Since the hostile takeover of the Kennedy Center last year, there has been a steady stream of performers who have cancelled their engagements.
After pressure from a petition, the San Francisco Ballet has added their name to the list and has chosen not to perform at the Kennedy Center in May which is scheduled to shut down for extended repairs this summer.
The SF Ballet Board of Trustees issued a statement saying, “SF Ballet’s Board of Trustees has made the decision that the company’s performances that were scheduled at the Trump Kennedy Center May 27-31 will no longer take place. SF Ballet looks forward to performing for Washington, D.C. audiences in the future.”
In more Kennedy Center news, the White House has further plastered their name on the iconic Performing Arts Center and events.
Late last year the name of the Kennedy Center was illegally changed to include the current White House resident.
The annual Honors event that also carries the name of the Kennedy Center is being changed to add the White House resident’s name to the awards.
When the announcement was made about the closure of the Kennedy Center for “renovations”, questions arose as to the fate of the Mark Twain Prize for Comedy and the Kennedy Center Honors.
The Kennedy Center Honors will continue under the new name at a new venue while the construction project goes on.
In an interview at a Washington, D.C. radio station, Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell said, “the location is yet to be determined. We’re already looking for different places. It will definitely go forward. It will probably just be in a smaller venue, which just means ticket demand will be even higher.”
Last December at the annual Kennedy Center Honors, the performances were not well attended and received the lowest television ratings.
Grennell noted that the $257 million renovations will begin July 6; adding there are no plans to demolish the building. The funding for the renovations was a part of the “One Big Beautiful Bill” passed last year.
Grennell noted there were no plans to demolish the building; however, in a statement from the White House the building was called “dangerous” and “dilapidated”; adding, “I’m not ripping it out. I’ll be using the steel, so we’re using the structure, we’re using some of the marble…when it opens it’ll be brand-new and very beautiful.”
The one thing that has not changed is the web address which remains KennedyCenter.org thanks to “South Park’s” Toby Morton had “seen the writing on the wall” and purchased a number of web addresses for the purpose of parody and has no plans to sell the needed web address for the name change.