A world-class performing arts venue that lists outdoor screenings of Clue and The Princess Diaries as its primary calendar events has a subtly unsettling quality. That’s where the Kennedy Center is at the moment—it’s neither completely dark nor fully functional, but it’s in the middle. And the only reason it hasn’t completely closed is because of a federal court.
The Trump administration is in an awkward legal position as a result of Ohio Representative Joyce Beatty, a Democratic ex-officio board trustee, filing the Kennedy Center shutdown lawsuit. U.S. District Judge Casey Cooper declared last month that the center’s board, which is composed of Trump supporters and is presided over by the president, had unlawfully decided to close the location for renovations beginning on July 5. Cooper also overturned the board’s choice to rename the organization in Trump’s honor. The administration was then required to provide the court with a report by Friday that included post-closure programming plans and renovation schedules.
What was returned was not comforting. The center was represented by Justice Department lawyers who presented three options: a full shutdown with no programming, a partial closure with few events, or phased closures that manage to keep a full schedule. In mid-July, the board is scheduled to vote on the course of action. Decisions regarding “long-term programming and staffing adjustments” have been postponed in the interim. Maybe that’s the point.
It sounds more like a crisis than a renovation plan, according to sources familiar with the center’s internal circumstances. One person briefed on the options told CNN, “They are really in a major, major crisis,” and that the leadership is “gasping for air.” According to this person, the biggest challenge is simply keeping the lights on. Saying that about one of the most well-known cultural organizations in the US is startling.
Regardless of what the leadership may say in public, the financial situation does not seem stable. Sales of tickets have drastically decreased. Due to their reluctance to book acts under the current administration, many artists and booking agents have withdrawn. Rebuilding that pipeline takes time, and touring companies plan their schedules well in advance. Returning to Broadway-caliber programming, according to one former employee, is “unlikely to turn around on a dime.” Speaking with people who are familiar with this world gives me the impression that the harm already done may outweigh any final court ruling.
The National Symphony Orchestra, which has long called the Kennedy Center home, is one suggested solution to meet the judge’s demand for public access. According to a number of sources, hiring the NSO to perform on a weekly basis could show that the court’s order is being followed. The issue is that neither the orchestra’s budget for a new season nor its contract have been renewed. It seems to have a plan. It simply hasn’t been given permission to carry it out.
In the meantime, the building’s facade, where Trump’s name was inscribed in metal letters, is still covered by big striped tarps. The letters have vanished. The tarps are still there. It’s difficult to dispute what Beatty’s lawyers described as a “petty act of defiance” in their Friday filing. The removal process is hidden from public view by scaffolding. Now, her legal team is requesting an explanation from the administration. CNN’s financial reporting was widely contested by the center’s leadership, but they did not directly respond to inquiries regarding closure plans or provide other justifications for the sparse schedule.
The center’s executive director, Matt Floca, has insisted that the shutdown recommendation was solely motivated by the building’s requirements rather than financial worries. “My decision was focused on the needs of the building,” he testified. Given how much financial strain seems to be influencing the decisions being made, it’s still unclear whether that account holds up.
The Kennedy Center shutdown lawsuit is turning out to be more than just a procedural disagreement over renovation schedules. It provides insight into what transpires when a publicly supported cultural institution turns into a political object and what is lost in the process.
