HBO Max Greenlights HOMESCHOOL MUSICAL: CLASS OF 2020

Scripted Musical Special Features Students from Across the US, Whose Spring Musicals Were Cancelled Because of COVID-19, Performing Original Music from Their Homes

First-of-Its-Kind Feel Good Pop-Cultural Event is Executive Produced by Tony Award Winner Laura Benanti, Emmy Award Winners World of Wonder, with Music by Golden Globe Nominated Composer Leland

Los Angeles, CA - May 28, 2020 - HBO Max, the upcoming direct-to-consumer offering from WarnerMedia set to launch on Wednesday, May 27, announced today the greenlight of Homeschool Musical: Class of 2020. Inspired by Tony Award winning actress Laura Benanti's ("My Fair Lady" and "She Loves Me" on Broadway, Younger, Supergirl, Nashville) online movement #SunshineSongs, in which she offered to be an audience for the students around the country whose spring musicals were cancelled because of COVID-19, this television event will give students the opportunity to sing and dance like the stars they are, from the safety of their homes.

Homeschool Musical: Class of 2020 will explore tried-and-true themes of classic teen movies through the totally unique lens of a world turned upside down by the global pandemic. The cast, featuring a diverse group of super talented student actors with compelling backstories, will play seniors from the same high school and while the pandemic may have shut down their school, the drama and romantic intrigue live on.

"As a mom of teenagers, I know that this time has been a struggle for them. High School seniors in particular have been hit hard by this pandemic, their dreams of homecoming, prom, spring performances and even graduation being cancelled," said Jennifer O'Connell, executive vice president original non-fiction and kids programming. "Laura's brilliant idea to give these kids an audience and a platform has blossomed into this unique opportunity for us to not only celebrate their talent, but to entertain many other families across the country sharing their experience."

"Our school shows are more than just entertainment. At the very least, they bring our communities together to revel in the talent of our young artists. At their best, they are a life changing experience that these kids will bring with them into the rest of their lives," said Benanti. "I am thrilled that the #SunshineSongs initiative has put the spotlight on so many incredible young performers; grateful to World of Wonder for its grand vision and to HBO MAX for providing a global platform on which America's youth can shine!"

Homeschool Musical: Class of 2020 is executive produced by Laura Benanti along with Randy Barbato, Fenton Bailey, and Tom Campbell for World of Wonder Productions (RuPaul's Drag Race), and Leland (Ariana Grande, Selena Gomez, RuPaul's Drag Race) will write and produce the original songs and score.

About HBO Max

HBO Max is WarnerMedia's direct-to-consumer offering. With 10,000 hours of curated premium content anticipated at launch, HBO Max will offer powerhouse programming for everyone in the home, bringing together HBO, a robust slate of new original series, key third-party licensed programs and movies, and fan favorites from Warner Media's rich library including Warner Bros., New Line, DC, CNN, TNT, TBS, truTV, Turner Classic Movies, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Crunchyroll, Rooster Teeth, Looney Tunes and more. Sign up for updates at HBOMax.com.

About WarnerMedia

WarnerMedia is a leading media and entertainment company that creates and distributes premium and popular content from a diverse array of talented storytellers and journalists to global audiences through its consumer brands including: HBO, HBO Now, HBO Max, Warner Bros., TNT, TBS, truTV, CNN, DC, New Line, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Turner Classic Movies and others. WarnerMedia is part of AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T).

