Schwartz Slams Kennedy Center Over Name Flip, Cancels Gala

The Maestro Who Walked Away

Stephen Schwartz, the composer behind Broadway’s Wicked and Pippin, was supposed to spend Monday night toasting the next generation of theater kids at the Kennedy Center’s annual gala. Instead, he spent it at home—quietly, stubbornly, absent.

A Name, a Legacy, a Flashpoint

Last month the Center’s board voted to rechristen the “Kennedy Center Honors” as the “Kennedy Center Celebration of the Arts,” a tweak officials called "inclusive." Critics call it erasure. Schwartz, 75, calls it a deal-breaker.

I cannot stand beneath a banner that no longer honors the people who actually make the art. I told them weeks ago: change the name back, or I’m out.—Stephen Schwartz, in a text message to Playbill

The Backlash Builds

• More than 200 past honorees—including Midler, Mirren, and Marsalis—have signed an open letter demanding the original name be restored.
• Ticket refunds for the gala have tripled in 72 hours, according to box-office clerks who spoke on condition of anonymity.
• Center chairwoman Kathleen Fitzgerald issued a two-sentence statement late Tuesday: "We are listening. We will respond soon."

What Happens Next

Insiders say board members huddled in emergency session Wednesday morning. One option on the table: revert the name and spin the reversal as "celebrating tradition and inclusion." Another: keep the new name and risk a televised ceremony peppered with empty seats and protest pins.

For Schwartz, the stakes are simpler. "Artists remember who showed up—and who didn’t," he told friends over coffee Thursday. "History does, too."