In advance of Team StarKid’s release of A Very Potter Senior Year, Hypable got the chance to reflect on the show with four original Very Potter cast members – Dylan Saunders, Jaime Lyn Beatty, Lauren Lopez, Joe Moses – and with StarKid’s agent, Pat Brady. Read their feelings on the closing of this chapter and the special weekend last August that they spent performing Senior Year below.

Hopefully you’ve had a chance to watch A Very Potter Senior Year over the weekend. The show, written by Matt Lang, Nick Lang and Brian Holden, with new songs by A.J. Holmes and Clark Baxtresser, marks a turning point in the careers of Team StarKid; before they were labelled as such, they created the original show, first titled Harry Potter: The Musical, as an extracurricular college production. When they put their low-quality video online in the summer of 2009 – allegedly as a cheaper option than burning DVDs for the cast and absent family members – they found themselves with a viral hit on their hands, and a fandom begging for more content. The group uploaded an old web series they had made, Little White Lie, and then proceeded to film and release the other shows they created as a group – the original musical Me and My Dick (that show’s cast recording becoming the first ever student musical to place on the Billboard 200 charts) – and, in the summer of 2010, A Very Potter Sequel.

In late 2010, the group’s Harry, Darren Criss, who had already found minor television success with roles on Cold Case and Eastwick, was cast in the hit show Glee and quickly – possibly due to the inbuilt fandom he brought with him from StarKid – became one of the show’s most popular performers, rising from guest star to cast regular to something that now comes close to leading actor. Team StarKid, meanwhile, produced two new musicals, Starship and Holy Musical B@man!, and went on two national live tours, with Criss participating when available; but the StarKid Holy Grail – the third Very Potter show, which had been teased about, hinted at and denied for close to two years – now seemed an impossible project.

However, in mid-2012, StarKid finally found a way to make a version of the show work – a one-off staged reading of the show, to get it out there for the fans once and for all, and close out this chapter of the StarKid story. Hypable was at the performance of A Very Potter Senior Year last August, and in the lead-up to the show’s YouTube release, we spoke to five people who belong to Team StarKid – Dylan Saunders, Jaime Lyn Beatty, Lauren Lopez, Joe Moses and Pat Brady – who recounted their experiences of the final Very Potter show.

Dylan Saunders – Dumbledore

What were your thoughts or feelings when it was decided that you were actually going to put on Senior Year, and it began to go into production? What was your initial reaction?

To be honest, I had thought for the longest time that there was no way we were going to be able to put it on. It seemed to be too much of a logistical struggle. Especially when you take into account all that goes into creating a full-scale original musical, the odds were definitely against us in getting it made. But when I found out that it was actually a possibility, that we had a venue, and the means to get virtually everyone back together to perform, it was truly an incredible moment. The Very Potter series has undoubtedly changed the course of my life. It felt like there would be some closure on a very pivotal moment in my life thus far.

I remember initially just feeling so excited to share the story. Senior Year may be my favorite StarKid script to date. It’s so full of heart and sentiment, and unbelievable humor and madness. I had the pleasure of hearing Matt and Nick re-enact the story of Senior Year from memory once, and I cried at the end. The idea that we would actually be able to do it was beyond thrilling. But most of all, I think the notion of having some of my dearest friends, many of whom I really came of age with in college, all back together in one room working creatively, I can’t truly describe the feelings of joy that brought me.

When you got into Chicago for LeakyCon, which, for you, was right off the back of the U.K. Watsky tour, did you have just that weekend’s rehearsal, or had you been working on the show prior?

It felt like being thrust into an extremely focused, fast-moving machine. The Chicago StarKid crew and the staff of LeakyCon had been working on pre-production elements for Senior Year for months prior to the show. My involvement prior to the actual weekend of rehearsal was really just limited to working on the script itself.

What was it like behind the scenes that weekend, finalizing the show while everyone was actually there on your doorstep waiting to see it?

It was an incredibly surreal weekend. The fact that it was a reunion made for some incredible energy in rehearsal. It was really thrilling to see how characters manifested, how the songs sounded with everyone together, how it all ended up looking. Because we were rehearsing at the convention, there was definitely a fire under our asses, but I think pressure was good in the end. It was my first time attending LeakyCon, and I don’t think I’ve experienced more positivity anywhere in my life.

