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Newsweek
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Defunding Belonging: What's at Stake As the Arts Are Politicized
The Trump administration has begun withdrawing National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) grants from organizations nationwide, targeting cultural spaces where marginalized voices are nurtured. The Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, DC (GMCW) was among those impacted: our $15,000 grant for FY25 was canceled without warning. This is part of a broader political strategy to silence the spaces where LGBTQ youth find safety, community, and the freedom to express themselves. At a time when LGBTQ youth are already being relentlessly targeted by lawmakers, school boards, and national rhetoric, the destruction of affirming and creative spaces has now become federal policy. The Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, DC takes the stage in harmony, shining with unity, pride, and purpose under the direction of Dr. Thea Kano. The Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, DC takes the stage in harmony, shining with unity, pride, and purpose under the direction of Dr. Thea Kano. Photo Courtesy of Ward Morrison While bans on books, performances, and classroom discussions about identity dominate headlines, the erosion of arts education often gets less attention. From rural towns to major cities, school districts are also increasingly slashing arts programs, eliminating the spaces where young people have long turned to feel seen, safe, and celebrated. We're in a crisis of belonging. The same politicians who speak loudly about "freedom" are pushing policies that erase LGBTQ youth from classrooms, libraries, and stages. In Tennessee, a law targeting drag performances brands queer expression as dangerous, and in Texas, stagnant school funding has left districts with massive deficits, forcing cuts to electives and creative programs, including the arts. Now, the federal government has escalated those attacks. Senior NEA officials resigned in protest, and President Donald Trump has proposed eliminating the agency next year. This development will only exacerbate the struggle arts organizations are facing. Nearly 80 percent of U.S. school districts have made cuts to arts education over the last five years. These losses come on top of already inequitable funding systems. The students who lose access to music, theater, dance, and visual art are often the ones who need it most. Add in the current political climate, and you begin to see the full picture: a generation being told, in more ways than one, that there is no room for them. LGBTQ youth with access to affirming spaces, like arts programs, report significantly lower rates of suicide attempts. When queer kids are surrounded by community and empowered to express themselves, they are safer, stronger, and more resilient. At the GenOUT Youth Chorus, an outreach ensemble of GMCW, we've seen that life-changing impact. Through musical expression, our chorus members stand taller, speak up more, and take the stage as themselves. This is what happens when young people have access to artistic spaces where they are encouraged to express who they are without shame or fear. When young people are given a stage, literally and figuratively, they rise. GenOUT performs everywhere from Pride celebrations to interfaith services to national stages, using their voices to challenge, uplift, and unite. Our repertoire includes songs of protest, healing, and joy. But the most important impact is in the transformation we witness: young people learning to take up space, tell their stories, and lead with confidence. The power of these performances lies in the act of showing up as yourself and being met with acceptance. "This community has allowed me to imagine a future for myself, one where I can embrace all of who I am," said a member of the GenOUT Youth Chorus. Arts organizations like ours are doing what we can to fill the gap. But we cannot, and should not, be expected to do it alone. The mass withdrawal of NEA grants proves that even the most effective, community-rooted programs are vulnerable when culture becomes a political target. We need policies that reflect what we already know to be true, that the arts are essential, not expendable. We need funding that prioritizes creativity, self-expression, and inclusion, especially for the young people who are most often left behind. And we need leaders, at every level, willing to stand up for the idea that all students, regardless of who they are or where they come from, deserve the right to imagine and express their full selves. We do this work because the need is urgent. LGBTQ youth shouldn't have to fight for a place to be themselves. But once again, they are being forced to. The stage should be there when they need it, and so should we. Dr. Thea Kano is artistic director of Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, DC. The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
