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 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.

Keep your eyes open for more details as we draw closer to our launch of the Cinderella's Castle Kickstarter Campaign!

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). 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!!!