Pittsburgh Arts, Regional Theatre, New Work, Producing, Copyright, Labor Unions,
New Products, Coping Skills, J-O-Bs...
Theatre industry news, University & School of Drama Announcements, plus occasional course support for
Carnegie Mellon School of Drama Faculty, Staff, Students, and Alumni.
CMU School of Drama
Monday, September 21, 2026
Judge orders Kennedy Center to provide 30 days' notice before making any major physical changes
PBS News: A federal judge on Thursday ordered the Kennedy Center to provide 30 days' notice before making any major physical changes to the building, including demolishing it as President Donald Trump has threatened.
As there are continued battles over the naming and control of the Kennedy Center, I feel as though we are slowly exposing how little our public arts are protected from the actions of an executive branch. Regardless of the asdministration I beleive that having a judge prevent a federal action ot rip down one of the most revered performing arts centers is more indicative of th elack of public effort behind these major instituions, as the rtivle does discuss, thisis an issue of a single persons ego, however the ability to do such damage is really reflective of how little we as American Theatre Makers have been doing to sway the public to protect our art form. If there were more laws in place and also more guaranteed methods of funding, many of the issues we see today could be solved, such as the L.A. Opera fraud scandal. Regardless, I wish only the best for the preservation of the Kennedy Center and that this can act as a wake-up call to protect public theatrical institutions and therefore our collective future.
While it is heartbreaking to see a pillar of the arts like the Kennedy Center be treated as it has by our president, it is inspiring to see that it is not without a fight. Most of the headlines regarding the situation that blow up are the ones specifying in what new way Trump is hurting the legacy of the Kennedy Center. However, there are many wins like this one, in which people are choosing to protect the arts. While I believe that more orders are needed beyond no major physical changes being made without 30 days notice, it is a good first step. It is also a breath of relief to know that it was made painstakingly clear that there would have to be notice before any demolition activity could be started. I hope to see further rulings that help protect the Kennedy Center as time goes on. Perhaps even one that orders a restructuring of the board and the election of a new chairman.
2 comments:
As there are continued battles over the naming and control of the Kennedy Center, I feel as though we are slowly exposing how little our public arts are protected from the actions of an executive branch. Regardless of the asdministration I beleive that having a judge prevent a federal action ot rip down one of the most revered performing arts centers is more indicative of th elack of public effort behind these major instituions, as the rtivle does discuss, thisis an issue of a single persons ego, however the ability to do such damage is really reflective of how little we as American Theatre Makers have been doing to sway the public to protect our art form. If there were more laws in place and also more guaranteed methods of funding, many of the issues we see today could be solved, such as the L.A. Opera fraud scandal. Regardless, I wish only the best for the preservation of the Kennedy Center and that this can act as a wake-up call to protect public theatrical institutions and therefore our collective future.
While it is heartbreaking to see a pillar of the arts like the Kennedy Center be treated as it has by our president, it is inspiring to see that it is not without a fight. Most of the headlines regarding the situation that blow up are the ones specifying in what new way Trump is hurting the legacy of the Kennedy Center. However, there are many wins like this one, in which people are choosing to protect the arts. While I believe that more orders are needed beyond no major physical changes being made without 30 days notice, it is a good first step. It is also a breath of relief to know that it was made painstakingly clear that there would have to be notice before any demolition activity could be started. I hope to see further rulings that help protect the Kennedy Center as time goes on. Perhaps even one that orders a restructuring of the board and the election of a new chairman.
Post a Comment