The Washington Ballet is moving its spring production of “Cinderella” away from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, according to an email about auditions obtained by NOTUS.
It’s the latest in a string of withdrawals of planned performances from the Kennedy Center, which the Trump administration has been aggressively revamping. On Sunday, President Donald Trump announced that the venue would close for two years for renovations starting in July.
“To accommodate the anticipated demand for this production, The Washington Ballet is currently finalizing a move to a larger D.C. venue,” said an email from The Washington Ballet sent Saturday about student audition registration. “This move allows us to bring our artistic vision of a popular classic to larger audiences and share the beauty of this production more widely, but still in the heart of D.C.”
“Please note that this venue change will also involve a shift in our performance dates. While final details are not confirmed, we will keep you posted.”
Trending
Sign Up for NOTUS’ Free Daily Newsletter
The email did not allude to the changing politics of the Kennedy Center, even as headliners like the composer Philip Glass have withdrawn from their scheduled appearances there in the weeks since the center’s board voted to rename it after Trump.
The Washington Ballet, which operates independently of the Kennedy Center, did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the email Saturday.
NOTUS requested interviews earlier this week with members of the organization to discuss the changes at the center. A spokesperson replied on Wednesday that “The Washington Ballet is not doing interviews regarding the Kennedy Center at this time.”
Other performers are still affiliated with the center. But members of the National Symphony Orchestra told NOTUS in January they are concerned that the recent move to add Trump’s name to the center could affect the orchestra’s reputation and finances.
It is not clear whether The Washington Ballet’s decision to change venue is limited to the “Cinderella” production, or whether The Washington Ballet has plans for performing at the center after its renovations.
The Kennedy Center’s website, which previously listed Cinderella as scheduled for May 14 through May 17, now directs users to an error message saying that the page “cannot be found.”
The Kennedy Center and the White House also did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In December, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts’ board of trustees voted to add Trump’s name onto the building, kicking off many of the programming changes. Last month, the Washington National Opera announced its decision to terminate its affiliation agreement with the center.
Numerous musicians had already canceled their shows before the announcement of the renovations. Folk singer Kristy Lee first told NOTUS about her plan to cancel her show, which was scheduled for January. Other musicians soon followed, including Grammy-winning Bluegrass performer Béla Fleck.
The legality of the name change is also in question. Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty, an ex-officio member of the center’s board, filed a lawsuit in December arguing that only Congress, and not the board, has the authority to change the center’s name.
Changes at the center were already underway even before the name change. Stephen Nakagawa, a former member of The Washington Ballet who The New York Times reported complained about “radical leftist ideologies in ballet,” was appointed as the director of dance programming of the Kennedy Center in August.
Author