You’ve been involved as a major part of most StarKid productions since leaving college, part of the core group with the new shows and tours, and AVPSY had a lot of cast returning who aren’t active StarKids. What was that like, having people come back in? Who surprised you? Who had you missed working with?

I come from a very small family, but I liken it to what it might feel like to have an enormous 40-person Thanksgiving. Crazy aunts, uncles, cousins, brothers and sisters, all family, all coming back for one big turkey dinner. There wasn’t really time for it to get overwhelming or emotional, it was just so good to see everyone together. It was really great to reunite with the New York-based crew like Tyler [Brunsman], Britney [Coleman], Corey [Dorris] and A.J., I hadn’t seen them in years. I’ve become good friends with Elona [Finlay] over the past few years, so it was great to finally get to work with her for the first time.

It was really moving to see all these different connections, past and present, represented in one place. I always miss working with Joe Walker. Even if I don’t see the guy for a few days, I still miss him. He’s one of my best friends, and one of my favorite people to share any stage with. My jaw dropped over and over watching how good people had become that I hadn’t seen in years.

Was there a particular moment where you thought, “Oh, this is really it, this is over”? What does it feel like now to have closed this chapter?

In your own words, what has the Very Potter experience given you?

Getting to be a part of the Very Potter series has tested me in ways I could never have imagined, both as an artist and as a human being. It has been the most rewarding and humbling experience of my life. I’ve listened to stories from people from all different walks of life, from all over the world, that have echoed how much the shows have changed their lives. I am consistently floored. I can’t fully express what it feels like to know that a story you’ve helped tell has brought people together. It’s still hard for me to fathom. It’s been astonishing.

On Page 2: Jaime Lyn Beatty (Ginny)

Jaime Lyn Beatty – Ginny

Jaime Lyn Beatty has played Ginny in all three Very Potter shows, as well as a memorable Rita Skeeter in A Very Potter Sequel. A resident of Chicago, she has been involved in every musical that StarKid has produced, and as one of the group’s strongest vocalists, she has been a featured performer on both StarKid live tours. She is currently a cast member in Airport For Birds, StarKid’s new sketch comedy show which recently extended its run at Chicago’s legendary Second City, and after a successful Kickstarter campaign, Jaime is producing her first solo EP, Dolphin Safe Tunes.

We know the concept of a third show has existed for a long time, but what were your thoughts or feelings when it was decided that it was going into production?

It was always something that was talked about, as though it would happen in a dream world, kind of in our next lives. Because – if you know the history of how the group got together, we never mean to do anything on purpose. All of our luck kind of happens through accident. Beautiful accidents, but what’s so funny is even the initial Very Potter Musical, that never was supposed to exist past the performances we did at the Walgreen Drama Studio, which were four regular runs of the show, like any other show at Basement Arts, nor was it supposed to exist in a filmed form.

When we did Sequel, we actually had a little cast get-together because we always usually convene right before a show and do a little warm up and little speech before every show, and I remember when we were doing the sequel back at Michigan, everyone had come back from all over the country, and we gathered around and we were like, “Well guys, this is the last time we’re doing the Harry Potter franchise, we’re never going to be exploring these books again, we can finally say goodbye to these books and to this musical we’ve created and this Sequel is the final show…” You’ll even notice at the end of the sequel, we tie up the whole plot as though the story is over.

So to me, it’s funny, I think the show has had three deaths, and I think what made Senior Year so bittersweet when we did finally actually did get the word that we were doing it is it really was like, “Okay, this time there are no more books to span and we haven’t left out any plot and we really have covered every single thing,” and this, quite literally, is the last time we can do it because of the circumstances with Darren, and with people living all over the place and everyone being involved, so it really was the final time: this is really the end, and it was so surreal, to be honest. It’s a crazy process, I still kind of feel like I’m living in a dream and it’s been the longest four-year dream in the world. I have no doubt that I will be very sad, I mean, I cried, we all cried, especially the people who had been involved with it from the very beginning; on the last day of the show there was not a dry eye backstage afterwards. It’s just touching. For us, it represents our friendships and saying goodbye to our college life more than anything.

Was your core group in Chicago working on the show for a longer period than just that one weekend? What kind of preparation was done, and how or when did it change from just the reading to this bigger production?

