Melissa Fitzgerald

Mary McCormack

A behind the scenes look into the creation and legacy of The West Wing as told by cast members Melissa Fitzgerald and Mary McCormack, with compelling insights from the cast and crew exploring what made the show what it was and how it's impassioned commitment to service has made the series and relationships behind it endure. 

Whats Next: A Backstage Pass to The West Wing, It's Cast and Crew, and It's Enduring Legacy of Service

A behind-the-scenes look into the creation and legacy of The West Wing  as told by cast members Melissa Fitzgerald and Mary McCormack, with compelling insights from cast and crew exploring what made the show what it was and how its impassioned commitment to service has made the series and relationships behind it endure.

Step back inside the world of President Jed Bartlet’s Oval Office with Fitzgerald and McCormack as they reunite the West Wing cast and crew in a lively and colorful “backstage pass” to the timeless series. This intimate, in-depth reflection reveals how The West Wing was conceived, and spotlights the army of people it took to produce it, the lifelong friendships it forged, and the service it inspired.

From cast member origin stories to the collective cathartic farewell on the show’s final night of filming, What’s Next will delight readers with on-set and off-camera anecdotes that even West Wing superfans have never heard. Meanwhile, a deeper analysis of the show’s legacy through American culture, service, government, and civic life underscores how the series envisaged an American politics of decency and honor, creating an aspirational White House beyond the bounds of fictional television.

What’s Next revisits beloved episodes with fresh, untold commentary; compiles poignant and hilarious stories from the show’s production; highlights initiatives supported by the cast, crew, and creators; and makes a powerful case for competent, empathetic leadership, hope, and optimism for whatever lies ahead.

A Backstage Pass to The West Wing, Its Cast and Crew, and Its Enduring Legacy of Service

What's Next

This myth-based reader's theater script builds fluency through oral reading. The creative script captures students' interest, so they will want to practice and perform. Included is a fluency lesson and approximate reading levels for the script roles.

Melissa Fitzgerald

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