The Kennedy Center stage is seen as a showcase for the best of American performance art, but many artists are now boycotting it after Donald Trump got rid of 18 board members and installed himself as chairman. Several performers have cancelled shows at the iconic venue in Washington, DC, after the president made himself chairman and replaced board members with political loyalists.
The Kennedy Center stage is known as a showcase for the best of American performance art.
It hosts more than 2,000 shows per year, including its annual honours ceremony, which celebrates artists who have made significant contributions to US culture. Previous honourees include Joni Mitchell, Aretha Franklin, and Led Zeppelin. Its board of trustees has traditionally been made up of appointees who span the political spectrum.
However, following Trump’s election, he got rid of 18 board members and replaced them with people more politically aligned with him, including his chief-of-staff Susie Wiles, and Fox presenters Laura Ingraham and Maria Bartiromo.
As the new chairman of the board, Trump said of its production schedule: “We didn’t like what they were showing, we’re going to make sure it’s good and it’s not going to be woke.”
The hit Broadway show Hamilton is among the artists and productions to cancel dates at the Kennedy Center in protest. Others include the actor and producer Issa Rae, mystery writer Louise Penny and Pulitzer Prize-winning folk musician Rhiannon Giddens.