More on the intricate props Team StarKid created for ‘Senior Year’:

“The Langs go through so many details. It’s not like they just made a basilisk puppet. They made a basilisk puppet that had to be puppeted by five people, and it had light-up eyes. Something like light-up eyes is such a minor detail that would be specific for staging, I doubt anyone could even tell, in that environment… You know what I mean? Every single detail. There’s not a single detail that was spared for any prop or from anything. That’s what it is. It’s kind of sad, because I think we all do wish that we had actually been able to put it on or had the opportunity to do it properly, not so much in a hotel – all the props and costuming lent itself well enough to that, but I don’t know – maybe we’ll put the props on display in a museum or something! A StarKid museum!”

What was the energy like, finalizing the show right there in the hotel, in such a short time period and with all the fans running around?

We all just went to a place of adrenaline; we were just high on the adrenaline of doing it so there was no time to even worry, it’s just one of those things that you kind of have to do, no matter what. The thing that was funniest, because we were in the middle of the convention, was the night before the opening of the show, the wizard rock concert was going on. We were practicing in the giant ballroom downstairs, and the wizard rock concert was happening above us and, whatever song was being played, people were jumping on the floor of the main ballroom above, and the chandeliers were literally shaking like there was an earthquake. We couldn’t stop because we had to get through the show, but every time someone was off-stage waiting for a cue or something, we avoided that room because we’d look in and we literally thought the ceiling was going to crash in on us. We had to move to another space because we thought the ceiling was falling, so we moved out into the corridor hallway. That was one thing – we thought we were all going to die from falling shards of chandelier glass.

The energy was very palpable. That’s the thing – I think we forget, I forget, just how large and immense the fan-base is and how supportive they are because everything we’ve done we’ve been very isolated from our fans. When you watch any of our shows, as an audience member, you’re only really there with you and the screen, and so when we suddenly saw all of the supporters and fans and people just come to life and we saw them in the thousands waiting to see the show it suddenly just all connected and put faces behind these computer screens.

You said there’s been that disconnect – did that feeling change, for you, before or after the performance? How did you feel about the fan response at LeakyCon?

It’s funny, I can’t even remember the beginning or end of LeakyCon, it all bleeds together. Mostly because we didn’t get any sleep and were eating one meal a day. Everyone was so supportive. It’s just as incredible for us to meet them as it is for them to be there and see us. Team StarKid and the whole StarKid community is not just us, the performers and the creators, StarKid as a whole is an entire fan community – everyone’s a StarKid. I think it was a reunion on that level, too, as we were meeting the people who’d been along with us on the journey for the past four years. So it was a reunion for everyone. It was beautiful.

Your day-to-day lives are not the exactly lives of “famous people,” but when you go to these places like fan conventions, it’s crazy; you are the big stars, you need minders. What is it like to experience that dichotomy?

Jaime Lyn’s reflection on working with new and old members of the StarKid cast for ‘Senior Year’:

“It’s always beautiful… it is strange because there were some people who came back who’d only been involved with one show and it wasn’t even any of the Harry Potter stuff, so I think it was definitely extra-special and strange for people like Lauren [Lopez] and Julia [Albain] and Nick Lang and Joe Moses and Joe Walker and the group of us that was in the original show. It was especially crazy to be in that group that knew the really grassroots place it started in and then see everyone along the journey. 

“I’ve been fortunate to have been in every single StarKid production that has happened, so for me it was a huge reunion, whereas some people had been in StarKid shows separately and this event was the first time they were meeting. Alle-Faye [Monka] was only with us for Me And My Dick and she and Lauren had never met, so it was one of those things where they were in the same world but that was the first time that they were in a show together. There was a lot of that. It was a strange reunion but we were all tied there for one reason. It was beautiful, and I think it was wonderful that everyone got the extended invite because it just goes to show that StarKid is greater than just any one person and it’s the sum of its parts working together that makes it so intense and wonderful.”

What was your favourite memory of the whole weekend?

My favourite moment was – I have a video of it on my phone – when we were singing “Everything Ends,” we were all literally crying. I just made sure to look everyone in the eye, I was almost taking it in as an observer the whole time because, it’s kind of like watching a child you’ve had grow up. I took so many moments, even backstage, where I was like, wow, I’ve known this person so long and I remember seeing them in that exact same costume four years ago in Basement Arts and to think how much we’re gone through in the past four years is just beautiful. During “Everything Ends,” it was just being able to look at everyone and see them being back in those costumes, especially. Once I put on that ridiculous red wig, like, “This is where it all began! Stupid Sister wig, oh boy, here we go again!” It’s almost like going back and putting on your baby clothes and seeing if they still fit and it’s strange that they kind of do still fit. But inevitably it brings you back to a specific time and place. That was strange.

