Date: 2025-05-14 Page is: DBtxt003.php txt00028150
TRUMP
PERFORMING ARTISTS PUSH BACK
‘Hamilton’ and other Kennedy Center shows canceled since
Trump takeover. The musical is one of many performances
and events that have been canceled amid the turmoil.
PERFORMING ARTISTS PUSH BACK
‘Hamilton’ and other Kennedy Center shows canceled since
Trump takeover. The musical is one of many performances
and events that have been canceled amid the turmoil.
Original article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/2025/02/15/kennedy-center-cancellations-trump/
Peter Burgess COMMENTARY
I am appalled at the way the people of America tolerate the antics of Donald Trump. For me Donald Trump is an evil human being who has been indited multiple times in various courts of law ... yet he still gets elected to the Presidency for a second term.
My take on this is that this can only happen if a majority of the US electorate are just plain stupid ... and are catastrophically misinformed about almost everything about society, environment and economics.
That does not mean that these people are not 'nice' and good neighbors ... they simply are catastrophically uneducated!
When it comes to politics and running the country, and having a positive influence in world attairs, these people have little or nothing to offer. They do, have an enormous good role to play in being good parents, good employees and all sorts of other good things.
Worse, however, is that they can and do get in the way of good initiatives in both domestic politics and global geopolitics, in large part because they have no idea of the context that justifies these actions.
I have been involved in 'geopolitics' for a big part of my career, and I am well aware how bad actors will take every opportunity to exploit the weaknesses of the 'good guy' nations. I have been incarcerated in a developing country when the people in power realised that I was not going to endorse their corruption ... if we are going to have a decent world. then decent people have got to stand up and be counted ... everywhere. At the moment America is still acting as if this is no 'big deal' and doing nothing is just fine ... when I would argue that this is the time for massive activism against the Trump agenda!
Peter Burgess
Actress and comedian Issa Rae was the first major artist to cancel since sthe Trump takeover.
Updated February 25th
The Kennedy Center on a snowy night in Washington, DC on Feb. 11.
(Craig Hudson for The Washington Post)
Written by Samantha Chery
In response to President Donald Trump’s Kennedy Center takeover, actors, authors and other artists who were scheduled to hold events at Washington’s preeminent arts institution have begun backing out of scheduled appearances. The cancellation of some events, scrapped around the same time but unrelated to Trump’s actions, was also scrutinized by artists.
On Feb. 7, Trump announced plans to fire multiple Kennedy Center board members. By Feb. 12, all of former president Joe Biden’s appointees had been replaced. The center’s new board of trustees then voted for Trump to head the board and ousted the center’s longtime president, Deborah Rutter, in favor of Trump ally Richard Grenell.
The unprecedented actions sparked immediate blowback. Along with the cancellations, multiple prominent arts figures, including television producer Shonda Rhimes, who served as board treasurer, resigned from their positions.
Here’s a list of artists who have since canceled their appearances and events the Kennedy Center cut amid the turmoil.
Rhiannon Giddens Return to menu Giddens announced on social media Tuesday that her May 11 show originally set for the Kennedy Center was moved to the Anthem, saying that she “cannot in good conscience play at The Kennedy with the recent programming changes” that followed Trump’s takeover.
The Grammy and Pulitzer Award-winning folk musician said she “wanted to make a thoughtful and thought-out decision” and wanted to make the transition as easy as possible for Kennedy Center ticket holders — who will be refunded — to follow her to the nearby music venue, which has started selling tickets to her show.
“I don’t judge anyone for choosing to go on with their shows; it’s a highly difficult situation for artists right now and everyone has to do what makes the most sense for them in the moment,” she added. “Let’s make this a huge celebration for all of us who need joy and inclusion to feel human.”
‘Eureka Day’ Return to menu
The critically acclaimed Manhattan Theatre Club production will no longer make the move from Broadway to the Kennedy Center because of financial circumstances, its theater company said in a statement Friday.
“Eureka Day,” a play set in an elementary school that must rethink its liberal vaccine policy because of a mumps outbreak, has been lauded for its satirical look at society’s divisiveness over vaccines.
The show, written by Jonathan Spector, was scheduled for the Kennedy Center’s Eisenhower Theater from March 7 to 22.
Sylvia Traymore Morrison
Return to menu
Morrison, billed as the first Black female impressionist and associate writer on “Saturday Night Live,” announced on social media Wednesday that her scheduled live shows were canceled “after recent developments of disturbing new actions and policies seem to disregard the inclusivity and artistic freedom that the Kennedy Center is known for.”
“Sylvia Traymore Morrison — Live!” was originally scheduled for April 19 and was meant to celebrate Morrison’s more than 50 years in the entertainment industry.
“This is a moment to reflect on the greater good — to stand up for our shared values of respect, dignity, and equality in the arts,” the statement added.
The 221-year-old church announced Feb. 16 that it would cancel its annual Christmas performance at the Kennedy Center in light of Trump’s shake-up.
