Kennedy Center denies report of falling subscriptions under Trump
The Kennedy Center denied a Tuesday report from The Washington Post alleging it saw a 36 percent decline in sales subscriptions after President Trump asserted control over the cultural center in January.
Senior Vice President of Marketing Kim Cooper said the center has consolidated subscription packages and will begin promoting new performance packages in the coming weeks.
Cooper told The Hill, 'earlier this year, and for the first time ever in Kennedy Center history, we launched a brand-new option that lets subscribers mix and match genres within a single subscription — a subscription only the Kennedy Center can offer given our breadth of programming.'
She said subscribers requested the feature and it would allow them to have more 'choice' and flexibility.'
The Post reported that the Kennedy Center's revenue was down more than $1.5 million, even with that factored in.
As of June last year, the center had generated $4,413,147 in revenue from selling subscriptions to its theater, dance, classical and other seasons of performances, according to the Post.
This year, it had generated $2,656,524 as of June 1, plus $155,243 from a new mix-and-match package, the outlet reported.
In February, President Trump ousted the center's board members and named himself chair of the world-renowned performing arts complex.
Days after the announcement, celebrities began cancelling shows at the venue and some excused themselves from leadership on the board.
Ric Grennell, interim director of the Kennedy Center, described cancellations as a 'publicity stunt' and went on to strike programs touting LGBTQ artists from the scheduled list of performers.
'I want to make sure it runs properly. We don't need woke at the Kennedy Center, and we don't need — some of the shows were terrible. They were a disgrace that they were even put on,' Trump said in February.
'So I'll be there until such time that it is running right,' he added.
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