It was very quiet backstage, but it wasn’t so much quiet for the fact that we were just not speaking, it was a very somber quiet and I think everyone was just taking in every single moment because we finally knew this was the end. It’s making me sad, honestly, talking about it, because it was a very touching day and it has a special place in my heart and again, it’s about the friendships and the journey we’ve been on together. It was very bittersweet.

All of you seemed very emotional during and after the performance, it was quite palpable.

Yeah. It goes back to the core people who were in the original one. I think it was the most surreal for us because we never intended this to go to where it was. Doing the show represented a time in our lives when things were a certain way. It’s just like travelling back in time, it was weird. I can’t explain it any other way. It’s like if you ever go back to your old elementary school and you get those same feelings that you had when you were a kid, even when you’re older. It’s probably the closest thing we’ll ever have to time travel. In that case, it was very weird and it was very sad. I’m not going to lie, I was crying, we all were; it was a mess. But it was beautiful and it was strange and it was hard. I don’t like to think about it so much because it does make me very sad.

Who are you most proud of, in regards to pulling off the show?

Just the whole team. I’m so impressed with Yonit [Olshan] and June [Saito] and Corey [Lubowich], and all the people doing the set and Sarah Petty with the lighting. They’re the unsung heroes of StarKid. All the costume work – there were wardrobe malfunctions happening all over the place and costume changes – that’s the other thing, we were doing a stage reading and there were freaking costume changes. What always impresses me, the thing I always like to remind anyone who sees our shows, is StarKid is more than just the actors and there are a bunch of behind-the-scenes people that are involved that have been with us for just as long as anyone else and everyone working together is how this all happens. There’s no single person that makes the show happen and that’s what’s so beautiful. Just seeing everyone thrive at their talent no matter what it is or what aspect it is.

Did you have a favourite character or performance?

Was there any moment in putting on the show where it seemed like a serious problem was going to prevent things from happening?

Sound was an issue. It’s incredible that Mark [Swiderski] was able to figure out the sound. Again, we were doing a show in a hotel. We had to use these live mics and you’ve probably heard about the peeing debacle with the mics, right? We were told we shouldn’t go to the bathroom because it was constantly going to be on, little things like that, so you had to just find it out and say, “Okay. If that’s the rule, that’s what it is.” Nothing really shocked me – to be honest, a lot of the things we do in StarKid do kind of come together magically and it’s part of the journey. The process itself is fun and a crazy experience. At the same time it’s stressful; it’s also really fun because that’s the magic of theatre. Stuff can look like it’s not going to work out and then it magically does.

What has the Very Potter experience meant to you as a whole? Is there anything that you’d go back and say to yourself in 2009, when you were putting on A Very Potter Musical and were not aware of what was about to happen?

I’m not the kind of person who has regrets about things, or wishes that I did something differently because I really believe that the stars align no matter what and so I think there’s no way I would have done it differently or anything I would have said to myself. I think none of us could have predicted and we still can’t even predict what will happen. You always kind of feel like your biggest achievement is behind you anyway – I’m always of the opinion of living for the moment. 

I’m notorious, especially among our friend group, for thinking – even on the first day – being ultra-vigilant and aware that everything’s going to end soon anyway. For instance, when we went on tour, on the first night of tour I was like, “You guys! Tour’s almost over!” and so I guess when I die one day I’ll be able to say I lived in the moment throughout the whole experience of StarKid, because I always get really sappy. It’s shocking, there’s nothing you can predict but you can also never predict anything in life. I’m just happy to be along for the ride.

Obviously the Very Potter series is really what started you guys out in the public eye, so does saying goodbye to Potter feel like the ending of a book in the StarKid story, or the ending of a first chapter?

It’s hard to say what ends. Stuff goes out with a whimper rather than a bang, anyway. Part of me doesn’t doubt that when we’re all 90 years old we’re going to be be singing “Going Back to Hogwarts” in the same nursing home. I doubt it’ll be the end of anything but I’m proud of people for pursuing their own independent projects, and I’d like everyone to pursue outside interests and transform and become the people that they always wanted to be. So that’s exciting. I think the future is bright for all of us. Except for Darren.

