
Trump's Kennedy Center Comes Into Focus With Theater and Dance Plans
As the Kennedy Center reinvents itself for the Donald J. Trump era, it announced on Monday that its next season would feature some big names in theater and dance, but also some conspicuous absences. And, in a break with the past, the center said it would present several touring Broadway shows with nonunion casts.
Artists have been divided about whether to perform at the center since President Trump became its chairman after purging its previously bipartisan board of members appointed by Democrats.
The upcoming theater season will feature 'The Outsiders,' which won last year's Tony Award for best musical, but not 'Hamilton,' which canceled a planned run there, citing dismay over Mr. Trump's takeover. And its dance season will include performances by American Ballet Theater, New York City Ballet and the Stuttgart Ballet but not by the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, an annual fixture at the center in recent years, which said in a statement that it would pursue another opportunity next season.
Mr. Trump, who continues to play a big role in trying to reshape the center, was expected to meet Monday evening with Kennedy Center board members and executives for dinner at the White House. He attended a board meeting at the center in March, recently requested $257 million from Congress to help with capital repairs and plans to attend a gala fund-raiser performance of 'Les Misérables' in June.
The upcoming theater season underscores some of the changes unfolding at the center. In addition to 'The Outsiders' it will include tours of 'Back to the Future,' 'Moulin Rouge!' and 'Spamalot,' all of which feature unionized casts, as has been standard at the center in recent years.
But two of the tours coming to the Kennedy Center next season will feature nonunion casts, which tend to be paid less and cost less to present: 'Chicago' and 'Mrs. Doubtfire.'
The Kennedy Center had indicated in March that it anticipated turning to nonunion Broadway productions, and on Monday it touted the shift as a plus. Richard Grenell, the Trump loyalist who now serves as the center's president, told The Daily Caller, a conservative media outlet: 'The Kennedy Center is the premier institution for the arts in America, so we don't want to limit the shows available to our audiences. The restrictive and expensive nature of union-only shows isn't good for a diverse community. We want more options, not fewer.'
Actors' Equity Association, the union representing actors and stage managers, declined to comment.
Mr. Trump criticized the Kennedy Center on social media earlier this year for having 'featured Drag Shows specifically targeting our youth.' But that concern did not prevent the center from booking 'Chicago,' which features a character, Mary Sunshine, who is usually played by a man in drag, or 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which is about a man who dresses as a woman. 'Moulin Rouge!' also features a character, Baby Doll, who is a drag queen.
The dance season includes an eclectic mix of artists, including several prominent ballet companies as well as acclaimed contemporary troupes founded by Martha Graham, Trisha Brown and Kyle Abraham.
But the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, which has been an annual fixture at the center, said it would not perform there next season. The company said in a statement that it had decided to 'pursue an opportunity with a partner that has a global reach,' which it did not name, and that it hopes to return in the future.
The center's board met on Monday for the third time since Mr. Trump's takeover. The board discussed the center's finances, programming, its building and grounds and other matters, according to a copy of the agenda obtained by The Times.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Fox News
8 minutes ago
- Fox News
JONATHAN TURLEY: Democrats' rabid anti-ICE resistance in LA against Trump could backfire
California Gov. Gavin Newsom was in his element over the weekend. After scenes of burning cars and attacks on ICE personnel, Newsom declared that this was all "an illegal act, an immoral act, an unconstitutional act." No, he was not speaking of the attacks on law enforcement or property. He was referring to President Donald Trump's call to deploy the National Guard to protect federal officers. Newsom is planning to challenge the deployment as cities like Glendale are cancelling contracts to house detainees and reaffirming that local police will not assist the federal government. Trump has the authority under Section 12406 of Title 10 of the U.S. Code to deploy the National Guard if the governor is "unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States." The administration is saying that that is precisely what is unfolding in California, where mobs have attacked vehicles and trapped federal personnel. Most critics are challenging the deployment on policy grounds, arguing that it is an unnecessary escalation. However, even critics like Berkeley Law Dean Erwin have admitted that "Unfortunately, President Trump likely has the legal authority to do this." There is a fair debate over whether this is needed at this time, but the president is allowed to reach a different conclusion. Trump wants the violence to end now as opposed to escalating as it did in the Rodney King riots or the later riots after George Floyd's death, causing billions in property damage and many deaths. Courts will be asked to halt the order because it did not technically go through Newsom to formally call out the National Guard. Section 12406 grants Trump the authority to call out the Guard and employs a mandatory term for governors, who "shall" issue the president's order. In the memo, Trump also instructed federal officials "to coordinate with the Governors of the States and the National Guard Bureau." Newsom is clearly refusing to issue the orders or coordinate the deployment. Even if such challenges are successful, Trump can clearly flood the zone with federal authority. Indeed, the obstruction could escalate the matter further, prompting Trump to consider using the Insurrection Act, which would allow troops to participate directly in civilian law enforcement. In 1958, President Eisenhower used the Insurrection Act to deploy troops to Arkansas to enforce the Supreme Court's orders ending racial segregation in schools. The Trump administration has already claimed that these riots "constitute a form of rebellion against the authority of the government of the United States." In support of such a claim, the administration could cite many of the Democratic leaders now denouncing the claim. After January 6th, liberal politicians and professors insisted that the riot was an "insurrection" and claimed that Trump and dozens of Republicans could be removed from ballots under the 14th Amendment. Liberal professors insisted that Trump's use of the word "fight" on