Award-Winning Composer Sherri Chung And Other Songwriters, Composers And Theater Talent Featured On San Diego Comic-Con Panels

Broadway, musicals, songwriters, composers, and other theater creatives are well-represented at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con International, taking place at the San Diego Convention Center. The annual pop culture convention features costumes, parties, and panels galore, but musical theater and music fans in general should find plenty to get excited about for this edition, the largest since the pandemic. 

Composer and TV Academy Music Branch Governor Sherri Chung, known for her work on CW’s Kung Fu, Batwoman and Riverdale, as well as recent releases Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai and Peacock’s Based on a True Story, will join other industry professionals for the “From Script to Screen: Behind the Camera of Storytelling Across Mediums” panel discussion. The panel will offer attendees a behind-the-scenes look at the intricate processes involved in storytelling in different mediums and genres, allowing them to “step into the world of their favorite films and TV shows with the industry professionals who brought them to life!” The panel will be featured on Thursday July, 20, 2023 from 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm PT in room 7AB. 

Chung will also be appearing on several additional panels at Comic-Con, appearing on the “Fan Favorites: Behind The Scenes of Yellowjackets, Gotham Knights, I’m a Virgo, and More…” panel happening on Thursday, July 20th from 1:00pm - 2:00pm PT, as well as the “15th Annual, “Behind the Music” panel. The “Behind the Music” panel also features several other composers including Chris Bacon (Wednesday), Kurt Farquhar (composer, The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, and score mixer Phil McGowan (Star Trek: Picard). Other composer-focused panels include the 9th Annual Musical Anatomy of a Super Hero panel, moderated by Michael Giacchino (Up, Ratatouille), and the Star Wars Musical universe featuring composers and creative leaders talking about the music from the game franchise.

Alongside Chung on the “From Script to Screen” panel is acclaimed songwriter Matthew Tishler. Tishler most recently acted as songwriter, music producer, and composer (along with Andrew Underberg) on Disney’s, Hailey’s On It, an animated series set in a fictionalized version of Oceanside, San Diego that highlights well-known features of the city, including the Oceanside pier. Beyond his work on Hailey’s On It, he brings with him a stacked resume of credits including iconic series like, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, The J Team starring Jojo Siwa– as well as hit films including Descendants, Zombies, and the ever-iconic Lemonade Mouth.

Joining both Tishler and Chung for the “From Script to Screen” panel, is the highly talented composer Darren Fung. Fung has previously worked on projects including The Making of Flat Earther and Cabeceo. His composing work on Equus: Story of the Horse highlighted the enlightening and emotional feel of the show, as audiences follow the unique history of horses along with human’s relationships with them. Featuring 3D animation technology, audiences were able to view the work of German evolutionary biologist Martin Fischer, as he crafted visual representations of horses' evolution for the show.

Other stars of the stage with featured appearances at Comic-Con include actor Michael James Scott, who will be co-hosting the Her Universe Fashion Show at the Manchester Grand Hyatt’s Harbor Ballroom. Scott is most known for performing as Genie in Disney's Aladdin musical in the Original Australian Cast, as well as in the West End, U.S. National Tour, and Broadway productions. Indie-pop twin-sister duo Tegan and Sara will also be at the convention to discuss their contemporary middle-grade graphic novel Tegan and Sara: Junior High.

Other musical happenings include an exciting sing-along screening of Disney’s The Little Mermaid, filmmaker Rob Marshall’s live-action reimagining of the original Oscar-winning animated musical. Comic-Con attendees will get the opportunity to sing-along to the hit classics, as well as some new and exciting additions that are featured in the new film. 

San Diego Comic-Con will be closing the event with an interactive screening of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer musical episode "Once More with Feeling" presented by Fandom Charities, TheHellmouthCon, and SixDegressOfGeek. The famous episode will be shown as the weekend closes out on Sunday, the 23rd, and encourages audience engagement with its interactive and musical elements. The event organizers have also hinted at a surprise guest that will be arriving for the screening.

The SAN DIEGO COMIC CONVENTION (Comic-Con International) is a California Nonprofit Public Benefit Corporation organized for charitable purposes and dedicated to creating the general public’s awareness of and appreciation for comics and related popular art forms, including participation in and support of public presentations, conventions, exhibits, museums and other public outreach activities which celebrate the historic and ongoing contribution of comics to art and culture. This year’s Comic Con in San Diego will be held at the San Diego Convention Center, 111 Harbor Dr. San Diego, CA, from July 20 to July 23, 2023. 

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