The recent elections have stirred up emotion within every American, including the cast and crew of “Hamilton.” Upon hearing of future Vice President Pence’s attendance, Jeffrey Seller, the lead producer, struggled to find an appropriate ground on which the cast would be able to express their concerns for their wellbeing. Mr. Seller was quoted saying, “Our cast could barely go on stage the day after the election. The election was painful and crushing to all of us here…” In order to address the pain and fear felt by the cast, Brandon Dixon took the stage.

When given the opportunity, Brandon Victor Dixon, the actor who plays the role of Vice President Aaron Burr, used his platform as an actor and artist to speak out on account of the anxiety that many Americans are now experiencing. After his performance, at the end of the production, he powerfully asserted: “We, sir — we — are the diverse America who are alarmed and anxious that your new administration will not protect us, our planet, our children, our parents, or defend us and uphold our inalienable rights. We truly hope that this show has inspired you to uphold our American values and to work on behalf of all of us.”

While Pence took these comments kindly, Mr. Trump was unable to resist responding to the cast’s outcry. He took to Twitter to complain that Pence was “harassed” by the theater and cast, demanding an apology. Despite Trump’s insistence, Mr. Dixon replied to this by saying that conversation is not harassment, thanking Mr. Pence for his attendance, and refusing to rescind his statement.