Kennedy Center Faces Sparse Season After Takeover by Trump

The Kennedy Center, roiled by performance cancellations and a public backlash over President Trump’s takeover, is set to host a sparse winter and spring season.In contrast to its typically jam-packed lineups, the Washington D.C.-based cultural hub will host just one major production over the next six months: the Tony Award-winning musical Chicago, which brings its national tour to the Kennedy Center on March 29th.Otherwise, “the famed institution will just be home to its subscription series with the symphony and ballet,” the entertainment industry outlet Showbiz 411 reports. “They’ll have a bunch of minor events that aren’t exactly major attractions.”The thin lineup follows dozens of cancellations in the wake of Mr. Trump’s board overhaul upon his return to office. In February, Mr. Trump ousted several Biden-appointed board members and replaced them with allies including Second Lady Usha Vance, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and other loyalists. After being elected chairman by the reconstituted board, Mr. Trump pledged to eliminate what he deemed “inappropriate” programming, specifically targeting drag shows and “woke” performances.The board overhaul sparked criticism, as the Kennedy Center and similar government boards are traditionally viewed as nonpartisan entities. Mr. Biden, however, had crossed that line during his tenure, removing former Trump press secretary Sean Spicer from the Naval Academy advisory board in 2021.Artists protested Mr. Trump’s actions by canceling performances or resigning as advisors to the center. In March, the center reported that 15 programs had been canceled by artists or producers, while four shows were scrapped due to low ticket sales or financial concerns.A high-profile pullout included Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton, scheduled to run in March and April 2026. Producer Jeffrey Seller cited the administration’s personnel “purge” as the reason. “Given these recent actions, our show simply cannot, in good conscience, participate and be a part of this new culture being imposed on the Kennedy Center,” Mr. Seller stated in March.The center faced a fresh wave of cancellations this month after the board voted to add Mr. Trump’s name to the building, renaming it “The Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.” Representative Joyce Beatty, a Democrat and ex-officio trustee, denounced the renaming as a “flagrant violation” of the law, arguing that congressional approval is required for such a move. She filed a lawsuit challenging the change last week.Shortly after, drummer Chuck Redd withdrew from his annual “Jazz Jams” concert on Christmas Eve just days before the scheduled performance. “When I saw the name change on the Kennedy Center website and then hours later on the building, I chose to cancel our concert,” Mr. Redd stated last week. Kennedy Center president Richard Grenell, a Trump appointee, excoriated Mr. Redd for what he called a “political stunt” and threatened to sue the musician for $1 million in damages.“Your decision to withdraw at the last moment — explicitly in response to the Center’s recent renaming, which honors President Trump’s extraordinary efforts to save this national treasure — is classic intolerance and very costly to a non-profit arts institution,” Mr. Grenell wrote in a letter to Mr. Redd.Also last week, Alabama folk singer-songwriter Kristy Lee canceled her scheduled performance, citing the center’s MAGA makeover.Despite the anemic winter and spring lineup, the performing arts venue is expected to host several larger Broadway productions over the summer, including “Moulin Rouge!,” “Back to the Future,” and “The Outsiders.” Still, the center will struggle to match the 2023-2024 season, which featured productions including Jonathan Larson’s “tick, tick… BOOM!”, the Tony Award-winning “Bye Bye Birdie,” and celebrated shows like “Nine,” “Funny Girl,” “Girl from the North Country,” and “Company,” among others.

Kennedy Center Faces Sparse Season After Takeover by Trump

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