Nothing is going well at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, one of the largest performance halls in the United States, which, after a year of turbulence, must close its doors for two years for renovation, American President Donald Trump announced Sunday evening on his social network Truth Social. To justify this decision, which must still be endorsed by a board of directors committed to his cause, the head of state mentions “a Center on its last legs, damaged and dilapidated, in a critical situation for a long time, financially and structurally”.
According to many observers, however, the announced closure of this center on July 4, the day of the 250th anniversary of American independence, which still employed some 2,500 people last year, is due less to its building condition than to a moral and institutional weakening. Since the inauguration of the 47th president, this cultural mecca in the heart of the American capital has become one of Donald Trump’s first targets, with the replacement of the board of directors and the presidency, followed by a legally contested rechristening attempt which associates its name with that of the assassinated former president.
THE John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is not an insignificant institution in the United States. Created by a vote of Congress barely two months after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, then inaugurated in 1971, it is intended to be a “living tribute” to his memory. Long apolitical and respected for its demanding programming but open to a wide audience, it has established itself in almost six decades as one of the most prestigious performance halls in the country.
The Kennedy Center in Washington DC
Donald Trump’s growing control has, however, been accompanied by a series of cancellations, a disaffection of artists, including the composer Philip Glass or Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator of Hamilton, the withdrawal of the Washington National Opera, as well as the departure of key figures from the programming, not to mention the decline of the public and certain donors.
“It has been brought to my attention that due to the name change (even if no one explicitly tells me it’s because of this), artists cancel their commitments one after the other. And I concluded that, since this name change, no one wants to perform there anymore”quipped Maria Shriver, niece of President Kennedy, on the social network X.
Lawyers who filed suit against the Kennedy Center on behalf of Ohio Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty say the announcement of the closure “raises serious questions” as for a desire not to renovate but to close the institution in order to avoid further embarrassment linked to the boycott “artists and donors”and that she “would only aggravate the damage already caused”adding that they are examining “all legal remedies” possible.
The Kennedy Center unions, for their part, denounced the absence of any official notification and warned against the social consequences of a closure decided without consultation, warning that they will exercise “all their contractual rights” in the event of suspension of activities.
At this point, however, programming has not been formally halted: upcoming shows, including several Broadway productions planned for this summer, such as Mrs. Doubtfireremained on sale Tuesday evening on the institution’s website, illustrating the vagueness surrounding the calendar and the precise terms of the announced closure.
