Donald Trump Takes Over the Kennedy Center- Page 29

[sinister teashop]

Posted: 1/17/26 at 11:03am

inception said: "Got an email today from Washington National Opera that their next two productions this season, Scott Joplin’s “Treemonisha” andRobert Ward’s opera of “The Crucible," will be held at Lisner Auditorium."

Has Peter Gelb or anyone else in the nyc opera establishment ever extended any help to this company? Have they even uttered a word of support for them?

Updated On: 1/17/26 at 11:03 AM

[MCfan2]

Posted: 1/17/26 at 2:37pm

Guess he doesn't want to share any of that Saudi money.

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 1/18/26 at 9:02am

Has Peter Gelb or anyone else in the nyc opera establishment ever extended any helpto this company? Have they even uttered a word of support for them?"

Why would they? They are competing arts institutions going for a very similar donor pool.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 1/18/26 at 11:42am

sinister teashop said: "Has Peter Gelb or anyone else in the nyc opera establishment ever extended any help to this company? Have they even uttered a word of support for them?"

Ever? Surely. But there are limited meaningful ways that the Met (or Gelb personally) could help them in the short-term. Your post just feels like an attempted dig at Gelb.

The good news is there's no shortage of money and space in Washington DC, and in future seasons partnering with other DC-area institutions could be a smart thing to do. Could also allow for more risktaking if they want to try more new or experimental opera that doesn't need to fill a 1000+ seat hall.

[MezzA101]

Posted: 1/18/26 at 12:42pm

Why S.F. Ballet’s gala was anticipatory obedience

https://www.sfchronicle.com/entertainment/dance/article/sf-ballet-anticipatory-obedience-21297494.php

[sinister teashop]

Posted: 1/18/26 at 4:54pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "sinister teashop said: "Has Peter Gelb or anyone else in the nyc opera establishment ever extended any help to this company? Have they even uttered a word of support for them?"

Ever? Surely. But there are limited meaningful ways thatthe Met (or Gelb personally) could help them in the short-term. Your post just feels like an attempted dig at Gelb.


Surely? Where and when?

I am seriously miffed at the man and he is someone I have previously defended from criticism. But his actions have stopped me from going to the Met. And the little funds I have given to the Met I am now sending to organizations like the DC Opera. 

Updated On: 1/18/26 at 04:54 PM

[MezzA101]

Posted: 1/19/26 at 2:32pm

The Kennedy Center is not Hollywood. Does its leadership understand that?

https://wapo.st/3Ziqr82

[John Adams]

Posted: 1/20/26 at 10:52am

MezzA101 said: "The Kennedy Center is not Hollywood. Does its leadership understand that?

https://wapo.st/3Ziqr82"

The link above takes me to wapo's site that only shows the first paragraph of the article. I found the entire article HERE. Also, the PBS NewsHour interview with Grenell that's referenced in the article can be found HERE.

[MezzA101]

Posted: 1/27/26 at 1:01pm

Philip Glass Withdraws From Kennedy Center, as Its Symphony Vows to Play On

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/27/arts/music/kennedy-center-national-symphony-orchestra-gianandrea-noseda.html?unlocked_article_code=1.HlA.cTc6.hNsYXNbhQlTg&smid=nytcore-android-share

[MezzA101]

Posted: 2/1/26 at 1:42pm

How Trumpworld Sent Opera Packing

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/01/opinion/washington-national-opera-kennedy-center-trump.html?unlocked_article_code=1.I1A.-PjY.kaL1IsMgfW9m&smid=nytcore-android-share

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 2/1/26 at 3:22pm

I’m surprised there hasn’t been a bigger outcry from the industry regarding the shows that are scheduled to play the center. I understand that many of these touring schedules were planned/booked a year or two prior, so they couldn’t have known about Trump inserting himself into the Center. I do think the shows have a responsibility of making it abundantly clear to their audiences that they are not politically or financially engaged with Trump.

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 2/1/26 at 3:59pm

If you want to get in contact with the respective shows and address your frustration:

1. Chicago (Scheduled to appear March 31st - April 5th, 2026)

Mailing Address: Apex Touring, C/O Mr. Ryan Parliment, 1380 Colonial Blvd., Fort Myers, FL 33907

Email: [e-mail]

2. Moulin Rouge (Scheduled to appear June 17th - July 5th, 2026)

Mailing Address: Foresight Theatrical, C/O

Mr. Aaron Lustbader or Mr. Nick Ginsburg,

1675 Broadway, Suite 1600, New York, NY 10019

Email: [e-mail] and [e-mail]

3. Back to the Future (Scheduled to appear July 7th - July 19th, 2026)

Mailing Address: Bespoke Theatricals, C/O

Ms. Matty Cogliano, 230 West 41st Street,

Suite 1703, New York, NY 10036

Email: [e-mail]