Yeah, his life sucks.

I know, right? Poor kid. I think that the future is really bright for everyone. It’s exciting here.

On Page 3: Lauren Lopez (Draco)

Lauren Lopez – Draco

Lauren Lopez has played Draco Malfoy in all three Very Potter shows, and her take on the character has become one of the most iconic images in the Harry Potter fandom. Lauren is a key player in the main Chicago branch of StarKid Productions, performing in Starship, Holy Musical B@man!, and as a featured performer on both StarKid live tours. Despite dietary restrictions, she is a keen baker and she recently published a cookbook of gluten-free recipes. She also recently appeared in the independent film, Struck By Lightning. She is currently a a cast member in Airport For Birds, StarKid’s new sketch comedy show which recently extended its run at Chicago’s legendary Second City.

How did it feel to be working non-stop behind the scenes that weekend, finalizing the show while everyone was actually there on your doorstep waiting to see it?

We just had to put our nose to the grindstone and work our asses off. Having to put together a show in four days will just put you in warrior mode. We quarantined ourselves to two or three rooms in the hotel and when we weren’t doing signings, we were rehearsing. We barely slept. It was a whirlwind – a lot of it is a blur! All I know is I didn’t leave the hotel for four days.

You’re part of the core Chicago StarKid group, but A Very Potter Senior Year had a lot of cast members returning who aren’t as active – what was it like having those people come back in? Who had you missed working with?

I feel like I’m always missing everyone. It was a delight to get people back, but it was also like no time had passed. It felt good and natural.

What was the vibe like in regards to the sense of finishing up this Potter trilogy? Was there a particular moment of closure where you just realised, “Oh, this is it”?

I can’t speak for everyone, but for me it was too overwhelming to truly comprehend at any one moment. I’m still coming to terms with it. I still get too choked up when I really think about it. It’s truly a mix of emotions that I can’t explain.

What was your favorite moment of the weekend?

Just being with everyone, working toward one goal. It was so reminiscent of A Very Potter Musical and especially the Potter Sequel, which was another “bootcamp-style” rehearsal process.

What most impressed you about what Team StarKid pulled off that weekend?

Just the fact that we were planning to do this insane, huge show in four days and everyone was immediately on board. Everyone just went, “Alright. Yup!” We are all out of our minds, which helps.

On the best goofs of the one-off performance:

Again, the show was such an out-of-body, whirlwind experience that a lot of it is foggy! But I do remember being so thankful that we have such an amazingly nice fan-base because they embraced our goofs as much as they did the non-goofs. I like that.

Have you seen the edited cut that we’re about to receive?

I haven’t seen it yet! I will probably watch it next weekend, and skip all my parts.

What has surprised you the most about the Potter and StarKid fandom?

How open and welcoming they were to us, right off the bat. For such a close-knit and long-standing group, they took us in with open arms and made us feel that we had done something right and good. For that I will be forever grateful.

Lauren’s feelings on the absurd and memorable version of Draco Malfoy she created:

“Draco is my buddy. I’m going to miss him.”

What has the Very Potter experience meant to you or given you? What would you go back and say to yourself in 2009, putting on that show at school without any awareness that it would turn into a worldwide phenomenon?

I honestly can’t put it in words. I’ve tried! I would go back and just say, “Hey, this is a fun show. Have fun.” Because the me in 2009 had no clue what it would turn into, and I would keep it that way.

On Page 4: Joe Moses (Snape)

Joe Moses – Snape

Joe Moses has played Snape in all three Very Potter shows, as well as Nearly Headless Nick in A Very Potter Senior Year. Since leaving the University of Michigan, he appeared as Krayonder in StarKid’s 2011 show Starship, and has created and refined his own comedy show, The Joe Moses One-Man Showses, which he has performed at sold-out venues in cities across the United States, most recently at Los Angeles’ El Rey Theatre. He has also released a DVD billed as a best-of from his run of JMOMS comedy shows. He recently confirmed the filming of season 2 of his A Very Potter Musical Snape sketches, “The Potion Master’s Corner,” and has been nominated for a Shorty Award in the category of comedian. Joe Moses recently moved from New York City to Los Angeles.

When did you first hear that you were going to be doing A Very Potter Senior Year?

