Trump's Kennedy Center Comes Into Focus With Theater and Dance Plans

New York Times

19-05-2025

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.