“We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.”
Those famous words, delivered by President John F. Kennedy at Rice University in Houston on September 12, 1962, came at a pivotal moment. The Soviet Union had already launched Sputnik and in 1961, had sent the first human, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, into space. The United States was struggling to catch up. Kennedy challenged the nation to stay committed to what seemed like an impossible goal he had set a year earlier. Getting a human being to the Moon.
Seven years later, on July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stepped onto the lunar surface, changing history forever.
But how do you bring to life not just the achievement, but the people, the sacrifices, the heartbreak, and the determination behind it? That is what We Chose to Go to the Moon sets out to do.
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Featuring (left to right) Skylar Astin, Taylor Louderman, Elizabeth Gillies, Brent Comer, Joy Woods and Claybourne Elder.Photo by Nina WesterveltAn epic, immersive multimedia theatrical production and filmed concert special, the show combines great storytelling, iconic songs, dramatic portrayals, rare archival footage, and inspiring historical artifacts. Created, written, and narrated by historian John Monsky of American History Unbound, and recorded live at Carnegie Hall, We Chose to Go to the Moon features Broadway stars Elizabeth Gillies, Skylar Astin, Joy Woods, Brent Comer, Taylor Louderman, and Claybourne Elder accompanied by the 45-piece Orchestra of St. Luke’s.
Directed for the stage by Michael Mayer, with an introduction by Ron Howard, the film was produced for television by RadicalMedia. It will air nationally on PBS November 10 and will be available to stream on PBS.org and the PBS app.
We Chose to Go to the Moon is not only about reaching the Moon. It’s about the astronauts and their families, the scientists and engineers working behind the scenes, the women whose contributions helped make the mission possible, and the great sense of shared purpose. With artifacts, including flags flown on every Apollo mission, the three Apollo 1 burial flags reunited for the first time, a Moon rock, and Neil Armstrong’s actual EKG recording as he stepped onto the lunar surface, the production makes history personal.
For Monsky, the goal is to remind us of something bigger than the achievement itself. “If anything binds all my work together, what I’m feeling, what I’m looking for, it is the willingness of the heart,” says Monsky. “There is a willingness of the heart to do more and be better.”
Monsky shared more.
From left: John Avlon, Cady Coleman, John Monsky and Jon Kamen at the premiere screening of We Chose To Go To The Moon at the New York Historical Photo by Valerie TerranovaReflecting on the Apollo 8 mission Astronaut Bill Anders famously said, “We came all this way to explore the moon. And the most important thing we discovered is the Earth.” What do you think he meant?
John Monsky: There are two levels to that. The first level that all astronauts talk about is the overview effect. We’re going to explore the Moon, but we realize all these things about the Earth. When you get to the Moon and look back, you realize the Earth is this lonely blue dot, floating alone in space. You realize how precious this planet is. There are not unlimited resources. It’s also about appreciating humanity and seeing the world without borders.
Can you talk about how you address the Apollo 1 tragedy where all the astronauts, Virgil “Gus” Grissom, Edward H. White II, and Roger B. Chaffee died?
John Monsky: A lot of people tell that story from the perspective of the launchpad—what went wrong, the spark that caused it. But the story that we tell is that five, six o’clock in the afternoon, the astronauts’ wives are in Houston and there’s a knock on the door. It’s the [other] wives in the neighborhood. And then the officials from NASA come and give the news to those wives. Taylor Louderman, Elizabeth Gillies and Joy Woods reenact what was going through their heads. We take from their biographies. You feel it in a different way.
What did it mean to bring the three Apollo 1 burial flags together for the first time?
John Monsky: We spent a year talking to each family, and they agreed to come and bring the flags. Those three crew members were not buried together. But they worked together. They lived together. They shared life together. So when we bring those three flags back to Carnegie Hall, I feel like we’re bringing the three crew members back together one last time. And then you hear the song “The Sound of Silence.” It’s transformative.
Can you talk about your passion for history?