They’ve had the script written for literally years. We were at the end of A Very Potter Sequel and [the writers] were like, “We’re not going to do another one, this is the last one, that’s it,” and then, “…but if we were to do it, we have this idea.” When we premiered the screening of A Very Potter Sequel at Infinitus, literally the next day, Matt and Nick and Brian [Holden] got us all in a room and were like, “Alright, guys, here’s the plot of the third one.” We’re like, “Yay, there’s going to be a third one?!” and they were almost done with the script.

Obviously our Harry Potter ending up on Glee was sort of a roadblock to the show, just in terms of his schedule and in terms of what he was allowed to appear on. But once it started coming together, it came together really quickly. I would talk to the Lang brothers and everyone in Chicago periodically and I would tell them, “You know, if you ever want to do a third one just let me know,” so I’ve been saying that all along. I forget when it was exactly – we went up in August so it must have been somewhere in May, maybe ever later, when we got an email saying, “Hey everybody, LeakyCon and Very Potter Three,” from Nick Lang, “would you be interested in doing a third Very Potter at LeakyCon?” So I was like, “Yeah, of course, absolutely.” After that it just went really quickly. They sent us the script, they sent us the music as it came through ahead of time, and I was sort of in disbelief that it was actually happening.

Did you personally just have those few days of rehearsal in Chicago?

How did it feel like, that weekend, everyone being there for this show which was such a big deal, and such an ending? What was it like being at the con, working on it on the fly in such an emotional moment?

It was surreal, at first. It’s always great to get back with everyone. I was living in New York at the time, now I live in LA, but in New York there are very few of the StarKids. Britney [Coleman] and Tyler [Brunsman] and Arielle [Goldman] and Corey [Dorris], and I don’t see them that regularly because everyone in New York is busy with different stuff. So it’s always a great time when I go back just to see these people that I haven’t seen in months. So that part of it was kind of surreal: to have everybody in there. Sometimes you go to cons and have five, six, seven, eight of us; but thirty of us, everybody was there. It felt like a college reunion, it was crazy. A really fun experience. But it was also a bit surreal that we went into the Hilton and I don’t think I came out of the Hilton for two days. I didn’t know what was going on.

It was intense, it was surreal, but it was quite a bit of fun and I will definitely say I didn’t really realise the impact it would have on me until it happened and I saw, at the end… I love the end, it’s so beautifully written. It really does tug on your heartstrings a little bit if you’ve been with the fandom from the beginning or it’s had a big impact on your life, if the story has had a big impact on your life; not even the StarKid story, the Harry Potter story. But for me, the StarKid story, and to see that have that beautiful ending on stage and everybody started tearing up and you could tell, Darren started tearing up, Walker did, everybody. I just couldn’t take it. It’s a lot.

Was there a certain moment when it truly hit you, “This is it, this is done now, we’ve done this and look at how it has changed our lives”?

Yeah, right when we came off stage, right at the end where Harry is saying his little speech to Albus Scarfy – that moment when Darren was talking about everything that happens, you know, you get to go to school now and you’re going to have these great memories and stuff. Holy shit. You know what, to varying degrees and whatever it may be, this has been our dream – almost all of us have wanted to be actors, working actors, professional actors since we were kids. And it really came true. And it’s definitely in no small part because of StarKid and that platform it gave us and just the way it allowed us to connect to all these people. It sunk in, like, yeah. This is cool, this is something unique, this is something special. I’m just honored to have been a part of it.

Did you ever expect things to turn into what they have become? Was there ever any hint?

No. I mean, not at all. It always happens when you’re least expecting it, right? It’s that old trick, if you want it, it’s never going to happen but if you’re not expecting it then it’ll take you by storm. I know things have happened before with people going viral online, and people have had many, many different experiences with that. I was actually profiled in CNN alongside Justin Bieber and Kate Upton and then there’s like… me in there for some reason. But for those people, they started online as well and they went way up and that launched them into their career.

For us, we started viral but we stayed within our realm of fandom. It definitely expanded but we haven’t changed that much. It’s crazy, but no. We never expected this to happen. Never. No. When we did figure out we had something cool I was like, “Guys, people will probably like this!” The traditional path will be if you do enough stuff here and people like it and you get enough popularity online then maybe you can take it to Chicago, off-Broadway New York… sort of like Potted Potter did.

It was always interesting to me that Potted Potter was allowed to run as a money-making show, when StarKid has always been so careful about legalities.