“We believe that the new leadership’s opposition to the Kennedy Center’s longstanding tradition of honoring artistic expression across all backgrounds is misaligned with our unwavering commission to proclaim and practice the transformative and redemptive love of Jesus, to pursue justice, to promote equality, to embrace the gift of diversity, and to care for all creation,” the church said in a prepared statement on its website.
The influential Northern Virginia church, which boasts more than 10,000 members, is one of the oldest Black Baptist churches in the country. The Obamas have attended multiple services, and in 2015, Alfred Street donated $1 million to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the largest donation the Smithsonian Institution has received from a faith-based organization.
Louise Penny Return to menu The Canadian mystery novelist said in a Facebook post Feb. 14 that she “was supposed to launch THE BLACK WOLF at the Kennedy Center in DC, but in the wake of Trump taking over, I have pulled out.”
The book, expected to come out in October, is the 20th installment in Penny’s best-selling Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series. In it, the series’ detective already foiled plans for a domestic terrorist attack in Montréal, made by a man nicknamed the “Black Wolf,” but the main character realizes he still must covertly uncover a more nefarious plot from the same man. Penny’s 19th book in the series, “The Grey Wolf,” was a Washington Post top 10 mystery novel for 2024.
Share this article No subscription required to read Share The Kennedy Center was “going to be a career highlight,” Penny added. “But there are things far more important than that.”
Amanda Rheaume Return to menu
Amanda Rheaume, a queer Canadian singer-songwriter, said she backed out of her April 5 performance at the Kennedy Center after learning Trump was the new chairman.
Rheaume’s D.C. stop was one of a handful she announced to promote her new album “The Truth We Hold,” scheduled to be released on April 11. The songs pay homage to her heritage as a Citizen of the Métis Nation of Ontario, a group of mixed-race Indigenous Canadians, her website states.
“As an artist it is almost impossible to draw the through line back to one single opportunity, we work for years, decades in fact, and then finally certain opportunities come through,” she wrote in a Facebook and Threads post on Feb. 14. “I was excited to be booked at renowned The Kennedy Centre. The USA is a major music market, and bookings at these well known places, are advantageous to audience and career, but I cannot in my right heart bring myself, my songs, my stories to a place he is involved in. I do hope to get to play there another time.”
‘A Peacock Among Pigeons’ Return to menu A National Symphony Orchestra concert featuring the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, D.C., described as a “celebration of love, diversity, and the vibrant spirit of the LGBTQ+ community” that was scheduled to take place during World Pride 2025, was removed from the website.
John Bucchino — the composer of the show’s titular choral piece — was informed Feb. 13 that the show was “postponed” indefinitely.
The orchestra decided before Trump’s takeover to postpone the show “due to financial and scheduling factors,” according to Jean Davidson, executive director of the National Symphony Orchestra. “We chose to replace it with ‘The Wizard of Oz,’ another suitable program for World Pride participation,” Davidson said in a statement on Feb. 19. “Program changes are a common practice. We were unable to announce the replacement program until we had secured the rights to present it, but in the interest of transparency, we removed the original program from the website to prevent further ticket sales.”
Low Cut Connie Return to menu The Philadelphia-based band Low Cut Connie announced Feb. 13 it would no longer perform in the Kennedy Center’s Social Impact series due to Trump’s actions and wouldn’t come back until the center returned to its nonpartisan model.
“Our little rock-and-roll act stands for diversity, inclusion, and truth-telling. My extended Low Cut Connie community includes black, white, gay, straight, transgender, Jewish, Christian, Muslim, atheist, and immigrant individuals — all of whom are wonderful upstanding Americans. Many of these folks will be directly negatively affected by this Administration’s policies and messaging,” the band’s front man Adam Weiner wrote in a statement on Instagram.
“ … Maybe my career will suffer from this decision, but my soul will be the better for it,” he added.
Issa Rae Return to menu The actress, comedian and television producer was the first major artist to say Feb. 13 that she was backing out of a Kennedy Center engagement, canceling her sold-out show, “An Evening With Issa Rae.” “Unfortunately, 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, I’ve decided to cancel my appearance at this venue,” she said in an Instagram story, adding that tickets would be refunded.
The “Insecure” and “Awkward Black Girl” creator hosted “A Sip with Issa Rae” at the Kennedy Center in 2022, according to the venue’s website.
The children’s musical, about a young shark who realizes he relates more to smaller fish than his shark counterparts, was canceled and removed from the center’s website the week following Trump’s announcement.
Commissioned by the Kennedy Center, its creators said that “while not a surprise given the events of the last week, it is a heartbreak” to learn of the show’s end.
A Kennedy Center spokesman said the cancellation was due to financial constraints and that the production was axed before the change in leadership.
Travis M. Andrews, Anne Branigin and Michael Andor Brodeur contributed to this report.
correction ... A previous version of this article incorrectly said that Alfred Street Baptist Church dates back 207 years. It was founded 221 years ago. This article has been corrected.
What readers are saying
The comments express strong disapproval of Trump's influence over the Kennedy Center, with many artists and patrons choosing to boycott the venue. Commenters commend the artists for their integrity and principled stand against what they perceive as a fascist takeover. There is a... Show more
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