Dear Trustees of The Music Hall,
I write to share the Women’s Foundation’s shock and disappointment with The Music Hall’s decision to cancel Lovering Health Center’s rental of the Historic Theater just six days before its annual fundraiser and the highly anticipated showing of a documentary film about abortion. We are deeply concerned by the timing of the cancellation, the purported reason for the cancellation, and the subsequent explanation that abortion is “too political” for The Music Hall. This decision furthers abortion stigma and harms the Seacoast community, including the Health Center and people who provide, seek, and support access to abortion.
We implore The Music Hall to make this right.
Lovering Health Center, the region’s independent sexual and reproductive healthcare provider, contracted with The Music Hall for its annual “Cheers for Choice” event, its biggest fundraiser of the year, to be held on October 9, 2025. The event program was to show No One Asked You, a documentary film about fighting abortion stigma and activating people in local communities. The contract was finalized with The Music Hall months ago and the event and the film have been advertised for nearly as long.
Last Friday, October 3, Lovering was made aware of an anti-abortion activist who was planning to protest outside of The Music Hall on the afternoon of the event. The activist encouraged her followers to arrive early to write on the sidewalk with chalk. Lovering staff immediately notified event partners, including the Portsmouth Police Department, the volunteer peacekeepers, and the event company who shared this information with The Music Hall. Later that day, and without any conversation or follow up, The Music Hall notified Lovering that it was canceling the rental—six days before the event.
Initially, The Music Hall said it was canceling the rental contract for safety reasons. To be clear, there was no known threat to public safety. A protest and threats to public safety are very different considerations. Portsmouth is known for having protests, rallies, and actions in the downtown area with great frequency. Portsmouth Police, skilled in crowd management and protests, were already involved with the planning of the event. After sharing this information, Lovering had expected to collaborate on additional safety measures, as needed, but instead The Music Hall made an unequivocal decision to cancel the contract.
Unfortunately, it has become clear that the threat of a peaceful protest was simply a catalyst to the much larger and more concerning reason for the cancellation: The Music Hall believes abortion is “too polarizing.” The Music Hall leadership now claims the issue is a “lightning rod” and that The Music Hall has to “remain neutral.” To be clear, canceling an event for a documentary about abortion is not neutral. It is a political decision that is clearly anti-abortion.
Canceling this contract has a larger chilling effect. It suggests that cultural institutions should avoid people who provide, have, and support access to abortion. This is how abortion stigma is perpetuated. Ironically, The Music Hall’s decision has only further elevated the need for showing this timely film about fighting abortion stigma.
The Music Hall has a long history of showcasing artists, writers, comedians, and films that spark dialogue and debate, including, on several occasions, with the Women’s Foundation. In 2017, as part of the New Hampshire Film Festival, we co-hosted It’s Criminal, a documentary film about incarcerated women in the Granite State. In 2023, we co-hosted She Said, a film about the Me Too movement. Would these documentaries be deemed too controversial now? It is unfathomable that The Music Hall would cancel an event for a documentary film about abortion just one week before hosting the New Hampshire Film Festival.
The decision to cancel Lovering’s rental contract sets a dangerous precedent. Should we expect additional censorship or selective partnerships in the future from The Music Hall? What about events supporting LGBTQ+ youth? Or BIPOC programming? Or hosting historical films about women’s suffrage? Just how far will The Music Hall go to be “neutral?”
Canceling the rental contract for a small nonprofit’s biggest fundraiser of the year—just days before the event—placed an enormous burden on Lovering, who had to scramble to find a new location for their 200 guests. It may have seemed like a small decision, but it has ripple effects across the Seacoast. Small nonprofits like the Lovering have tight budgets and a single fundraiser can significantly impact their ability to pay their bills and subsidize care for our neighbors in the community.
The Music Hall has made a mistake. But this moment offers the opportunity to reflect, learn, and take accountability. The Music Hall can send a message to the community that it will not be deterred by a protester; that it is still committed to its values of “trust, inclusivity, accountability and courageous leadership.” You can continue to be a venue that builds “civic capacity for public discourse around controversial issues,” topics such as abortion.
We implore The Music Hall to make this right.
With urgency,
Tanna Clews
CEO
New Hampshire Women’s Foundation
Join us to demand The Music Hall make this right by emailing them at info@themusichall.org.
And please take this opportunity to donate to Lovering Health Center and its critical work providing essential healthcare including abortion.
