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Monday, January 19, 2026
Washington National Opera Finds New Venue Following Kennedy Center Split
Playbill: Following the announcement of their departure from the Kennedy Center in the wake of President Trump's takeover, the Washington National Opera has successfully found a new venue at George Washington University, where they will stage two operas this coming spring.
3 comments:
Payton
said...
I’m extremely glad the Washington National Opera cut ties with the venue so quickly, and that so many other touring shows did as well. It’s tragic to be watching moves made by the federal government step all over artists, but it makes a lot of sense; educated people who find strength in their communities engage with art. While it’s probably much more difficult for the company than what it looks like to us, their transition out of the venue they worked from for almost 50 years seems quite smooth (from a distance.) It’s important to recognize what happened/is happening to the Kennedy center and stay alert. Artists and educators should be more alert than ever, since of course the easiest people to control are divided and uneducated. Producing and engaging with arts is in itself an act of rebellion, especially after directly cutting ties with a venue after almost half a century.
I think that this is a great example of how removing monetary support can very easily persuade companies to change their behavior. As the article states when the national opera saw the decrease in ticket sales and in donations really motivated the company to find a different venue. I don’t know if companies removing support from the Kennedy center will cause changes in trumps behavior. I am glad that the opera has found another venue and chosen to sacrifice seat sales and space. I think that we should just continue to shift our focus from the Kennedy center and all that nonsense to other theater spaces and companies who actually care about the people in their community. I think it's really clear that staying with the Kennedy Center at this point is just harming people in your theater community, it's not worth it and also consumers are making it not worth it with their money.
I think it is super important that performing companies choose not to affiliate with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as a form of resistance to the censorship of art that has been enacted by the current Trump administration. I think one of the most impactful yet overlooked forms of resistance is monetary resistance. I think this is becoming an even more and more popular form of resistance as people have realized how much influence corporations and private entities have on American politics. I also think this relates back to the News Blog article from two weeks ago about the the petition to suspend Kennedy Center funding until artistic independence is restored. I think it is especially important for bigger organizations such as the Washington National Opera to stand up against censorship by not using the venue because it helps encourage other organizations to do the same.
3 comments:
I’m extremely glad the Washington National Opera cut ties with the venue so quickly, and that so many other touring shows did as well. It’s tragic to be watching moves made by the federal government step all over artists, but it makes a lot of sense; educated people who find strength in their communities engage with art. While it’s probably much more difficult for the company than what it looks like to us, their transition out of the venue they worked from for almost 50 years seems quite smooth (from a distance.) It’s important to recognize what happened/is happening to the Kennedy center and stay alert. Artists and educators should be more alert than ever, since of course the easiest people to control are divided and uneducated. Producing and engaging with arts is in itself an act of rebellion, especially after directly cutting ties with a venue after almost half a century.
I think that this is a great example of how removing monetary support can very easily persuade companies to change their behavior. As the article states when the national opera saw the decrease in ticket sales and in donations really motivated the company to find a different venue. I don’t know if companies removing support from the Kennedy center will cause changes in trumps behavior. I am glad that the opera has found another venue and chosen to sacrifice seat sales and space. I think that we should just continue to shift our focus from the Kennedy center and all that nonsense to other theater spaces and companies who actually care about the people in their community. I think it's really clear that staying with the Kennedy Center at this point is just harming people in your theater community, it's not worth it and also consumers are making it not worth it with their money.
I think it is super important that performing companies choose not to affiliate with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as a form of resistance to the censorship of art that has been enacted by the current Trump administration. I think one of the most impactful yet overlooked forms of resistance is monetary resistance. I think this is becoming an even more and more popular form of resistance as people have realized how much influence corporations and private entities have on American politics. I also think this relates back to the News Blog article from two weeks ago about the the petition to suspend Kennedy Center funding until artistic independence is restored. I think it is especially important for bigger organizations such as the Washington National Opera to stand up against censorship by not using the venue because it helps encourage other organizations to do the same.
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