Anyone studying theatre in college knows that there are numerous outlets to create and perform a wide variety of artistic endeavors. For members of theatre group Team StarKid, some of those endeavors (“A Very Potter Musical,” “Starship”) have resulted in viral fame and a legion of pink sunglasses-wearing fans.
However, in a new endeavor, select StarKids are reteaming for a “Redux” on a show from their own college days: “The Last Days of Judas Iscariot,” a play by Stephen Adly Gurgis that many of the StarKids (including Glee’s Darren Criss) performed while attending the University of Michigan.
The team (including director/executive producer Julia Albain and co-producers/performers Brian Rosenthal and Joey Richter) decided to not only restage the show, but invite the audience to peak behind the curtain and see how a show like this is created, produced, rehearsed, and set in motion.
“We wanted to get the people backing Judas Redux on Kickstarter as excited about making this show as we are,” said Rosenthal, who playsBailiff/ Simon the Zealot. “The design and rehearsals, the journey, are a more creatively vibrant time in the process than the performances. So we thought it would be fun to share some of the creativity and collaboration that goes into making a play with our group so "reduxers" can have a richer, more multifaceted experience…akin to any Judas cast member.”
With an astounding response from their Kickstarter campaign, the team raised over $62,000 with almost 1600 backers. With tickets currently on sale for the show, which runs August 23-September 8th in Chicago, the group is preparing a show both old and new.
