be released, but when we do, you’ll be the first to know.
And in addition to all this, by reaching campaign stretch goals, you’ve also unlocked: the filming of ‘The Jangle Ball Tour’ (to be turned into a concert album & DVD), a YouTube release of ‘VHS Christmas Carol’ (coming soon), the “VIP POV Backstage Experience” (a digital, p.o.v. backstage tour/stage door encounter for BOTH ‘Jangle Ball’ and ‘Nerdy Prudes’), and the “SKLabumentary” (a featurette about the making of the three SK Labs projects).
That’s a lot of StarKid coming your way, and you’ve earned it! Again, we can’t thank you enough for your support. You’re what makes everything we do possible. Be sure to check back here, or on our YouTube channel, or one of our many social media accounts for continuing updates on all these projects (tour dates, ticket sales, casting news, release schedules, etc). The BackerKit campaign may be over, but the work’s just beginning! We’re excited to see you all soon, online AND onstage! STARKID’S BACK!!!
We're in the home stretch, with one more stretch goal!
That's right! If we hit $375K, we'll make a SKLabumentary featurette documenting the making of our 3 brand new SK Labs projects: Space Baby, Sissy, and This Title Is Permanent! They are all very new and different projects for us, so it's certain to be an interesting peek behind the curtain.
It's been an incredible campaign and we're so grateful for all of you who have come on board so far. So can we make this stretch goal happen??? We don't know, but we'll try(the StarKid motto)! Join our finale 18 hour livestream and find out!! 💜
Wow. Just wow. Less than two days away from the end of the campaign, and thus far you've managed to reach over $342,000 with over 5,450 backers!!! That's incredible. Words cannot express how grateful we all are. We can't wait to make these projects (the 'Jangle Ball' tour, 'Nerdy Prudes Must Die,' 'Space Baby,' the reading of 'Sissy,' and 'This Title Is Permanent') all the best they possibly can be. But before that happens, we've got one more event to finish off this campaign with a bang...
The 'STARKID RETURNS FINALE LIVESTREAM!' An 18 hour streaming marathon where we'll play games, answer questions, unlock fundraising benchmarks, and stay up all night to celebrate and countdown to the end of a very successful BackerKit campaign! It starts tomorrow night,Friday October 14 @ 9pm PT, and goes until the campaign ends on Saturday October 15 @ 3pm.
Since the stream's longing than 12 hours, we'll be splitting it into two parts. The first part starts tomorrow at 9pm PT on our YouTube channel, here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Mqg4sSfbOQ
So tune in and join us as we end the campaign with a wild, sleep-deprived celebration. And help us get the campaign total up as high as possible before it's all over! Because remember, the more money we raise, the better all the projects can be. Thank you so much for making the StarKid Returns season possible, and thanks for joining us over on YouTube tomorrow night! See you there!!!
Oh yes, oh yes, oh yes! You had it coming! You’ve been good to Mama, so StarKid’s bringing that Jangle Ball dazzle dazzle to Reggies Chicago on December 8!
We're also thrilled to announce that Ali Gordon and Janaya Mahealani Jones will be joining us for select dates on the tour as well!
We’re excited for back for the deep dish 🍕, the hot dogs 🌭, and the cool crowds! 😎 See you soon Chi-town!