4. Mrs. Doubtfire (Scheduled to appear July 14th - August 2nd, 2026)

Mailing Address: Work Light Productions, C/O

Mr. Matt Kunkel, 392 Springfield Avenue, 2nd floor, Summit, NJ 07901

Email: [e-mail]

5. The Outsiders (Scheduled to appear July 28th - August 16th, 2026)

Mailing Address: 321 Theatrical

Management, C/O Mr. Ken Silverman, 420 W

45th Street, 2nd floor, New York, NY 10036

Email: [e-mail]

6. Bluey's Big Play (Scheduled to appear June 24th - July 5th)

Mailing Address: Andrew Kay Associates, C/O

Mr. Kay, 52 Stephenson Street, Cremorne, VIC 3121, Australia

Email: [e-mail]

7. Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock LIVE (Scheduled to appear June 25 - July 26th)

Mailing Address: Catalyst Theatricals, C/O

Ms. Cronin, 424 W. 45th Street, New York, NY 10036

Email: [e-mail]

[Luminaire2]

Posted: 2/1/26 at 6:35pm

He just announced that he wants to close it for a period of 2 years now for “construction”. 

[KevinKlawitter]

Posted: 2/1/26 at 6:46pm

With ticket sales plummeting and artists boycotting the Center left and right, Trump decides to shut down the Kennedy Center with a timeline that just so happens to coincide with the end of his term.

Of course.

Now just wait for him to reveal the building's "renovations" that will have his face plastered all over the place.

[MezzA101]

Posted: 2/1/26 at 7:00pm

Trump announces two-year closure of Trump Kennedy Center for major renovations

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-announces-two-year-closure-trump-kennedy-center-major-renovations

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 2/1/26 at 7:00pm

Luminaire2 said: "He just announced that he wants to close it for a period of 2 years now for “construction”."

Starting July 4th; many of the shows I listed above have dates that fall after that.

[RW3]

Posted: 2/1/26 at 7:30pm

Call_me_jorge said: "Luminaire2 said: "He just announced that he wants to close it for a period of 2 years now for “construction”."

Starting July 4th; many of the shows I listed above have dates that fall after that."

So did those tour stops just get canceled?

[ACL2006]

Posted: 2/1/26 at 7:32pm

MezzA101 said: "Trump announces two-year closure of Trump Kennedy Center for major renovations

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-announces-two-year-closure-trump-kennedy-center-major-renovations"

He remains a total a$$. Shutting it down because everyone is cancelling. Such a disaster.

[John Adams]

Posted: 2/1/26 at 7:43pm

ACL2006 said: "He remains a total a$$. Shutting it down because everyone is cancelling. Such a disaster."

Yup, I thought so, too.

[blaxx]

Posted: 2/1/26 at 7:53pm

RW3 said: "Call_me_jorge said: "Luminaire2 said: "He just announced that he wants to close it for a period of 2 years now for “construction”."

Starting July 4th; many of the shows I listed above have dates that fall after that."

So did those tour stops just get canceled?"

Yes, unless they secure a new venue.

Updated On: 2/1/26 at 07:53 PM

[MezzA101]

Posted: 2/1/26 at 8:02pm

Trump Administration Live Updates: Kennedy Center to Close for 2-Year Construction Project, President Says

major backlash by performers, contributors and audience members and amounted to a significant setback to one of the key initiatives of his second term. From his first weeks in office, Mr. Trump set out to remake the center, founded as a tribute to John F. Kennedy after his assassination in 1963, in his image.

He attached his name to the center, has installed loyalists to run it, including Richard Grenell, and called for changing the programming there to make it more in line of what he said was widespread American tastes and sensibilities: more “Les Miz” and less “Hamilton,” as he put it on one visit to the center.

The reaction has been harsh and unrelenting. Last week, Philip Glass, the acclaimed American composer, said he was withdrawing Symphony No. 15, which had been commissioned by the National Symphony Orchestra in tribute to Abraham Lincoln, that was to be performed there in June. A week earlier, the acclaimed soprano Renée Fleming canceled a performance there.

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/02/01/us/trump-news?unlocked_article_code=1.JFA.Z8D1.GuAT9113p1yY&smid=nytcore-android-share

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 2/1/26 at 8:03pm

Translation: no one wants to perform there anymore and his ego can’t take the humiliation.

[merle57]

Posted: 2/1/26 at 8:09pm

Will Trump remove Kennedy Name in the process?  Tragic. 

[DomPhilly]

Posted: 2/1/26 at 8:10pm

Perhaps " The Outsiders" tour will then play the National Theater in DC?

 

 

MezzA101 said: "Trump announces two-year closure of Trump Kennedy Center for major renovations

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-announces-two-year-closure-trump-kennedy-center-major-renovations"

 

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 2/1/26 at 8:19pm

This news is f*cking hilarious. He failed to make it Nazi Base Camp and realized that making an art space political wasn't the greatest of ideas."Im just gunna shut it down cuz nobody LiKeS mE!"

 

Updated On: 2/1/26 at 08:19 PM