Following the takeover of Washington’s Kennedy Center by President Trump and his allies, subscription ticket sales for next season’s offerings at the center have dropped significantly, The Washington Post’s Travis M. Andrews and The New York Times’ Javier C. Hernández report, with an especially steep decrease in sales for theater productions.
Hernández reports that subscriptions, “traditionally an important source of revenue,” are off by 82 percent for theater, 57 percent for dance, 28 percent for the National Symphony Orchestra and 25 percent for Washington National Opera.
“By this point in 2024, the center had generated $4,413,147 in revenue from selling subscriptions to its theater, dance, classical and other seasons of performances,” Andrews writes. “This year, it has generated $2,656,524 as of June 1, plus $155,243 from a new mix-and-match package.”
Both reporters cite internal documents provided by former employees of the Kennedy Center, confirmed by a current employee who, Andrews writes, “spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear of retribution.” The current staff member told Andrews, “[I]t is necessary to show that mismanagement by the new leadership is becoming a real problem for the health of the organization.”
Kim Cooper, the center’s senior vice president of marketing, told Hernández that its subscription renewal campaign started late, and that it has changed its marketing and structuring of subscriptions.
“Our renewal campaign is just kicking off and our hard-copy season brochures have not yet hit homes,” Cooper said in a statement. “Our patrons wait for our new season brochures and renewal campaigns to take action.” She added that some bookings of Broadway shows and other attractions have yet to be announced.
One longtime tenant of the Kennedy Center, Washington Performing Arts, the region’s leading presenter of touring classical artists and orchestras, recently announced that it will not stage performances at the center next season, opting instead for the Music Center at Strathmore, Lisner Auditorium and other DC area venues.
While the decrease in the Kennedy Center’s sales to date is striking, perhaps a backlash to Trump’s intervention, fewer subscriptions and more single-ticket purchases have been a trend in the performing arts throughout the US over the past decade.
The Kennedy Center’s operating budget in the 2024 fiscal year was $268 million. Earned revenue, primarily from ticket sales, was about $125 million, with the balance coming from government appropriations and private-sector donations.
Andrews’ report:
Hernández’s report:
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