January 6th and his questioning of the results of an election did qualify as an insurrection. They argued that you merely need to show "an assemblage of people" who are "resisting the law" and "using force or intimidation" for "a public purpose." The involvement of inciteful language from politicians only reinforced these claims. Sound familiar? Democrats are using this order to deflect from their own escalation of the tensions over the past several months. From Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz calling ICE officers "Gestapo" to others calling them "fascists" and "Nazis," Democratic leaders have been ignoring objections that they are fueling the violent and criminal responses. It did not matter. It was viewed as good politics. While Newsom and figures like New Jersey Democrat Sen. Cory Booker have called these "peaceful" protests, we have also seen rocks, and Molotov cocktails thrown at police as vehicles were torched. Police have had to use tear gas, "flash bang" grenades, and rubber bullets to quell these "peaceful" protesters. There appears little interest in deescalation on either side. For the Trump administration, images of rioters riding in celebration around burning cars with Mexican flags are only likely to reinforce the support of the majority of Americans for the enforcement of immigration laws. For Democrats, they have gone "all in" on opposing ICE and these enforcement operations despite support from roughly 30 percent of the public. Some Democrats are now playing directly to the mob. A Los Angeles City Council member, Eunisses Hernandez, reportedly urged anti-law enforcement protesters to "escalate" their tactics against ICE officers: "They know how quickly we mobilize, that's why they're changing tactics. Because community defense works and our resistance has slowed them down before… and if they're escalating their tactics, then so are we. When they show up, we gotta show up even stronger." So, L.A. officials are maintaining the sanctuary status of the city, barring the cooperation of local police, and calling on citizens to escalate their resistance after a weekend of violent attacks. Others have posted the locations of ICE facilities to allow better tracking of operations, while cities like Glendale are closing facilities. In Washington, House Speaker Hakim Jeffries has pledged to unmask the identities of individual ICE officers who have been covering their faces to protect themselves and their families from growing threats. While Democrats have not succeeded in making a convincing political case for opposing immigration enforcement, they may be making a stronger case for federal deployment in increasingly hostile blue cities.

Yahoo
11 minutes ago
- Yahoo
US Justice Department reportedly shrinks foreign bribery investigation team
-- The team at the U.S. Justice Department responsible for investigating allegations of foreign bribery has significantly shrunk, according to a Reuters report on Monday. This comes as President Donald Trump's administration reassesses its enforcement of an anti-corruption law that has been in place for decades. The Department of Justice's Fraud Section, which is in charge of enforcing the anti-bribery law, has been reduced to around 15 prosecutors. This is a substantial decrease from the 32 prosecutors reported in January, as stated on the department's website, the report said. This reduction follows an executive order issued by President Trump in February. The order called for a temporary halt in the enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), a law enacted in 1977. The FCPA prohibits companies operating in the U.S. from bribing foreign officials and is considered a fundamental part of federal efforts to fight corruption. Related articles US Justice Department reportedly shrinks foreign bribery investigation team SEC progresses toward DOGE goals, eyes voluntary workforce reductions Trump signs orders to enhance drone defenses, support supersonic travel
Yahoo
11 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Could L.A. ICE Riots Stop the BET Awards? Here's All the Tea
As ICE and the U.S. National Guard continues to ravage the city of Los Angeles, one of the most anticipated events of the year could be in danger of getting shut down. The BET Awards is set to take place Monday (June 9), but many folks fear President Donald Trump's recent antics will spill over to the Black award show. What started as peaceful protests against Trump's unlawful immigration raids quickly took a violent turn after the president sent the National Guard to L.A. without the governor's approval. Over the weekend, the violence escalated resulting in destroyed property, fires and tear gas being thrown at civilians… And who wants to throw a party in the middle of a riot? Organizers for the annual BET Awards insist the ongoing violence will have no impact on the show. In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, a spokesperson said, 'BET remains committed to the safety of our guests and staff. We are working closely with LAPD and monitoring the situation.' Despite organizers' confidence that the event will go on, many folks online noted just how insane this past weekend has been for the city. 'LA so crazy and random right now,' @NapKingColeP said on X. 'ICE raids, national guard, protesting, BET Awards weekend, and the gay pride parade.' @_itsmelimel added there's 'sooo much sh*t goin on in LA.' She continued, 'ICE protests are going on and ppl are outsideeee celebrating the BET Awards. I am overstimulated.' One TikToker said right now, Los Angeles is very 'dystopian.' @itsneyha added, 'L.A. is continuing to hustle and bustle with DOTY performances and celebrities all in town for the BET Awards while there are literally protests closing down the 101 [freeway].' Widespread violence has taken over the city, and it's going exactly to Trump's plan. The president is set on looking 'tough' as his nation-wide crackdown on immigration continues. He and Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom have previously come to blows over the state's known sanctuary cities– a city that limits cooperation with ICE and other federal immigration agencies– and now, their beef has reached a new level. Trump took to his favorite social media platform Truth Social on Monday to call for even more violence against protesters. 'Looking really bad in L.A. BRING IN THE TROOPS!!!' he said. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth came out echoing Trump's sentiments. He threatened, 'If violence continues, active-duty Marines at Camp Pendleton will also be mobilized — they are on high alert.' He added in a separate tweet 'The National Guard, and Marines if need be, stand with ICE.' Meanwhile, Gov. Newsom announced plans to sue the administration over the Guard deployment and state's rights, according to CBS News. As of now, the 2025 BET Awards will go on as scheduled starting at 8 p.m. ET Monday night.