Washington Post
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
8 LGBTQ+-friendly restaurants in D.C. to visit during WorldPride
As WorldPride revelers swarm the nation's capital for the weeks-long celebration, plenty of D.C. restaurants will be waiting with open arms. Here are eight dining destinations rolling out the red carpet for myriad LGBTQ+ festivities in the coming weeks. 1609 17th St. NW. This James Beard Award-winning restaurant has been a second home to the gay community since the Truman administration, plying devoted patrons with boozy drinks and 'predictable' comfort foods like fried chicken wings, seared steaks and coconut cream pie. On June 3, Georgia Katinas — the general manager at Annie's and granddaughter of original founder George Katinas — joins New York Times writer and Dining Out author Erik Piepenburg for a discussion about 'Annie's legacy.' There's no charge to attend the hour-long talk (7:30 to 8:30 p.m.), and Annie's will offer free hors d'oeuvres (and a cash bar), but RSVPs are requested. 1609 17th St. NW. This James Beard Award-winning restaurant has been a second home to the gay community since the Truman administration, plying devoted patrons with boozy drinks and 'predictable' comfort foods like fried chicken wings, seared steaks and coconut cream pie. On June 3, Georgia Katinas — the general manager at Annie's and granddaughter of original founder George Katinas — joins New York Times writer and Dining Out author Erik Piepenburg for a discussion about 'Annie's legacy.' There's no charge to attend the hour-long talk (7:30 to 8:30 p.m.), and Annie's will offer free hors d'oeuvres (and a cash bar), but RSVPs are requested. 900 F St. NW. This Penn Quarter brasserie is showing its Pride two ways. The first involves serving specialty cocktails ($20 a pop) honoring famous LGBTQ+ figures including writer James Baldwin (the drink features cognac, coffee liqueur and mole bitters), singer Elton John (nonalcoholic aperitif, nonalcoholic sparkling wine, lemon, juniper), and civil rights activists Harvey Milk (bourbon, toast, maple, clarified milk) and Marsha P. Johnson (tequila, rose liqueur, triple sec, sparkling rosé). And on June 2, the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, D.C., will stop by at 7:30 p.m. to perform live as part of the 2025 International Choral Festival. No tickets are required to catch the show, but 15 percent of the proceeds from specialty cocktail sales that night will be donated to the Gay Men's Chorus. 900 F St. NW. This Penn Quarter brasserie is showing its Pride two ways. The first involves serving specialty cocktails ($20 a pop) honoring famous LGBTQ+ figures including writer James Baldwin (the drink features cognac, coffee liqueur and mole bitters), singer Elton John (nonalcoholic aperitif, nonalcoholic sparkling wine, lemon, juniper), and civil rights activists Harvey Milk (bourbon, toast, maple, clarified milk) and Marsha P. Johnson (tequila, rose liqueur, triple sec, sparkling rosé). And on June 2, the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, D.C., will stop by at 7:30 p.m. to perform live as part of the 2025 International Choral Festival. No tickets are required to catch the show, but 15 percent of the proceeds from specialty cocktail sales that night will be donated to the Gay Men's Chorus. 555 Eighth St. NW. The Hotel Monaco's in-house playground is hosting a supersize drag brunch. The two-tiered event kicks off at 11 a.m. June 8 with scheduled appearances from 'RuPaul's Drag Race' alums Alyssa Edwards, Utica and Mercedes Iman Diamond, along with local performers. Tickets to the 21-plus show are $151 for general admission (first-come, first-served seating; buffet brunch; two drinks) and climb to $240 for the VIP package (all of the above plus a pre-show meet-and-greet with Edwards, reserved seating, and $1 donated to WorldPride and Capital Pride). 555 Eighth St. NW. The Hotel Monaco's in-house playground is hosting a supersize drag brunch. The two-tiered event kicks off at 11 a.m. June 8 with scheduled appearances from 'RuPaul's Drag Race' alums Alyssa Edwards, Utica and Mercedes Iman Diamond, along with local performers. Tickets to the 21-plus show are $151 for general admission (first-come, first-served seating; buffet brunch; two drinks) and climb to $240 for the VIP package (all of the above plus a pre-show meet-and-greet with Edwards, reserved seating, and $1 donated to WorldPride and Capital Pride). Multiple locations. The neighborhood seafood spot created by community builder Jamie Leeds — who married her wife, Tina, at her former pasta joint and is celebrating a 20-year run in Dupont Circle this May — is mixing business with pleasure during Pride by running happy hour deals every