Shaina Taub, Camille A. Brown & More Drop Out of Library of Congress Musical Theater Conference

Several major Broadway figures scheduled to participate in the Library of Congress’s upcoming StageStruck! VI: Women and the American Musical conference have withdrawn, drastically altering the event’s programming just days before it is set to begin.

An email sent to registered attendees announced that Tony nominee Camille A. Brown (Gypsy), producer Marjuan Canady (Hell’s Kitchen), composer Helen Park (KPOP), and writer/performer Shaina Taub (Suffs) have all canceled their appearances “due to unforeseen circumstances.”

While Jeanine Tesori (Kimberly Akimbo, Fun Home) had previously been announced as a featured speaker, she is also no longer listed in the updated session outlines. A planned May 14 panel featuring Brown, Canady, and Tony-winning director Julie Taymor (The Lion King) will now proceed as a solo interview with Taymor.

The withdrawals follow last week’s firing of Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla Hayden by President Trump, a move that has prompted public backlash and the cancellation of other appearances at the Library. That includes a scheduled performance of the musical Dead Outlaw, which was to coincide with the induction of related materials into the Library’s permanent collection.

Despite the changes, the Library of Congress will still host StageStruck! VI as a free three-day conference May 14–16. It will focus on the centrality of women to the American musical on stage and screen and showcase the Library’s musical theater collections. Events will include scholarly presentations, a show-and-tell display of rare items, and Taymor’s interview on May 14.

Originally announced programming included over 25 presentations and appearances by leading women in musical theater, with materials on display from the Library’s special collections, including those of Pearl Bailey, Florence Klotz, Ethel Merman, Mary Rodgers, Jeanine Tesori, and others.