About Laura Benanti

In the midst of an illustrious career spanning Broadway, film, and television, Tony(R) Award-winning actress, singer and author, Laura Benanti now brings a longstanding dream to life as she gears up to release her new solo album with Sony Music Masterworks this year. She recently released a single, a cover of "Sucker" along with a moving video donating 100% of her earnings to FoodCorps. Additionally, on the heels of her viral social media campaign, #SunshineSongs, Laura debuted the Sunshine Songs Concert series to bring joy through music to senior living communities, aging loved ones isolated in their homes, children's hospitals, and beyond. With starring roles on Broadway ranging from the My Fair Lady revival and Steve Martin's Meteor Shower to She Loves Me, and the title role in Gypsy for which Laura garnered a Tony(R) Award (one of five career nominations to date). Meanwhile, her performance in Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown garnered her a Drama Desk Award and Outer Critics Circle Award. Simultaneously, she enchanted audiences on the small screen, appearing on Younger, Supergirl, Nashville, The Good Wife, Nurse Jackie and her hilarious portrayal of First Lady Melania Trump on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert (among many others). In addition to films including Worth alongside Michael Keaton, Amy Ryan and Stanley Tucci and the upcoming "Here Today" alongside Billy Crystal and Tiffany Haddish, Laura recently released a hilarious book for Moms (co-written with her friend and Metropolitan Opera Star Kate Mangiameli) entitled "M is for MAMA (and also Merlot): A Modern Mom's ABCs" available now at Barnes and Noble. Benanti is represented by UTA and Untitled.

About World of Wonder

For more than two decades, award-winning production company World of Wonder has introduced audiences to new worlds, talent and ideas that have shaped culture. Programming highlights include: Emmy(R) Award winning "RuPaul's Drag Race" (VH1/Logo), "Million Dollar Listing" LA & NY (Bravo), "Dancing Queen" (Netflix), "Big Freedia: Queen of Bounce" (Fuse), and "Gender Revolution: A Journey with Katie Couric" (National Geographic); award-winning films and documentaries including "Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures," "Menendez: Blood Brothers," "Inside Deep Throat," "The Eyes of Tammy Faye," "I Am Britney Jean," "In Vogue: The Editor's Eye," "Carrie Fisher's Wishful Drinking," "Monica in Black and White," Emmy-winning "The Last Beekeeper," and Emmy-winning "Out of Iraq." Seven of WOW's films have premiered at the Sundance Film festival including "Becoming Chaz" and "Party Monster." World of Wonder has also created a substantial digital footprint with its YouTube channel WOWPresents (1M+ subs), SVOD digital platform WOW Presents Plus, along with an award-winning blog, The WOW Report. World of Wonder's bi-annual RuPaul's DragCon is the world's largest drag culture convention, welcoming 100,000 attendees across LA and NYC in 2019 and expanding internationally to the UK in 2020. Co-founders Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey authored The World According to Wonder, celebrating decades of production, which can be found online at http://worldofwonder.net/. Randy and Fenton were honored with the IDA Pioneer Award in December 2014, celebrating exceptional achievement, leadership, and vision in the nonfiction and documentary community, named to Variety's Reality Leaders List in 2017, and chosen for the OUT100 list in 2018 for their trailblazing work in the LGBTQ+ community. World of Wonder was also selected for Realscreen's 2018 Global 100 list, which recognizes the top international non-fiction and unscripted production companies working in the industry today. World of Wonder creates out of a historic building/gallery space in the heart of Hollywood.

About Leland

Brett McLaughlin, aka Leland, is a Golden Globe nominated songwriter, composer, executive producer and prominent figure in the LGBTQ+ community who has contributed to some of pop music's most influential releases of the past few years. As a songwriter, he has collaborated with Selena Gomez ('Rare' and 'Fetish'), Troye Sivan (Youth, Bloom, My My My!, Take Yourself Home), BTS (Louder Than Bombs), Ariana Grande, (Dance To This), Carrie Underwood (End Up With You), Charli XCX (1999), Lauv & Troye Sivan (I'm So Tired) and many more. Mclaughlin composed the score and wrote 12 original songs for the Netflix Original Movie 'Sierra Burgess Is A Loser' as well as executive producing the soundtrack. Other projects include composing musicals for the Emmy Award Winning 'RuPaul's Drag Race' and co-writing "Revelation" with Troye Sivan and Jonsi for 'Boy Erased', a biographical film about LGBTQ+ conversion therapy.