Creators of the Opera "Fellow Travelers" Withdraw Work from Kennedy Center Programming

The opera's creative team wrote that the current management of the Kennedy Center contradicts the work's values

The creative team behind the opera Fellow Travelers has opted to withdraw the work from the 2025/26 season of the Washington National Opera (WNO), because of their concerns regarding Trump's administration of The Kennedy Center.

The opera, which is based on the 2007 Thomas Mallon novel of the same name, focuses on the homophobic "lavender scare" of the 1950s, a moral panic centering on the trustworthiness of LGBTQ+ government employees during the Cold War.

The team behind the opera includes composer Gregory Spears, librettist Greg Pierce, director Kevin Newbury, producer Jecca Barry, and Mallon himself.

Fellow Travelers will be replaced in WNO's lineup by a new production of Robert Ward’s The Crucible, with Robert Spano conducting.

"We have wrestled with our conflicting emotions about bringing the work to the Kennedy Center at this time," the opera's creators wrote in a statement. "Regrettably, we have decided that we cannot move forward."

"The expansion of freedom and liberty for all people are core values of the opera and the book upon which it is based," they continued. "The current administration’s takeover of the Kennedy Center and many of its policies contradict those values."

"We deeply regret that the creative team of Fellow Travelers has decided to deprive WNO audiences of the chance to experience this opera," said Tim O’Leary and Francesca Zambello, WNO's General Director and Artistic Director. "Art and music have the power to rise above division and bring people together to find common ground. The WNO has long been a place for everyone to enjoy the power of the opera and it will remain a place for patrons of all backgrounds and beliefs."

A number of events and initiatives aimed at underserved communities have recently been cancelled at the Center, including a performance by the US Marine Band that was to feature top young students of color. Additionally, a concert by the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington was cancelled, and Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeffrey Seller opted to withdraw an upcoming production of their music Hamilton.