Kennedy Center Cancels Spring Season

By Francisco Salazar

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has announced that it has canceled all previously scheduled programs through April 25, 2021, due to the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Center also announced that the Washington National Opera’s spring productions and much of the late spring and early summer touring theater programs have been canceled.

As a result, the Center will offer an extremely limited number (20 or fewer) of in-person performances, as conditions allow, and expand its online offerings with a new platform called Digital Stage+—.

In a press release, the Kennedy Center said, “these most recent cancelations in 2021 represent 384 ticketed events and a financial loss of $24.1 million for the institution, plus an additional $7 to $8 million of revenue from programs that had not yet been announced. Combined with the fall cancelations in excess of $50 million, the total earned revenue loss for FY21 now stands at over $80 million.

The Center for Performing Arts also announced that beyond April 25, the Broadway national tours of “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “Freestyle Love Supreme,” “Oklahoma!,” “Dear Evan Hansen,” and “The Band’s Visit” have canceled their upcoming engagements at the Kennedy Center. Plans to bring these productions to the Center in future seasons will be announced at a later date.

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