Tag Archives: Kennedy Center

The Daily Beast reports: Donald Trump’s Kennedy Center chief fumed at the brains behind Hamilton over an event staged Monday at the iconic arts institution, highlighting tensions between “woke” performers and new MAGA leadership. Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell, a Trump loyalist, unleashed a lengthy rant against Hamilton’s creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and lead producer Jeffrey Seller, who produced a Pride …

CNN reports: President Donald Trump drew charged reactions of both admiration and ire at the Kennedy Center’s opening night of “Les Misérables” – with a greeting of cheers and boos, drama at intermission and drag queens in the audience. When the lights came on after the end of the first act Wednesday, many people cheered and clapped as the president …

NBC News reports: President Donald Trump is set to attend the opening night of “Les Misérables,” a musical set against a background of revolution and protest, at Washington, D.C.’s John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Wednesday. “I love the songs, I love the play,” Trump told Fox News Digital last week. “I think it’s great.” Protests against …

The Wall Street Journal reports: When the curtain rises in the John F. Kennedy Center Opera House for a performance of “Les Misérables” this week, President Trump is scheduled to be surrounded by supporters who have paid up to $2 million to watch the musical with him. A coup de théâtre earlier this year put the president and his deputies …

Axios reports: Butterworth’s, the MAGA-favorite watering hole on Capitol Hill, is partnering with the Kennedy Center and will offer discounts to some of its customers, according to plans first shared with Axios. The deal is the latest sign of MAGA’s growing entrenchment in the Washington cultural scene, and comes as the Kennedy Center faces backlash for President Trump’s takeover of …

The Washington Post reports: Sales of subscriptions for the coming season of programming at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts are down by about $1.6 million, or roughly 36 percent, compared with last year. By this point in 2024, the center had generated $4,413,147 in revenue from selling subscriptions to its theater, dance, classical and other seasons of performances. …

The New York Times reports: Richard Grenell, whom President Trump installed as the president of the Kennedy Center, claimed Monday night that the center’s deferred maintenance and its deficit — two things commonly found at nonprofit arts organizations — were “criminal.” He said he would refer the matter to federal prosecutors. Speaking to Mr. Trump and a group of board …

“Any performer who isn’t professional enough to perform for patrons of all backgrounds, regardless of political affiliation, won’t be welcomed. In fact, we think it would be important to out those vapid and intolerant artists to ensure producers know who they shouldn’t hire — and that the public knows which shows have political litmus tests to sit in the audience. …

The Daily Beast reports: President and full-time Kennedy Center chairman Donald Trump has spoken about his quest to remake the historic Washington, D.C. venue in his own image. His team now wants his $20 billion lawsuit with CBS to pay for it, according to The Atlantic. Trump allies have been plotting ways to raise money for the venue, including hosting …

“Shame on you, American Idol. Inviting Lin Manuel to be a mentor to young people 3 weeks after Lin pulled his show from the Kennedy Center because he can’t work with Republicans is an obvious move to support political intolerance. We need performers who perform for everyone. Not radicals who litmus test the audience’s voting history. Dumb move, ABC.” – …

The Associated Press reports: Organizers and the Kennedy Center have canceled a week’s worth of events celebrating LGBTQ+ rights for this summer’s World Pride festival in Washington, D.C. The events at the center had been planned for June 5 to 8. Multiple artists and producers involved in the center’s Tapestry of Pride schedule told The Associated Press that their events …

Deadline reports: The composer and lyricist of Fellow Travelers, an opera based on Thomas Mallon’s 2007 novel about the anti-gay lavender scare of the 1950s, have withdrawn the work from the 2025-26 season of the Washington National Opera at The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., citing concern over Donald Trump’s takeover of the institution’s leadership. In a letter to the …

The Daily Beast reports: President Donald Trump wants to introduce non-woke musicals like “Cats,” honor dead stars from sports to business and even renovate the Kennedy Center, according to a leaked board meeting recording. He even reportedly name-checked casino mogul Steve Wynn as a potential recipient. He is a major Republican donor and husband of Trump-appointed board member Andrea Hissom …

Bernardo Sim reports at Out Magazine: Playwright, actor, and live performer Harvey Fierstein revealed that he’s been banned from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. — otherwise known as the Kennedy Center — through a new statement in which the theater legend criticized President Donald Trump’s takeover of the national cultural center and issued …

The New York Times reports: President Trump visited the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington on Monday for the first time since he stunned the cultural and political establishment nearly five weeks ago by taking over the institution. He had some thoughts about programming. “I never liked ‘Hamilton’ very much,” he said, taking a poke at …

The New York Times reports: When President Trump was criticized by some of the artists who were recognized at the annual Kennedy Center Honors program during his first term, he responded by boycotting the show, breaking with decades of precedent. Now, as he leads a sweeping takeover of the Kennedy Center in his second term, Mr. Trump is seeking changes …

“This video should challenge us all to commit to making the Kennedy Center a place where everyone is welcomed. It troubles me to see that so many in the audience appear to be white and intolerant of diverse political views. Diversity is our strength. We must do better. We must welcome EVERYONE. We will not allow the Kennedy Center to be …

The Washington Post reports: When Vice President JD Vance took his seat Thursday night at the Kennedy Center in Washington, he was met with a chorus of boos from the packed concert hall. Vance and the second lady, Usha Vance, were attending a performance by the National Symphony Orchestra, which was already seated onstage when the crowd spotted the pair …

“We can have a fashion show with Valentino, the top designer in the world, in honor of Jacqueline Kennedy. That would be very glamorous. You can seat a couple thousand people for a gala, who pay $200 a ticket, and people will go, and the center will make money. “We can franchise the Kennedy Center’s name in Europe and Asia …

The Hill reports: President Trump announced Friday he’s appointing Fox News hosts Laura Ingraham and Maria Bartiromo to the board of the Kennedy Center, after naming himself chair of the performing arts center last month. “I am thrilled to announce that Laura Ingraham and Maria Bartiromo will be joining our Kennedy Center Board – This completes our selection,” Trump wrote …