‘Dead Outlaw' Cancels Library of Congress Concert to Protest Firing

New York Times

09-05-2025

The Broadway musical 'Dead Outlaw' announced on Friday that it was canceling an upcoming concert performance at the Library of Congress, one day after the Trump administration fired its top librarian.
A brief statement from the show, which earned seven Tony nominations this month, said that it had decided not to perform at the library 'upon learning of the termination of Dr. Carla Hayden, the Librarian of Congress.'
Dr. Hayden, the first African American and first woman to serve as head of the institution, was a 'fierce advocate for preserving America's cultural memory and a great champion of the Broadway community,' the statement said.
No other details were given.
The Library of Congress had planned to present a free concert on Monday afternoon featuring members of the cast and creative team of 'Dead Outlaw' performing selections from the show at its Coolidge Auditorium.
The cancellation is the latest indication of the growing tensions between some in the arts community and the Trump administration. President Trump has once again proposed eliminating the National Endowment for the Arts, and last week the endowment began withdrawing grants from arts organizations around the country.
This week some members of the cast of 'Les Misérables' were said to be planning not to perform at a gala performance at the Kennedy Center that Mr. Trump, who took over the center, was planing to attend. Earlier this year, a string of artists and speakers canceled engagements at the Kennedy Center after Mr. Trump purged the historically bipartisan board of Biden appointees and made himself chairman.
Dr. Hayden's firing on Thursday drew swift outrage from Democrats, many of whom praised her work, including Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the Democratic minority leader, who said in a statement that Dr. Hayden was an 'accomplished, principled and distinguished' leader of the library.
She was appointed as the 14th librarian of Congress by President Barack Obama in 2016. She was fired a year before the end of her 10-year term.
Cindy Hohl, the president of the American Library Association, condemned the firing in a statement, saying that Dr. Hayden's 'abrupt and unjust dismissal is an insult to the scope and breadth of work she has undertaken in her role leading the Library of Congress.'
Dr. Hayden was fired in a two-sentence email from Trent Morse, the deputy director of White House personnel. The notice did not cite a cause.
The Library of Congress is the latest federal cultural institution to come under fire from Mr. Trump. In February he abruptly fired Colleen Shogan, the head of the National Archives, who had been appointed by former President Joseph R. Biden Jr., without citing any reason. And in an executive order in March, he criticized the Smithsonian Institution, and directed Vice President JD Vance to seek to influence its Board of Regents.