Songwriters

BENJ PASEK & JUSTIN PAUL

KHIYON HURSEY

Featuring the song “Good Afternoon”

MODERATED BY JON BURLINGAME (Variety)

Friday, December 9, 1:00PM PT

* WITH RECEPTION *

Please be mindful of the SCL’s Code of Conduct.

Spirited, from Director Sean Anders (Daddy’s Home, Instant Family), tells the story of the Ghost of Christmas Present (Will Ferrell) who, each Christmas Eve, selects one dark soul to be reformed by a visit from three spirits. But this season, he picked the wrong Scrooge. Clint Briggs (Ryan Reynolds) turns the tables on his ghostly host until Present finds himself reexamining his own past, present, and future. For the first time, A Christmas Carol is told from the perspective of the ghosts in this hilarious musical twist on the classic Dickens tale. Written by Sean Anders and John Morris, with original songs by Oscar winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (La La Land), along with Khiyon Hursey, Sukari Jones, and Mark Sonnenblick, and production numbers choreographed by Chloe Arnold (The Late Late Show with James Corden), this modern retelling is a sweet and spicy holiday treat. PG-13 | 127mins

Benj Pasek & Justin Paul are the Oscar, Grammy, Tony, and Olivier Award-winning songwriters/producers who are best known for their work on La La Land, Dear Evan Hansen, and The Greatest Showman. Their songs “City of Stars” and “Audition (The Fools Who Dream)” (co-written with Justin Hurwitz) from La La Land were both nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song, with “City of Stars” winning the Academy Award as well as the Golden Globe in the same category. The following year, in 2018, Pasek & Paul won their second Golden Globe for Best Original Song for “This Is Me” from The Greatest Showman, which was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song and a Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media. Their previous projects include songs for Disney’s live-action movie musical Aladdin, Dreamworks Animation’s Trolls, Amazon’s documentary film Pink: All I Know So Far (for which they received a Grammy nomination), and Amazon’s comedy series Harlem (in collaboration with songwriter Sukari Jones). Recent and upcoming films include Sony Pictures live-action/CGI musical comedy Lyle, Lyle,Crocodile, and Disney’s live-action musical Snow White. Most recently, Benj and Justin were awarded a Tony Award as co-producers of the Pulitzer prize-winning Broadway musical A Strange Loop.

On Broadway, they composed the score for the six-time Tony Award-winning “Best Musical” Dear Evan Hansen, their original musical for which they received an Obie Award, a Drama Desk Award, and the Tony Award for Best Score. The show broke box office records at the Music Box Theatre and became the longest-running production to play the venue in Broadway’s history. The Dear Evan Hansen Original Broadway Cast Recording won the 2018 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album and is certified Gold. With the release of the novelization of Dear Evan Hansen, Benj and Justin also became New York Times Best-Selling Authors.

Their albums for La La Land, Dear Evan Hansen, and The Greatest Showman each appeared in the Top 10 of the Billboard 200, with The Greatest Showman holding the #1 spot for multiple weeks in a row and eventually named the best-selling album in the world in 2018. The Greatest Showman Original Motion Picture Soundtrack won the 2019 Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media, the 2019 Billboard Music Award for Top Soundtrack, and is certified Platinum in 22 countries, including Quadruple Platinum in the US, Australia, and Taiwan, 5x Platinum in China, Hong Kong, and Indonesia, 6x Platinum in the Philippines, 7x Platinum in the UK, 8x Platinum in Singapore, 9x Platinum in Ireland, and 13x Platinum in Korea.

Khiyon Hursey is a writer and composer primarily working to push musical theater into the contemporary world of popular music. He recently finished co-penning songs with Grammy Winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (Lala Land, Dear Evan Hansen) for Spirited, a major motion picture starring Ryan Reynolds, Will Ferrell, and Octavia Spencer. He is currently co-writing Love In America, a movie musical to be produced by Issa Rae at Universal. After Khiyon got his start as the music assistant on the off-Broadway and Broadway productions and the Grammy Award Winning Cast Album of Hamilton, he’s since worked for/with Universal Studios, HBOmax, Netflix, Apple, Nickelodeon, Andre 3000, Issa Rae, and Kevin Hart on various music and tv projects. He is based in Los Angeles and New York.

*** SCREENING + Q&A INFORMATION ***

Check-in begins 12:30PM.

If you RSVP but are unable to attend, please cancel your reservation by 10:00AM Friday, December 9.

Free for current SCL members (click here to check your membership status) plus one guest who will stay for both the screening and Q&A. Please remember to RSVP for two (2) if you plan on bringing a guest.

In the event of a waitlist, please remember to sign up twice (2) if you plan on bringing a guest.

Guests of SCL members may NOT attend without the member invitee, or if the member RSVPs, but cannot attend and cancels.

Please allow extra time for traffic and check-in.

This invitation is non-transferable.

Seating is first come, first serve. Late arrivals may not be allowed into the theater. 

Per California state health guidelines, masks are recommended to be worn indoors at all times.

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