Playbill has partnered with ReedPop, parent company of New York Comic Con, to present a series of panels starring Broadway and TV guests, and the first-ever comic-centric Pop-Up Playbill Store.
New York Comic Con will fill the Jacob K. Javits Center with celebrities, surprise appearances, signings, merchandise, panels, and more October 6-9; Playbill Plays New York Comic Con will be a celebration merging theatre with television, film, and comics.
Special guests will include Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez, Celia Rose Gooding, Frankie Grande, and Gabby Beans, plus events celebrating Beetlejuice, Sesame Street The Musical, and more.
“Playbill is thrilled to be an official partner of New York Comic Con and ReedPop,” said Vice President & Chief Operating Officer of Playbill Alex Birsh. “We are continually looking to build our audience via unique and exciting avenues of art and creativity. Working with New York Comic Con this year to deliver not only incredible audience-participated panels, but also celebrate our merging communities with merchandise geared towards everyone attending, only amplifies our message that theatre and the arts welcome everyone of all forms.”
Playbill Plays New York Comic Con will kick off its panels with The Big Broadway Panel October 6, exploring the influence of fantasy, comic books, and science fiction on the performances, personas, and personal lives of Broadway alums. Bryan Campione will host this year's panelists, which include Tony nominee Celia Rose Gooding (Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Jagged Little Pill), Justin Matthew Sargent (Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark), Fergie Auguste Phillipe (Hamilton), and Jenna Leigh Green (Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Wicked).
Fans will be able to enjoy two Playbill panels, Beetlejuice On Broadway and "Tune In!," October 7. The former, with panelists and a host to be announced soon, will dive into the beloved Tim Burton film and its second life as a musical comedy with the titular poltergeist, unusual teenager Lydia Deetz, the largest sandworm on Broadway, and lots of stripes.
"Tune In!" will feature panelists including Emmy, Grammy, and Oscar winner as well as Tony nominee Kristen Anderson-Lopez and two-time EGOT winner Robert Lopez (Frozen, Coco, WandaVision, Avenue Q, The Book of Mormon), Emmy winner Cinco Paul (Schmigadoon!), Tony winner Lena Hall (Snowpiercer, Hedwig and the Angry Inch), and Frankie Grande (Henry Danger, Mamma Mia!). Hosted by Talaura Harms, the panelists will discuss the effect of theatre on their shows, and how television and film incorporate music and theatrical performances in musical episodes and more.
On October 8, stage favorites take on a D&D-style, one-shot adventure during Playbill's The Broadway Bard Party panel. Game master David Andrew Laws (The Twenty Sided Tavern) will take panelists 2022 Tony nominee Gabby Beans (Succession, The Skin of Our Teeth), Julian Elijah Martinez (Network), and Max Crumm (Grease: You’re The One That I Want!, Grease, Disaster!) on a journey as audiences watch them solve problems, entertain, and perhaps get a perfect roll of the dice for this panel hosted by Jim Cairl.
For its final panel October 9, Playbill will present Sesame Street the Musical, currently playing Off-Broadway. Come join a discussion of the new stage show, featuring live puppetry and a mix of classic tunes from the television series and new numbers for the stage. Participants and host will be announced soon.
Limited-edition Playbill Cover Cards will return this year, specially designed for each panel presented by Playbill at the convention and available for purchase. To celebrate the collaboration between Playbill and New York Comic Con, a separate cover card designed by Dean Greer will be available at The Playbill Pop-Up Store inside the New York Comic Con Official Store on location as well as at PlaybillStore.com.
The inaugural Playbill Pop-Up Store at New York Comic Con will also feature Broadway-inspired merchandise like game cards, magnets, mystery bags, enamel pins, and more with special pop-up guest signings and photo ops to be posted daily at the store and via Playbill's social media.