Monday in June benefiting LGBTQ+-centric nonprofits. The Dupont location is offering $8 martinis and $32 seafood platters and contributing $1 from select drinks to SMYAL; the Wharf location is offering $8 seltzers and discount bar snacks and contributing $1 from select drinks to Metro DC PFLAG; and the Alexandria location will offer $8 spritzes and discount bar snacks and is contributing $1 from select drinks to Safe Space NOVA. Hank's is also running food and drink specials complementing the 17th Street Block Party, Pride on the Pier and Alexandria's Pride Fair. Multiple locations. The neighborhood seafood spot created by community builder Jamie Leeds — who married her wife, Tina, at her former pasta joint and is celebrating a 20-year run in Dupont Circle this May — is mixing business with pleasure during Pride by running happy hour deals every Monday in June benefiting LGBTQ+-centric nonprofits. The Dupont location is offering $8 martinis and $32 seafood platters and contributing $1 from select drinks to SMYAL; the Wharf location is offering $8 seltzers and discount bar snacks and contributing $1 from select drinks to Metro DC PFLAG; and the Alexandria location will offer $8 spritzes and discount bar snacks and is contributing $1 from select drinks to Safe Space NOVA. Hank's is also running food and drink specials complementing the 17th Street Block Party, Pride on the Pier and Alexandria's Pride Fair. 2004 18th St. NW. The queer-owned successor to Adams Morgan's beloved Duplex Diner, a.k.a. 'gay Cheers,' is going hard during WorldPride. Co-owner Kelly Laczko mapped out plans for nightly happy hour deals starting at 5 p.m. — including $5 mini tater tots, $6 draft beers, $8 glasses of Greek rosé, $9 martinis and cosmos, and $10 squeezes — a 'milkshakes and musicals' night celebrating Broadway show tunes (9 p.m. June 5), a 'RuPaul's Drag Race' watch party (8 p.m. June 6), a live drag show hosted by local performers Indiana Bones and Mia Vanderbilt (10 p.m. June 6) leading right into an all-night dance party led by DJ Benny (until 4 a.m. June 7), then all-day brunch and parade-related festivities June 7 and June 8. 2004 18th St. NW. The queer-owned successor to Adams Morgan's beloved Duplex Diner, a.k.a. 'gay Cheers,' is going hard during WorldPride. Co-owner Kelly Laczko mapped out plans for nightly happy hour deals starting at 5 p.m. — including $5 mini tater tots, $6 draft beers, $8 glasses of Greek rosé, $9 martinis and cosmos, and $10 squeezes — a 'milkshakes and musicals' night celebrating Broadway show tunes (9 p.m. June 5), a 'RuPaul's Drag Race' watch party (8 p.m. June 6), a live drag show hosted by local performers Indiana Bones and Mia Vanderbilt (10 p.m. June 6) leading right into an all-night dance party led by DJ Benny (until 4 a.m. June 7), then all-day brunch and parade-related festivities June 7 and June 8. 1811 Columbia Rd. NW. A drag brunch haven for more than three decades, this Adams Morgan charmer is hosting weekly performances throughout WorldPride. The restaurant runs two shows every Sunday, with the first seating from 10 a.m. to noon and the second from 1 to 3 p.m. Brunch is $40 and includes the breakfast buffet and a show featuring local performers. Perry's is also offering a specialty cocktail (vodka, crème de violette, sparkling wine) for $14 from June 2 through 8, with half the proceeds from the featured drink sales benefiting LGBTQ+ nonprofit the Pride 365 Fund. 1811 Columbia Rd. NW. A drag brunch haven for more than three decades, this Adams Morgan charmer is hosting weekly performances throughout WorldPride. The restaurant runs two shows every Sunday, with the first seating from 10 a.m. to noon and the second from 1 to 3 p.m. Brunch is $40 and includes the breakfast buffet and a show featuring local performers. Perry's is also offering a specialty cocktail (vodka, crème de violette, sparkling wine) for $14 from June 2 through 8, with half the proceeds from the featured drink sales benefiting LGBTQ+ nonprofit the Pride 365 Fund. Multiple locations. The homegrown pizza chain fostered by pioneering D.C. chef and restaurateur Ruth Gresser is offering a rainbow of Pride-themed cocktails ($12 to $15) at its Dupont Circle and Georgetown locations in June, including negronis (red), amaretto sours (orange), limoncello-spiked margaritas (yellow) and floral spritzes (purple). There's also a specialty cupcake ($9) featuring vanilla funfetti cake crowned with rainbow buttercream. The Dupont shop is also offering a $40 meal deal (one appetizer, one small pizza, one large pizza) from May 30 to June 1, and the Hyattsville outpost is hosting drag bingo at 6:30 p.m. June 18 in conjunction with Prince George's County libraries. Multiple locations. The homegrown pizza chain fostered by pioneering D.C. chef and restaurateur Ruth Gresser is offering a rainbow of Pride-themed cocktails ($12 to $15) at its Dupont Circle and Georgetown locations in June, including negronis (red), amaretto sours (orange), limoncello-spiked margaritas (yellow) and floral spritzes (purple). There's also a specialty cupcake ($9) featuring vanilla funfetti cake crowned with rainbow buttercream. The Dupont shop is also offering a $40 meal deal (one appetizer, one small pizza, one large pizza) from May 30 to June 1, and the Hyattsville outpost is hosting drag bingo at 6:30 p.m. June 18 in conjunction with Prince George's County libraries. 