Hamilton producer Jeffrey Seller announced on social media that the show is canceling plans to perform at DC’s Kennedy Center. Hamilton had been scheduled to run March 3 to April 26, 2026.
The award-winning musical by actor Lin-Manuel Miranda was first performed at the Kennedy Center in 2018 during President Donald Trump’s first term. It returned to the venue in 2022 during Joe Biden’s presidency.
Last month, Trump replaced many of the Kennedy Center’s board of trustees and announced the new board had elected him chair. The shake-up has prompted other artist cancellations, including Issa Rae, Rhiannon Giddens, Louise Penny, and Cut Connie.
In his statement, Seller said that: “Political disagreement and debate are vital expressions of democracy. These basic concepts of freedom are at the very heart of Hamilton. However, some institutions are sacred and should be protected from politics. The Kennedy Center is one such institution.”
He continued: “However, in recent weeks we have sadly seen decades of Kennedy Center neutrality be destroyed. The recent purge by the Trump Administration of both professional staff and performing arts events at or originally produced by the Kennedy Center flies in the face of everything this national cultural center represents. … Given these recent actions, our show simply cannot, in good conscience, participate and be a part of this new culture that is being imposed on the Kennedy Center.”
Feature image courtesy of the Kennedy Center
