The Kennedy Middle denied a Tuesday report from The Washington Post alleging it noticed a 36 p.c decline in gross sales subscriptions after President Trump asserted management over the cultural heart in January.
Senior Vice President of Advertising and marketing Kim Cooper mentioned the middle has consolidated subscription packages and can start selling new efficiency packages within the coming weeks.
Cooper advised The Hill, “earlier this yr, and for the primary time ever in Kennedy Middle historical past, we launched a brand-new choice that lets subscribers combine and match genres inside a single subscription — a subscription solely the Kennedy Middle can provide given our breadth of programming.”
She mentioned subscribers requested the characteristic and it could permit them to have extra “alternative” and suppleness.”
The Submit reported that the Kennedy Middle’s income was down greater than $1.5 million, even with that factored in.
As of June final yr, the middle had generated $4,413,147 in income from promoting subscriptions to its theater, dance, classical and different seasons of performances, in response to the Submit.
This yr, it had generated $2,656,524 as of June 1, plus $155,243 from a brand new mix-and-match package deal, the outlet reported.
In February, President Trump ousted the center’s board members and named himself chair of the world-renowned performing arts advanced.
Days after the announcement, celebrities started cancelling shows on the venue and a few excused themselves from leadership on the board.
Ric Grennell, interim director of the Kennedy Middle, described cancellations as a “publicity stunt” and went on to strike programs touting LGBTQ artists from the scheduled listing of performers.
“I wish to be sure it runs correctly. We don’t want woke on the Kennedy Middle, and we don’t want — a number of the exhibits had been horrible. They had been a shame that they had been even placed on,” Trump mentioned in February.
“So I’ll be there till such time that it’s working proper,” he added.