1207 Ninth St. NW. This critically acclaimed Convention Center haunt has several Pride-related activities planned. The monthly drag bingo game is scheduled for May 22 (6:30 to 9:30 p.m.). Each $60 ticket includes five bingo cards (additional cards available for $2 a pop); a buffet dinner; dessert; a show by local performers like India Larelle Houston; $10 Cantina Mule cocktails; and $15 slices of rainbow layer cake, with 100 percent of cake and cocktail sales that night benefiting LGBTQ+ nonprofit wayOUT. The restaurant is also donating 25 percent of sales from rainbow layer cake slices and regularly priced Cantina Mule cocktails ($14) through the end of June to wayOUT. 1207 Ninth St. NW. This critically acclaimed Convention Center haunt has several Pride-related activities planned. The monthly drag bingo game is scheduled for May 22 (6:30 to 9:30 p.m.). Each $60 ticket includes five bingo cards (additional cards available for $2 a pop); a buffet dinner; dessert; a show by local performers like India Larelle Houston; $10 Cantina Mule cocktails; and $15 slices of rainbow layer cake, with 100 percent of cake and cocktail sales that night benefiting LGBTQ+ nonprofit wayOUT. The restaurant is also donating 25 percent of sales from rainbow layer cake slices and regularly priced Cantina Mule cocktails ($14) through the end of June to wayOUT.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Strathmore Center welcomes International Pride Orchestra, Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, after Kennedy Center cancels
WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — There's a new venue for one highly anticipated performance for World Pride. The International Pride Orchestra will perform at the Strathmore Music Center after they say they were disinvited from the Kennedy Center. Leaders at Strathmore say they're excited for the orchestra to be performing in June. They say it's part of their mission to make the arts accessible for everyone. A week's worth of events celebrating the LGBTQ community was cancelled at the Kennedy Center after recent actions by President Trump to reshape programming in line with his agenda. Kennedy Center cancels Pride performance featuring Gay Men's Chorus of Washington 'We were heartbroken when we learned that our concert would no longer be welcome at the Kennedy Center,' said Michael Roest, Founding Artistic Director of IPO. 'The Kennedy Center has long been a symbol of artistic excellence, inclusivity, and freedom of expression. However, we are profoundly grateful to the Strathmore Music Center for opening their doors to us.' The International Pride Orchestra said their concert is designed to showcase LGBTQ+ artists, allies, and drag performers from around the world. 'We are really excited that we have the space available and are able to host the event,' said Kady Chambers, senior director of venue rentals and operations at Strathmore. Chambers said the National Philharmonic Orchestra helped facilitate the venue change. 'It doesn't matter who you are, where you came from, what your background is, your sexual orientation, your religion, your race. None of that matters. The art on the stage here, you know, really takes away those divides. And it brings us all together,' Chambers said. The orchestra will be joined on stage by the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, D.C. (GMCW). WorldPride DC organizers share concerns for transgender travelers GMCW Artistic Director Thea Kano said they were disappointed they couldn't perform at the Kennedy Center but incredibly moved by the outpouring of support for the community. 'We are grateful to Strathmore for stepping forward as a partner who shares our commitment to bold, inclusive performance and LGBTQ+ visibility,' Kano said. 'This concert is a powerful celebration of identity, resilience, and joy. Taking the stage at Strathmore for WorldPride is an honor, as well as a powerful moment of pride and community for Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, D.C.' 'We're ready for them, and we're ready for… all of the visitors that will come as part of this event,' said Drew Martorella, vice president of operations at Strathmore. DC News Now asked if there were any more World Pride events scheduled, as other performances were canceled or voluntarily moved from the Kennedy Center. 'Not specifically World Pride,' Chambers said. 'We do have some continuing conversations going on.' The International Pride Orchestra and Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, D.C., perform at Strathmore on June 5 at 7:30 p.m. You can find more information Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Washington Post
