The Kennedy Center is pushing back against what it calls “misinformation” about show cancellations under its new leadership.
In social media posts, the organization, which has been overhauled by the Trump administration, said recent show cancellations have either been due to “lack of sales or artist availability” rather than any political or programming changes. The statement came from Roma Daravi, who is listed as the Kennedy Center’s vice president of public relations and formerly worked as Trump’s deputy director of strategic communication.
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“In the spirit of transparency and due to the litany of misinformation being spread in the press, it is important to give the public a complete account of program cancellations over the last 6 months. In fact, the only shows under the Kennedy Center programming umbrella that we have cancelled since February 12 were due to lack of sales or artist availability,” the statement reads.
The statement comes shortly after Hamilton said it would no longer play the Kennedy Center next season, with the producer citing the firings of the Kennedy Center president and the chairman of the board, as well as the cancellation of programming at the center, as reasons to call off the 2026 engagement.
In February, Trump became chairman of the institution and ousted Democratic members of the Kennedy Center board. The contract of Kennedy Center president Deborah F. Rutter was terminated, as was that of chairman David M. Rubenstein, after Trump had previously said he would fire the latter and install himself as chair. Ric Grenell, Trump’s former ambassador to Germany, has been named interim executive director and has said his goal is to “make art great again.”
In the Kennedy Center statement, shows including “An Evening With Issa Rae,” “Blacks in Wax” and “Lowcut Connie,” which were all meant to take place in March, are listed as being cancelled by the artists. Rae had posted on social media that she was cancelling the show “due to what I believe to be an infringement on the values of an institution that has faithfully celebrated artists of all backgrounds through all mediums.”
“NSO: A Peacock Among Pigeons,” a symphony concert which was meant to celebrate LGBTQ+ artists, is listed as being canceled due to financial reasons, as is a two-week run of the Broadway play Eureka Day, a comedy about vaccine skepticism among parents at a liberal California school.
A spokesperson for Eureka Day confirmed that producers canceled the Kennedy Center engagement due to “financial circumstances.”
In total, more than 20 shows have been canceled at the Kennedy Center since Trump was named chair Feb. 12.
In early February, the Kennedy Center also canceled a planned tour of the children’s musical Finn, which was about a shark who wants to “let out his inner fish” and adopts a colorful and glittery new appearance. The creators of the musical told The Hollywood Reporter that they were told the tour was cancelled for “financial reasons” a few hours before Trump was officially elected chair of the Kennedy Center. They still remain skeptical of the reasoning given the good reviews the musical received while at the Kennedy Center and what they say was a financial success.
Additionally a number of high-profile members have parted ways with the institution, including Shonda Rhimes, Ben Folds and Renée Fleming.
