What is the West Wing Weekend?
Overview
The big idea behind this West Wing Weekend is to tap into the engagement and invigoration of fans of the show by providing an outlet for fan centered programs and ideas, by creating fun and entertaining performances based on the characters and universe of the show, and also to use the way the show promotes ideals of unity and engagement in the real world.
Goals
Clay Dockery will serve as the Head Organizer, Treasurer, and Logistics Director of The West Wing Weekend. He has been organizing events and conventions to engage multiple fandoms for several years. He is the co-Head Organizer of the successful Harry Potter convention, MISTI-Con, which has been held in 2013, 2015, and 2017 (and will be held again in 2019). He has also co-organized Coal Hill Convention (a Doctor Who convention), co-editor of Why I Geek: An Anthology of Fandom Origin Stories and is the treasurer of Coal Hill, Inc. a non-profit dedicated to engaging fans and fan experiences. He is also a supreme West Wing fan who self identifies as a perfectly eccentric and gruff mixture of Jed and Toby.
Claire Handscombe will serve as the Outreach Director for The West Wing Weekend. She is the editor of Walk with Us: How the West Wing Changed Our Lives an anthology of quotes and essays in which fans of the West Wing tell their stories of how the show impacted their lives.
Cat Smith will serve as Creative Director for the event. Cat is a fixture on the convention scene as a performer, singer, and guest interviewer. She is also a dedicated West Wing fan.
The Structure of the Event
This event will be a full weekend event lasting from Friday evening until Sunday evening. The costs will include hotel space, a food and beverage minimum required by the hotel, a guaranteed minimum number of room nights at the hotel from WWW attendees, rooms and performance fees for special guests, as well as marketing, logistical equipment and decorations.
We will limit all expenses as much as possible but this event will still require registration costs, and additional costs for meals or receptions. Our early bird regular registration rate will be $65 for registration (not including meals or separately ticketed events.)
The event is currently limited to 500 attendees maximum.
Special Guests
We are working to see if we can make can make the financial and logistical needs work to invite one or more special guests such as actors or creators from the series to the event.
With that said, our goal is not to be a "meet and greet" style convention, we want to keep costs down and to have an active and engaged group of fan attendees of all sorts.
We do encourage pod-casters, authors, artists, and anyone else who engages the world on a regular basis to reach out to us! We would love to have this event be a spotlight on all of the fabulous work and creativity of the fans.
Panels and Programs
We will have a full slate of programming in developed by our attendees on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Our call for programming will encourage submissions of panels, presentations and workshops both on the world and characters of the show (e.g. Why is Charlie/Zoey the greatest couple?) the creation and analysis of the show (e.g. What are the effects of Tommy Schlamme’s directorial choices on our enjoyment of the show?) and on real world activism and engagement (e.g. How can a small group of concerned citizens make a difference right now?)
We would also love to include things like live podcasts, interactive panels, and anything else that the attendees would like to create during this time.
Performances and Special Events
To honor the show, this event will include a few, unique, fan-created, performances. Each performance is intended to evoke the look and feel of the show, while also engaging our attendees.
We are honored to have a group of talent actors, improvisationists, and other performers to help create and present this programming (though we also would love to additional ideas and input from anyone who is willing and interested).
These are some examples of these types of performances:
Bartlet for America: a Town Hall debate
The State Dinner in the Ballroom (with ceremonial trappings)
A performance of Epic Rap Battles of The West Wing
(see Santos battle Vinnick, Josh vs Sam, CJ vs Toby or other epic combinations in a fabulous rap smackdown.)
A live reading or rendition of an episode or musical episode based on the series.
Live comedic/improv commentary on an episode or episodes of the show.
Plus other ideas as we develop them!
Engagement and Activism
In addition to all of the above, our plan is to incorporate one or more elements real-life engagement into this event.
Here are some ideas we have discussed (though none are certain as of this time):
An event to raise money and awareness for Melissa Fitzgerald's Justice for Vets organization.
A voter registration drive
A 5K Run/Walk, in collaboration with a national organization, that raises money to benefit MS research.
A keynote luncheon inviting members of both major political parties to discuss how the ideals of the show impact the world
We believe it is fundamentally in line with the vision of the show to celebrate the roles of women, the LGBTQIA+ community, and people of color in activism and engagement. As such we will also strive to be incorporate those voices into the event as well.
The big idea behind this West Wing Weekend is to tap into the engagement and invigoration of fans of the show by providing an outlet for fan centered programs and ideas, by creating fun and entertaining performances based on the characters and universe of the show, and also to use the way the show promotes ideals of unity and engagement in the real world.