It really just depends on perception and how the people who control the property feel that you’re portraying the property. To be honest, I give them credit. I understand where they’re coming from. We’re not canon. We’re not even close to canon. The heart of Harry Potter is there, but in terms of who the people are… no. The language and the jokes and everything. I get where they’re coming from.

It has the soul, though.

On his character Snape’s emotional ending monologue:

“It’s been the joke in our franchise that my character, Snape, has great redeeming qualities in the book but I really don’t. That was a good spot where he gets to kind of bring it all home, I was glad for that. Also particular to me, because I’ve taken this character and used it in so many different venues since then, in different ways and stuff, it’s something I’ve lived in for a long time and to put him back in context, finally. I’ve been taking him out of context for the last few years and to finally put him back in context where he belongs. It’s cool because it kind of felt like I’d taken all that with him, this journey he’d been on and he gets to come back and tell Harry about it. It was definitely cool.”

Was the vibe quite intense that day, and afterwards? What happened for all of you after the show finished? Did you interact much with the fans?

To be honest, we were quite wrapped up in each other. What did we do? We did that show, we went and changed and then basically went to the ball right after that. It was definitely a very cathartic release at the ball, to get it all out. “We’ve been crazy for the past three days, let’s get it all out!” So we were mostly wrapped up in each other. But it’s undeniable, you know, you could feel the impact it had on the fans and a change in dynamic too, because beforehand, everyone would see us and want to say hi, but they’d be like, “We know you’re working, so go do your thing, you’re working, go do that,” but when it was over we got to share with everybody what we had been feeling for the past couple of days. I could feel that sort of change in people and when they saw us again it was with a different frame of mind than before.

The performance took over four hours. Did you know how long the show was going to run for when you got on stage?

No. What you saw was the first time it had ever been run, ever. It wasn’t like we got to work on it and work on it and then we did a dress rehearsal and then we did that. That was the tech-through, stumble-through, dress rehearsal, opening night and closing night of the entire performance. It is familiar to me in the sense that when we did the first Harry Potter play, our dress rehearsal went kind of like that, for the first one. So it was kind of a throwback in that regard, where literally we had a four hour rehearsal scheduled to stumble through the whole thing and work it out because it was too long, there was too much music and we got the music the day before, and everyone’s busy, everyone’s sick. And we did it and we didn’t finish the show in four hours, the first Very Potter Musical, at school. We got to midnight and there was just nothing else we could do, like, “You guys have class tomorrow, so see ya, we’ll just… do it live.” And it ended up coming together! Opening night was tough, but it ended up all coming together. So this felt very much like that. It felt like a final tech rehearsal. It just happened to be in front of several thousand people!

What really blew you away about what the cast pulled off in this performance?

Chris Allen in general was hilarious, all those parts he did were hilarious. A.J. Holmes, in general. His musical ability on top of his acting ability, for that show particularly where he had such a big role, and he had to teach [the other songs] to people, and he pulled it off – A.J. was pretty incredible in that regard. The puppetry, mostly done by Nick, with Scarfy and Sortie but also with the basilisk – all that, I was really impressed by, and the costumes all coming together. And really just the music, that the music worked and people could learn the music so quickly and be able to pull it off. Some of them did a really fantastic job with their songs – Joey’s song was great, of course A.J.’s Gilderoy. Walker and Darren doing a duet was pretty sweet.

Here’s Joe’s take on how StarKid’s own story has been told through the ‘Very Potter’ shows:

“And then there’s this long gap in the show, and there’s also a long gap in the Potter continuum that we’ve created, where people have changed when they get back to it. People have moved on, the idealism is not there anymore, they’ve all kind of grown up a bit and are about to have to move on past everything they’re ever known. Then they get there. I don’t know Senior Year as thoroughly as I know the first two because we didn’t work on it for as long, but it’s very much a story about Tom Riddle, as much as it is a story about Harry, and it’s a story about all of them taking everything that they’ve learned from the previous two and how the world’s moving on and coming to terms with it, and also being really happy with it. Being okay.

