This story has been updated May 8 to include quotes from the cast of Les Mis茅rables.
On June 11, President Trump will attend a performance of Les Mis茅rables at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. Who will not be there that night? Around 10 to 12 company members from the current North American tour of the production, .
The Kennedy Center performance was part of a previously scheduled stop on the musical's tour. The cast was given the option to not perform June 11. Among those who decided not to perform are both principals and ensemble members, though the production has not disclosed exactly which company members. A request for comment had not yet been returned at the time of publication.
The June 11 performance is part of a fundraiser Trump will hold to benefit the Kennedy Center after taking over as chairman of the D.C. theatre's board in February. The entirety of the Kennedy Center's board is now made up of Trump appointees, and the organization's former president, Deborah Rutter, has been replaced with Trump loyalist Richard Grenell.
鈥淎ny performer who isn鈥檛 professional enough to perform for patrons of all backgrounds, regardless of political affiliation, won鈥檛 be welcomed,鈥� Grennell told CNN in a statement. 鈥淚n fact, we think it would be important to out those vapid and intolerant artists to ensure producers know who they shouldn鈥檛 hire鈥攁nd that the public knows which shows have political litmus tests to sit in the audience. The Kennedy Center wants to be a place where people of all political stripes sit next to each other and never ask who someone voted for but instead enjoys a performance together.鈥�
A number of cast members from Les Miz have released statements on Instagram, saying that contracts dictated the performance continue as planned. Wrote Steve Czarnecki: "Les Mis has been doing everything it can to make the show happen at the Kennedy Center while also allowing space for cast members to make incredibly difficult decisions. Some of us are doing the show, some of us aren't. And believe me, none of us want to be part of this mess." Czarnecki also added that he and the cast members who will perform plan to donate their salaries from June 11 to charity. They will also be performing in a cabaret in D.C. to support Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
Wrote Jake David Smith, "The cast of Les Mis did not ask to be politicized."
May 6 that a House committee approved a budget proposal for $257 million to the Kennedy Center for capital repairs and other expenses. Trump has repeatedly and publicly complained about the building's current condition. The center typically receives $43 million.
Trump's funding request for the Kennedy Center comes just after he proposed eliminating the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and other smaller agencies. As a result, not-for-profit theatres across the country had their grants rescinded and a number of NEA personnels have resigned. Neither of these proposals by Trump have been approved by Congress, which still needs to vote on the matter.
This Les Mis walkout is the latest in a slew of dramatic events that have occurred since Trump took over the organization. A number of productions have also been cancelled for various reasons鈥攖he Hamilton tour stop was cancelled by the production while a children's musical called Finn, that featured themes that could be interpreted as queer, was cancelled by the Kennedy Center.
The venue's new leadership has not been forthcoming with its exact programming guidelines, though Trump has written in social media posts that he wanted to rid the venue of "drag shows鈥� and woke" programming, without defining that word or specifying what previous Kennedy Center presentations he found objectionable. Trump's takeover has been wholly unprecedented in the history of the previously bipartisan venue.
