Wicked composer Stephen Schwartz says he will not appear at the Kennedy Center after name change

Stephen Schwartz said he will not appear at the Kennedy Center after the board voted to add President Donald Trump's name; the center and its board president say he was never signed for a May gala and deny he canceled.

Stephen Schwartz, the composer of the musical Wicked, said he will not appear at the Kennedy Center after its board voted to attach President Donald Trump's name to the venue. He said the center no longer represents the apolitical space it was founded to be. The Kennedy Center had listed him as appearing at a May gala with the Washington National Opera, and that listing was later removed. The center's leadership denied he was ever signed to the event. Key points: - Stephen Schwartz announced he will not appear at the Kennedy Center following the board's vote to add President Trump's name. - The center's website had listed Schwartz for a Washington National Opera gala in May; the listing was removed from the site. - Richard Grenell, the center's board president, said Schwartz was never signed and disputed reports of a cancellation. - A spokesman for Schwartz said he and an associate at the Washington National Opera discussed possible participation and last spoke in February 2025; Schwartz had assumed the event was not moving forward until recently. - Since the board changes, several artists have canceled appearances and the center has reduced staff and reevaluated programming, according to reports. - The board's vote to rename the center prompted threats of legal action and raised questions about whether the board has authority to make the change and whether challengers would have legal standing. Summary: The episode adds to a series of public disputes between artists and the Kennedy Center's new leadership after trustees voted to add President Trump's name. The center's leadership denies Schwartz was contracted for the gala, and legal questions about the renaming remain. Undetermined at this time.