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
WorldPride relocates events scheduled for the Kennedy Center
The Capital Pride Alliance will move events celebrating LGBTQ+ rights it had scheduled for the Kennedy Center this spring as part of the WorldPride Festival 'to ensure our entire LGBTQ+ community will be welcome,' the organization said in a statement. The Tapestry of Pride programs, featuring sections of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, a reading room and a drag story time, will now be held at the WorldPride Welcome Center in downtown Washington, the alliance said. The three-week long WorldPride festival, which begins May 17, is expected to bring 2 million to 3 million people to the nation's capital, including tens of thousands of international visitors. Organizers have lined up major performers, including Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Troye Sivan, Doechii and Cynthia Erivo; and the event is also intended to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Washington's first gay pride events in 1975. 'WorldPride is happening and it is essential to our community both in the US and around the world that we continue to be seen and our voices heard,' June Crenshaw, deputy director of the alliance, said in the statement. A Kennedy Center spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment on Capital Pride's decision to relocate its programming. WorldPride's changes follow cancellations or withdrawals of other performances at the Kennedy Center, including a May 21 concert pairing the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, DC, with the National Symphony Orchestra. And it comes in the wake of President Donald Trump's move earlier this year to install himself as chairman of the Kennedy Center and remake its role in American life. ''NO MORE DRAG SHOWS, OR OTHER ANTI-AMERICAN PROPAGANDA – ONLY THE BEST'.' Trump wrote in a social media post in February announcing Richard Grenell, former acting director of national intelligence and U.S. ambassador to Germany, as the center's executive director. 'Ric shares my Vision for a GOLDEN AGE of American Arts and Culture, and will be overseeing the daily operations of the Center.' Since Trump's takeover, the center has laid off employees working in government relations, social media, campus planning and other projects, staff have said. More than a dozen other employees have resigned. Michael Roest, founder and director of the International Pride Orchestra, said his group's June 5 performance at the Kennedy Center was abruptly canceled within days of Trump's takeover. Roest told the Associated Press he was in the final stages of planning the Kennedy Center performance after months of emails and Zoom calls. He was waiting on a final contract when Trump posted on social media on Feb. 7 of the leadership changes and his intention to transform the center's programming. The Kennedy Center immediately became nonresponsive, Roest said. On Feb. 12, he told the AP, he received a one-sentence email from a Kennedy Center staffer saying: 'We are no longer able to advance your contract at this time.' Roest said he never received an explanation as to why the performance was canceled so late in the planning stages. He said his orchestra would no longer consider performing at the Kennedy Center, and he believes most queer artists would make the same choice. 'There would need to be a very, very public statement of inclusivity from the administration, from that board, for us to consider that,' he said. 'Otherwise it is a hostile performance space.' This is not the first time WorldPride has been caught in the swirl of the Trump administration's policies. After Trump announced an executive order targeting companies with diversity, equity and inclusion programs, federal contractor Booz Allen Hamilton withdrew its sponsorship of the festival. A number of international groups, concerned about the Trump administration's attacks on DEI efforts and its targeting of transgender rights in the United States, have said they are planning to stay away from the festival. In February, Canada's largest gay rights organization, Egale Canada, said it would not take part in any events held in the United States, including WorldPride. There is 'a lack of human decency when it comes to how this administration wants to engage with or not engage with members of the LGBTI community,' said Helen Kennedy, Egale Canada's executive director. 'I didn't think it was safe for my staff, specifically my gender diverse staff, to go, and so this is the position that we've taken.'