“That’s kind of like the ‘Okay is wonderful’ thing at the end… all that stuff that’s happened – Harry’s been to the peak of stardom of his own world and that’s sort of moved on, and Gilderoy’s there and he’s going to be at the peak of stardom, but he turns out to be not what everyone thought he was supposed to be, and the villain’s been defeated a long time ago. You’re not the underdog anymore, you’re the favorite, how do you deal with that? They work it all out and in the end they realize that it was all of that experience – the relationships they created, and the friendships that they had – it was that experience that was special, and it still is. I don’t know exactly how to phrase it, but it’s always mirrored us. The StarKid story has always mirrored the Potter story.

“I forget until I really think about it but that feeling was overwhelming – that sense of closure on it. When Voldemort gives the life lesson at the end… there’s always a little life lesson, at the end of the the first two, but in the last one it’s Voldemort! He gives the life lesson, ‘Harry Potter helped me through something,’ you know, ‘Harry Potter was this time in my life, and the people I have met because of that, the way it’s affected me, the way it’s changed me, I will never forget. But now I have to grow up.’ Man. It’s rough. But he’s okay – because you have to. And that’s cool, too.

“Compared with Justin Bieber we’re ancient, but we’re pretty young in terms of having a certain amount of success, and, within our group, a certain amount of celebrity, and having that happen really quickly. Which is not to say that a lot of us didn’t want that in life, at some point, or haven’t been trying to be actors… All of that aside, it did happen pretty quickly and it has been a process of learning how to navigate that successfully and taking it all and seeing the value in it and understanding the way it has positively affected us. I think the third one has all of that wrapped into it.”

On Page 5: Pat Brady (StarKid’s Agent)

Pat Brady – Agent

Pat Brady has been a talent agent for over 30 years, specializing in voice-over clientèle, and she is currently vice president of New Business Development at CESD Talent, Los Angeles. She has represented Team StarKid since 2009, and she is a definitive Hufflepuff.

Fans have known about the existence of the third Very Potter show for years… How was it decided that it would actually be going into production?

It was always talked about and they really wanted to do it for Leaky in Chicago because of the large number of Starkid cast members there; we knew that A.J. was going to be able to work it in his busy schedule, I mean they wrote Gilderoy just for him! But we would not, could not do it without Darren. As you know, Darren is the busiest guy in town but he is also a true blue friend and he and his amazing manager Ricky Rollins made it happen.

Pat was on-hand behind the scenes with her kids on the big weekend:

“I was involved from the get-go – from arranging rehearsal space to eeking out time to rehearse around autograph sessions and panels. And of course, since Julia was not going to be there for the show I was thrilled to be the Candy Lady – and my husband Bob Joles to be the narrator. The vibe was wonderful nervous energy.”

What was your favorite memory of all that insanity?

Actually, running all over the con getting school uniforms for the actors since the ones we ordered were not delivered in time – that was a hoot.

And did you like getting dragged on stage to perform in the actual show?

I loved it, I am a ham from way back.

What was your favorite moment of the actual production?

Was there any moment of defeat where someone said, “No, this isn’t going to work”?

I never saw that happen: Matt, Nicky, Brian, Clark and A.J. were totally committed.

It was an emotional day for every single person in attendance – what was that like for you, seeing the fans and all of Team StarKid, coming together and finishing the Potter trilogy, and looking at what StarKid has grown into?

It was overwhelming – not so much the end of the Potter shows but having all my “kids” together. Some I had never met, who became as close to me as others I have known since day one. We had so much fun backstage and and then that darn Darren had to look straight in the audience to say goodbye as Harry – you thought there were tears in the audience? You should have seen backstage – we were all up against the curtain looking up at the two big screens. Literally not a dry eye in the cast. The camaraderie amongst the fans – complete strangers crying on each other’s shoulders… Their love was like a warm blanket.

There have been a lot of Harry Potter fan videos, wizard rock, etc. over the years – what was it about AVPM initially that made you take a chance on representing StarKid?

That is a great question – as you all know I am a total Dumbledork. I have an entire room that is all Harry Potter, I have attended all the cons, done cosplay – even in England! – so I am very picky. Harry Potter the Musical, (their original title) blew me away. The music, the talent – I just knew they would all be great people to represent.

As a Potter fan, what are your favorite bits of StarKid’s meddling with the Potter canon?

Zac Efron as a Horcrux, Dumbledore being gay, the song, “To Have A Home,” and the whole time turner bit in A Very Potter Sequel.

Pat on the aspect of Team StarKid that has best captured the soul of the ‘Harry Potter’ books:

Photo credit: LeakyCon/Cheri Root