Donald Trump’s MAGA makeover of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts isn’t working out the way he hoped, if ticket sales and attendance are anything to go by.
The New York Times reported Tuesday that in March and April, single ticket sales for Kennedy Center events dropped by 50% compared to the same period in 2024. The center also endured a deep hit to one of its most important sources of money, as total membership subscriptions declined by 36% year over year, according to the Washington Post.
In addition, subscriptions to the National Symphony Orchestra dropped 28% and Washington National Opera subscriptions by 25%. Subsequently, theatrical revenues were down by an astonishing 86%, and dance revenues by 57%; the center now projects subscription revenue of $2.7 million, compared to $4.4 million last year.
According to the Post and NYT, these figures have been confirmed by multiple, unnamed Kennedy Center employees.
For its part, the center’s leadership downplayed the significance of these figures, saying in a statement provided by senior vice president of marketing Kim Cooper, “Our renewal campaign is just kicking off and our hard-copy season brochures have not yet hit home. Our patrons wait for our new season brochures and renewal campaigns to take action.”
Reports of the cratering of attendance and revenue provides the first real picture of how things have gone since Feb. 7, when Trump fired several board members, declared himself the organization’s chairman and imposed a hard right wing policy agenda.
In the months since, prominent board members have quit, and high profile shows have either pulled out, such as a planned run of “Hamilton,” or been canceled on what appears to be purely ideological grounds, such as planned LGBTQ Pride events.
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