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Hamilton' Producers Cancel Upcoming Kennedy Center Engagement Following Trump Takeover: 'Some Institutions Are Sacred And Should Be Protected From Politics'
Producers of Hamilton, the massively popular Lin-Manuel Miranda musical, have canceled a planned 2026 engagement at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., decrying the 'recent purge by the Trump Administration' of the venue's professional staff and center-produced events. '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,' said producer Jeffrey Seller in a statement. 'Therefore, we have cancelled the third engagement of Hamilton at the Kennedy Center, originally scheduled for March 3-April 26, 2026.' More from Deadline Broadway Stars To Perform Kennedy Center's Canceled 'Finn' Musical At New York Town Hall; Andrew Rannells, Andrea Martin, Kelli O'Hara, Bonnie Milligan, Jessie Mueller & More Join Benefit Donald Trump Says He'll Name Himself Chairman Of Kennedy Center And Oust Board Members Gay Men's Chorus Of DC Reacts To Canceled Kennedy Center Show: "Deeply Disappointed" The engagement would have been the third run of Hamilton at the Kennedy Center. 'Hamilton was proudly performed at the Kennedy Center in 2018 during the first Trump administration,' Seller said. 'We are not acting against his administration, but against the partisan policies of the Kennedy Center as a result of his recent takeover.' The surprising move comes just weeks after the Kennedy Center announced that its planned tour of its children's musical Finn had been canceled, as well as an upcoming performance by the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington D.C. 'Political disagreement and debate are vital expressions of democracy,' Seller said. '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.' See Seller's entire statement below. According to Seller, the actions taken by the Kennedy Center in recent weeks have '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,' he said. 'This spirit of nonpartisanship ended on February 7, 2025, with the firing of Kennedy Center President Deborah Rutter, the Chairman of the Board David Rubenstein, numerous other Kennedy Center board members, and the cancellation of important programming. These actions bring a new spirit of partisanship to the national treasure that is the Kennedy Center.' The cancellation, Seller noted, 'is also a business decision.' 'Hamilton is a large and global production,' Seller stated, 'and it would simply be financially and personally devastating to the hundreds of employees of Hamilton if the new leadership of the Kennedy Center suddenly cancelled or re-negotiated our engagement. The actions of the new Chairman of the Board in recent weeks demonstrate that contracts and previous agreements simply cannot be trusted. This is sad, because basic integrity and the rule of law have long been great American principles that help serve as a foundation for our Nation.' Deadline has reached out to the Kennedy Center for comment. Last month, the Kennedy Center confirmed that it had canceled an upcoming tour of the Center-produced Finn, a children's musical about a young shark who, in the words of the show's creators Chris Nee, Michael Kooman and Christopher Dimond, 'wants to let out his inner fish.' The shark character subsequently adopts a sparkly style in contrast to the drab gray of his fellow sharks. While the Center described the cancellation as 'a purely financial decision,' and said that the decision had been made prior to the change in board leadership, the decision was met with an outcry among fans of the show – which had debuted at the Center in November – as well as the LGBTQ community and the theater industry at large. As Deadline first reported, the tour cancellation prompted Stars in the House creators Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley Jackson along with Finn creators Nee, Kooman and Dimond, to organize a one-night-only livestream presentation of the show at New York's Town Hall on March 17. The musical will be performed by Broadway stars Andrew Rannells, Andrea Martin, Kelli O'Hara, Bonnie Milligan, Jessie Mueller, Nikki M. James, Jose Llana, Lea Salonga and Hennessy Winkler, along with members of the original Kennedy Center cast. The Town Hall evening will also feature a performance by the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington DC and members of New York City Gay Men's Chorus. A portion of the proceeds from the event will benefit The Trevor Project, the leading suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ+ young people. Here is Seller's statement in its entirety: '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.'The Kennedy Center was founded over 50 years ago with a sincere bipartisan spirit. Indeed, it was founded during the administration of President Dwight Eisenhower, named after President John F. Kennedy, and opened in 1971 under the administration of Richard M. Nixon. The Kennedy Center was meant to be for all Americans, a place where we could all come together in celebration of the arts. Politics have never affected the presentation of thousands of shows and the display of extraordinary visual arts.'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. This spirit of nonpartisanship ended on February 7, 2025, with the firing of Kennedy Center President Deborah Rutter, the Chairman of the Board David Rubenstein, numerous other Kennedy Center board members, and the cancellation of important programming. These actions bring a new spirit of partisanship to the national treasure that is the Kennedy Center.'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. Therefore, we have cancelled the third engagement of Hamilton at the Kennedy Center, originally scheduled for March 3-April 26, 2026.'Hamilton was proudly performed at the Kennedy Center in 2018 during the first Trump administration. We are not acting against his administration, but against the partisan policies of the Kennedy Center as a result of his recent takeover.'Our cancellation is also a business decision. Hamilton is a large and global production, and it would simply be financially and personally devastating to the hundreds of employees of Hamilton if the new leadership of the Kennedy Center suddenly cancelled or re-negotiated our engagement. The actions of the new Chairman of the Board in recent weeks demonstrate that contracts and previous agreements simply cannot be trusted. This is sad, because basic integrity and the rule of law have long been great American principles that help serve as a foundation for our Nation.'I have personally loved the Kennedy Center since touring it as a seventh grader in 1977 along with the Lincoln Memorial and the Jefferson Memorial. I watched the first Kennedy Center Honors in 1978. Regardless of the political climate, I have always felt at home at The Kennedy Center, and I am grateful for every person who has spent the last 50 years making it a beacon of nonpartisanship and celebration. But we cannot presently support an institution that has been forced by external forces to betray its mission as a national cultural center that fosters the free expression of art in The United States of America.' 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