Goals
- Celebrate the West Wing cast, creators, and fans.
- Provide and outlet for fan panels, presentations, and workshops centered around the show.
- Engage the community with created items and events (such as theatrical performances and a vendor/crafter showcase.)
- Engage people in the political process with events, panels, and programming that encourages that engagement.
- Create a forum for dialogue and unified engagement in line with the ideals and themes of The West Wing
Clay Dockery will serve as the Head Organizer, Treasurer, and Logistics Director of The West Wing Weekend. He has been organizing events and conventions to engage multiple fandoms for several years. He is the co-Head Organizer of the successful Harry Potter convention, MISTI-Con, which has been held in 2013, 2015, and 2017 (and will be held again in 2019). He has also co-organized Coal Hill Convention (a Doctor Who convention), co-editor of Why I Geek: An Anthology of Fandom Origin Stories and is the treasurer of Coal Hill, Inc. a non-profit dedicated to engaging fans and fan experiences. He is also a supreme West Wing fan who self identifies as a perfectly eccentric and gruff mixture of Jed and Toby.
Claire Handscombe will serve as the Outreach Director for The West Wing Weekend. She is the editor of Walk with Us: How the West Wing Changed Our Lives an anthology of quotes and essays in which fans of the West Wing tell their stories of how the show impacted their lives.
Cat Smith will serve as Creative Director for the event. Cat is a fixture on the convention scene as a performer, singer, and guest interviewer. She is also a dedicated West Wing fan.
The Structure of the Event
This event will be a full weekend event lasting from Friday evening until Sunday evening. The costs will include hotel space, a food and beverage minimum required by the hotel, a guaranteed minimum number of room nights at the hotel from WWW attendees, rooms and performance fees for special guests, as well as marketing, logistical equipment and decorations.
We will limit all expenses as much as possible but this event will still require registration costs, and additional costs for meals or receptions. Our early bird regular registration rate will be $65 for registration (not including meals or separately ticketed events.)
The event is currently limited to 500 attendees maximum.
Special Guests
We are working to see if we can make can make the financial and logistical needs work to invite one or more special guests such as actors or creators from the series to the event.
With that said, our goal is not to be a "meet and greet" style convention, we want to keep costs down and to have an active and engaged group of fan attendees of all sorts.
We do encourage pod-casters, authors, artists, and anyone else who engages the world on a regular basis to reach out to us! We would love to have this event be a spotlight on all of the fabulous work and creativity of the fans.
Panels and Programs
We will have a full slate of programming in developed by our attendees on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Our call for programming will encourage submissions of panels, presentations and workshops both on the world and characters of the show (e.g. Why is Charlie/Zoey the greatest couple?) the creation and analysis of the show (e.g. What are the effects of Tommy Schlamme’s directorial choices on our enjoyment of the show?) and on real world activism and engagement (e.g. How can a small group of concerned citizens make a difference right now?)
We would also love to include things like live podcasts, interactive panels, and anything else that the attendees would like to create during this time.
Performances and Special Events
To honor the show, this event will include a few, unique, fan-created, performances. Each performance is intended to evoke the look and feel of the show, while also engaging our attendees.
We are honored to have a group of talent actors, improvisationists, and other performers to help create and present this programming (though we also would love to additional ideas and input from anyone who is willing and interested).
These are some examples of these types of performances:
Bartlet for America: a Town Hall debate
The State Dinner in the Ballroom (with ceremonial trappings)
A performance of Epic Rap Battles of The West Wing
(see Santos battle Vinnick, Josh vs Sam, CJ vs Toby or other epic combinations in a fabulous rap smackdown.)
A live reading or rendition of an episode or musical episode based on the series.
Live comedic/improv commentary on an episode or episodes of the show.
Plus other ideas as we develop them!
Engagement and Activism
In addition to all of the above, our plan is to incorporate one or more elements real-life engagement into this event.
Here are some ideas we have discussed (though none are certain as of this time):
An event to raise money and awareness for Melissa Fitzgerald's Justice for Vets organization.
A voter registration drive
A 5K Run/Walk, in collaboration with a national organization, that raises money to benefit MS research.
A keynote luncheon inviting members of both major political parties to discuss how the ideals of the show impact the world
We believe it is fundamentally in line with the vision of the show to celebrate the roles of women, the LGBTQIA+ community, and people of color in activism and engagement. As such we will also strive to be incorporate those voices into the event as well.
