Actors’ Equity, IATSE, Other Entertainment Unions Condemn Kennedy Center Closure

Actors’ Equity, IATSE, Other Entertainment Unions Condemn Kennedy Center Closure

Trump recently announced that the Center would be closed for two years for renovations.

Following President Trump’s announcement that the Kennedy Center would be the closed for two years beginning July 4 for renovations, a number of entities have roundly condemned the move from Congressional Senators to, now, a host of entertainment unions and workers.

Actors’ Equity Association, American Federation of Musicians, American Guild of Musical Artists, International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, and Stage Directors and Choreographers Society—unions whose members are routinely hired by the Kennedy Center—have released a joint statement decrying the move, calling it “harmful for the arts and creative workers in America,” and saying they have been given “no formal notice or briefing.”

The unions also said that for any upcoming shows that will be cancelled due to this closure, “we will enforce our contracts and exercise all our rights under the law. We expect continued fair pay, enforceable worker protections, and accountability for our members in the event they cannot work due to an operational pause.”

Trump previously said that the Kennedy Center will be closed for “construction, revitalization, and complete rebuilding,” saying that the building is “tired, broken, and dilapidated.”

Artists who’ve worked at the Washington, D.C. institution has taken issue with Trump’s characterization of the Center. Actor Patrick Page said that President is “lying,” writing on Facebook: “I have performed at the Kennedy Center many times and attended shows there recently. It is gorgeous and in fine shape—both out front and backstage. It is one of the best venues in the country … There is no need for renovations, no need for closure. It’s a scam and a shame.”

The closure comes after a wave of artists have cancelled their engagements at the Washington, D.C. institution—a result of his takeover of the institution last year and installing himself as chairman of its board. Most recently, composer Philip Glass cancelled the world premiere of his Symphony No. 15 (a tribute to Abraham Lincoln). The Washington National Opera have announced they will no longer perform at the Center. Hamilton also canceled its touring engagement at the Center. The Center recently hired Kevin Couch, as its senior vice president of artistic programming; Couch resigned less than two weeks after he was announced.

As a result of all this turmoil, ticket sales at the Center have fallen; the recent Kennedy Center Honors, which Trump hosted, garnered its lowest ratings on CBS ever. Ever since he’s taken over the Kennedy Center, Trump has been determined to remake the institution in his image. The board has even renamed it the Trump Kennedy Center—though Trump’s name is now on the Center’s walls, changing it officially requires Congressional approval.

Said Senator Sheldon Whitehouse in a statement, “[Trump] illegally slapped his own name on the living memorial to President Kennedy, literally silencing Trustees who tried to speak up against it. Now, with his hostile takeover leading to artists’ withdrawals and declining ticket sales, he is covering up his failures by shuttering a national landmark that belongs to the American people—and he’s announcing it as a fait accompli before input from the Board, Congress, and others, as law and precedent dictate.”