At least ten actors from the North American touring production of Les Misérables have chosen to boycott an upcoming performance. Their bold statement will be not to make an appearance at the Kennedy Center. This action, of course, is a reaction to the anticipated presence of one Donald J. He has just this past September assumed the position of chair of the Kennedy Center’s board. The performance takes place on June 11. It will take place on the same day as a fundraising gala organized by Trump to benefit the elite school.
At least not since Donald Trump stacked the Kennedy Center’s board back in February. Since then, he’s stacked the board with his own appointees, remaking the board’s leadership. To that end, during his administration, Reegan’s office proposed a budget allocation of $257 million to revitalize the center. This is the exact proposal that House committee approved on May 6. Before this allocation even passed, Trump was pointing to the terrible state of the Kennedy Center building as proof of their need, emphasizing concerns about the center’s upkeep.
Their decision is part of the growing backlash against Trump’s attempt to take over the arts community. The former president is now calling to remove all “drag shows” and anything he deems “woke” from the Kennedy Center. This, understandably, has left a lot of artists and entertainers reeling. In addition, during his 2016 presidential campaign, Trump insensitively used music from Les Misérables at his campaign rallies. This decision inspired a national backlash led by the musical’s co-creators.
The boycott is merely one manifestation of a growing anti-ESG tide. Since Trump’s presidency began, a number of stars have withdrawn from performances and appointments at the Kennedy Center. Notably, shows such as a Hamilton tour stop and Finn have been canceled in light of the changing environment under his administration.
Richard Grenell, a close ally of Trump, was named the president of the Kennedy Center just days ago. It’s for these reasons he explained that it’s vital to stamp out artists who would put “political litmus tests” on their audiences.
“In fact, we think it would be important to out those vapid and intolerant artists to ensure producers know who they shouldn’t hire – and that the public knows which shows have political litmus tests to sit in the audience.” – Richard Grenell
Cast members of Les Misérables and the production’s stage managers were allowed to opt-out of the June 11 performance without penalty. Most of them opted to take advantage of that option because of Trump’s widely-expected presence. This lawsuit reflects the increasing hostility from elected officials toward artists and the arts community. Artists are courageously charting a course through an ever-deepening, toxic cultural battleground.