The Kennedy Center addresses show cancellations days after 'Hamilton' pulls out
WASHINGTON, D.C. (7News) — The Kennedy Center pushed back on speculation surrounding its recent show cancellations, releasing a statement late Thursday night listing reasons for each program that has been canceled in the last six months.
“In the spirit of transparency and due to the litany of misinformation being spread in the press, it is important to give the public a complete account of program cancellations over the last six months,” Roma Daravi, the center’s vice president of public relations, said in a statement on X.
The list includes more than two dozen shows canceled for reasons ranging from low ticket sales to shows being canceled by the artist or producer.
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Daravi adds that the "only shows under the Kennedy Center programming umbrella that we have cancelled since February 12th were due to lack of sales or artist availability."
The most recent cancellations include the megahit Broadway musical “Hamilton," which was set to return in 2026 before being called off by its producers earlier this week.
The Kennedy Center's full list of cancellations is:
- VOICES: Nadine Sierra - 11/10/24 - Cancelled due to artist illness
- WNO: Macbeth - 11/23/24 - one show cancelled due to fire/flood
- Shear Madness - 1/28-2/29/25 - Cancelled due to Theater repairs
- NEMR - 2/7/25 - Cancelled by artist
- Megan Gailey - 2/8/25 - Cancelled due to low ticket sales
- R&B Love Songs Edition - 2/13/25 - Cancelled by producer
- Shear Madness - 2/24, 2/26, 3/6, 3/12, 3/13 - Cancelled for low sales
- Balún - 2/27/25 - Cancelled by artist
- Eureka Day - 3/4/25 - 3/22/25 - Cancelled by producer due to financial reasons
- RIOT! - 3/6/25 - Cancelled due to artist availability
- An Evening with Issa Rae - 3/16/25 - Cancelled by artist
- Blacks in Wax - 3/15/25 - Cancelled by artist
- Lowcut Connie - 3/19/25 - Cancelled by artist
- Peter Wolf (Book Launch) 3/21/25 - Cancelled by artist
- Samhot - 3/21/25 - One show cancelled due to low ticket sales
- Skipper the Seal - Book Launch - 3/22/24 - Cancelled by artist
- Arts & Wellbeing Panel - 3/26/25 - Cancelled by artist
- Amanda Rheaume - 4/5/25 - Cancelled by artist
- Bard and the Beat I - 4/18/25 - Cancelled by artist
- Saigon Nights - 4/19/25 - Cancelled by artist
- Bring them Home (Film) - 4/20/25 - Cancelled by artist
- National Youth Poet Laureate Commemoration - 4/26/25 - Cancelled by artist
- NSO: A Peacock Among Pigeons - 5/20-21/25 - Cancelled for financial reasons
- Maria João Pires - 5/27/25 - Postponed to following season
- Bluey - 7/8-7/20/25 - Postponed to following season
- Hamilton - March/April 2026 - Cancelled by producer
This comes after President Donald Trump appointed himself chairman of the Kennedy Center in early February. Fourteen new Board of Trustees members were also announced. Trump's decision was part of a broader push against what he calls "woke" culture.
“We are not acting against his administration, but against the partisan policies of the Kennedy Center as a result of his recent takeover,” said Hamilton producer Jeffrey Seller. “These actions bring a new spirit of partisanship to the national treasure that is the Kennedy Center.”
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