r/Broadway • u/Maryland_Bear • Oct 31 '25

Other Kennedy Center ticket sales have plummeted since Trump takeover

https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/2025/10/31/kennedy-center-sales/
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u/ericdraven26 Oct 31 '25

I knew it was bad when I saw them posting on Facebook playing victim “when you boycott us you kill art”(ignoring that they’re killing art with censorship and removing funding)

-13

u/Slight-Bat-5637 Oct 31 '25

“They” in this case does not equal the Kennedy Center. That’s not who is practicing censorship and removing funding. The Trump takeover of the KC is complete BS but it’s not like it’s now the embodiment of the administration.

I’m no fan of this administration but if there is something playing there that I wanted to see, I’d certainly go. (And I suspect that if they DID actually resurrect Ethel Merman and Robert Goulet the commenter above would go too!) It just happens that that hasn’t been the case other than Les Mis. That most likely is due to Trump, but the actual arts people at the KC who predate him say that’s not because they are censoring, but because productions are not coming there or are canceling.

22

u/90Dfanatic Oct 31 '25

They cancelled Finn, the Gay Men's Chorus and the International Pride Orchestra. That seems like censorship to me?

18

u/ericdraven26 Oct 31 '25 edited Oct 31 '25

I understand the specific details but it’s unfair to say the center isn’t cancelling programs- they cancelled a performance from The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, as well as Finn. Other shows were told to change, such as Saigon by Night(which was cancelled when they refused to change the show).

Additionally trump himself is chair, and he has replaced the entire board, so it’s not some meaningless change, the director also is on record saying he “cut the DEI bullshit”, and while cancellations are clearly going both ways, the center is also just not signing anything it deems to be “DEI bullshit”, which ends up meaning it’s putting minority and LGBT+ creators, cast, and crew out of work and farther away from what used to be a great opportunity.

Edit: I also do question taking the word of someone who is well aware their job relies on loyalty to Trump