Let’s Talk About the 'Les Mis' Cast Members Who Will Perform Next Month — They Deserve Respect Too

by Chris Peterson, OnStage Blog Founder

With all the noise swirling around next month’s planned protest performance of Les Misérables at the Kennedy Center where Donald Trump is planning to attend, one group of people is already being unfairly thrown under the bus: the cast members who will go on with the show.

And before you start with the comments—I’ve already seen them. “They’re obviously Trump supporters.” “They don’t care.” “They’re spineless.” Can we stop?

This industry already asks so much of its artists. They show up every night, give you everything they’ve got—body, voice, soul—and now, before the curtain even rises, some are being labeled complicit just for doing their job. That’s not activism. That’s bullying.

Let’s get something straight: choosing to perform is not the same thing as endorsing Trump. Many of the cast members staying onstage probably share the same heartbreak and fear as those who plan to protest. Some may disagree with the protest itself. And yeah, a few might even support the current administration. That’s real life. Theatre includes all kinds of people. But the assumption that every single person performing is a supporter of a candidate or policy? That’s lazy, and it’s not helping anyone.

And here’s what people keep conveniently forgetting—this protest is voluntary. Full stop. No one’s being forced to participate, and no one should be shamed if they don’t. This idea that “if you’re not protesting, you’re the enemy” flattens the real complexity of human beings trying to navigate a tough moment. Some may have personal reasons. Some may be on work visas. Some may need that paycheck to make rent. Some may simply feel like telling the story of Les Misérables—a literal musical about rebellion—is its own form of protest.

And let’s talk about what cast members have already shared: some of those who plan to perform that night are donating their salary to causes being directly threatened by Trump’s policies. That’s not inaction. That’s not silence. That’s solidarity—expressed in a way that works for them. And if we’re really going to preach allyship in this industry, then we have to make space for people to show up in different ways.

The idea that staying onstage is somehow dishonorable is just... wrong. Especially when the show in question is Les Misérables—a musical about fighting for dignity, resistance, and hope in the face of cruelty. Performing that story, that night, is not a betrayal of the cause. For some, it might be the most meaningful way to participate.

To the cast members who will go on: I see you. I respect you. And I hope you know that your choice matters, too. You don’t deserve to be painted as villains in a story where everyone is just trying to do the right thing in the best way they can.

Let’s honor all the choices being made next month—with grace, with empathy, and with the understanding that resistance doesn’t always look the same. And let’s please stop pretending that doing your job with heart and purpose makes you the bad guy.