John Monsky: I always loved history from the time I was a kid. When I got to college, I called my dad and said, “I’m going to stay here. I want to become a history professor, get a master’s, PhD.” And he said, “You have a boatload of student debt. You’re going to starve.” And so I went to law school, but I always wanted to come back to it. It was my first love.
We Chose to Go to the Moon on PBS tells the story of America’s journey to the Moon Photo by Nina WesterveltHow did collecting historic flags eventually turn into the productions at Carnegie Hall?
John Monsky: The way I stayed in touch with or engaged with history was to collect American flags from moments in history. Every Flag Day, I would pull out a flag, talk about it, and then we added music. My wife would play the piano and it became a big thing in our neighborhood. Pretty soon we had 80 people in our apartment, and then I did one of these productions at the New York Historical. I never thought it was going to leave my apartment. Then I got a call from Carnegie Hall and they asked, “Will you do one for us?”
The Moon landing took place during a decade when the country was deeply divided, much as it is today. What do you think the Apollo program can teach us about coming together?
John Monsky: One of the remarkable things about Apollo was that it was a civilian-run program. Eisenhower deliberately chose to make NASA a civilian agency, and that engaged the whole country. We had 400,000 Americans working toward a common objective. It wasn’t about one person taking credit from another. It was all about us doing this together. I think that’s a great example of what this country can do and will do.
Dave Scott, who walked on the Moon, came to see the production and pulled me aside afterward. He said it captured not only Neil, but also the moment we were going through. We were trying to go to the Moon while experiencing a very difficult time in the middle of the Vietnam War. Somehow, we persevered through it all.
What do you think Neil Armstrong can teach us today?
John Monsky: One of the parts of the show that means a lot to me is at the end, when I talk about Neil and the way he left. He was buried at sea, and he wanted no parade, no monument, no TV coverage. Because it was never about him. What a great role model for us today. I feel some redemption in not just telling history, but also providing stories of people we can look up to, who can guide us and emulate.
The reenactment of the dramatic Apollo 11 landing brings those final moments to life. What makes that experience so powerful?
John Monsky: You can read about the landing a thousand times on paper. You can even listen to the Mission Control tapes, which we did for the landing sequence. But when those six actors and actresses reenact Mission Control, you feel like you’re there. It lands with 17 seconds of fuel left. They make you feel like you’re on that landing.
One incredible object is Neil Armstrong’s EKG, recorded as he stepped onto the Moon. You also connect that EKG to the idea of a “willingness of the heart.” What does that phrase mean to you?
John Monsky: One of my favorite lines in literature comes from a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, He wrote: “France was a land, England was a people, but America, having about it still that quality of the idea, was harder to utter — it was the graves at Shiloh and the tired, drawn, nervous faces of its great men, and the country boys dying in the Argonne for a phrase that was empty before their bodies withered. It was a willingness of the heart.” Neil Armstrong showed a willingness of the heart. Poppy Northcott showed that. And that EKG strip, taken at the very moment that Neil steps on the Moon, is a willingness of the heart.
What do you hope audiences take away from watching the film on PBS?
John Monsky: After the Moon landings, I remember as a kid, something changed. The line was always, “If we can go to the Moon, we can cure cancer. If we can go to the Moon, we can solve hunger. If we can go to the Moon, we can do this.” Something changed where we said impossible is not impossible anymore. Robert Kennedy said “Some ask why, and I ask why not.” That happened to us. We lived that. And it inspires us to do great things, to save lives, so when we leave the planet, we leave it a better place.
When Does We Chose to Go to the Moon Premiere on PBS?
We Chose to Go to the Moon premieres nationally on PBS on Tuesday, November 10, 2026. The special will also be available to stream on PBS.org and the PBS app. Check your local PBS listings for the exact broadcast time.
The two-hour special begins at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT and will stream simultaneously on PBS.org and the PBS app.
Next: Buzz Aldrin Most Inspiring Quotes About Life On Earth
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