From banning trans youth in girl’s sports to trying to allow immigration raids in schools, President Donald Trump’s policies haven’t spared children –– and the arts are no exception.
Children’s musical “Finn,” which premiered at the Kennedy Center last year to sold out shows, was cancelled just weeks after Trump took over as chairman for the Washington venue.
The Kennedy Center said in a statement that the production’s cancellation, about a young shark who discovers he fits in more with smaller fish, was a financial decision. The show’s popularity and Trump’s recent takeover have some questioning that reasoning. “Finn” has been interpreted as symbolic of the LGBTQ experience, but never explicitly references the community.
"At its heart it has a universal message of love and acceptance,” creators Chris Nee, Michael Kooman, and Christopher Dimond said in a joint statement on Instagram. “We will not abandon the kids we wrote this show for. They are already under attack from every side.”
Actors’ Equity Association, an actors and stage managers union, said although contracts for Finn had not been made, it is “watching developments carefully” and seeing whether offers were made, according to Playbill.
The Kennedy Center has typically maintained a politically balanced governing board. Trump fired half of the appointed trustees, and the remaining ones then voted him in as chair of the venue.
Kennedy Center President Deborah Rutter, who has served in the role since 2014, was fired and temporarily replaced by Richard Grenell. Grenell worked with the first Trump administration.
Following Trump’s restructuring, many artists and creators severed ties with the center. Actress and comedian Issa Rae cancelled her sold out show “An Evening With Issa Rae” at the venue, “due to what I believe to be an infringement on the values of an institution that has faithfully celebrated artists of all backgrounds through all mediums.”
Shonda Rhimes, Renée Fleming and Ben Folds, who all served as artistic advisors at the Kennedy Center, stepped down from their roles.
Trump said he wants to move away from art he views as “woke culture,” according to CBS News.
Or rather, what his people view as woke. The president admitted he had never seen a show at the center he now chairs.
"I didn't want to go, there was nothing I wanted to see,” Trump said of the center he leads. "I get reports they were so bad.”
Actors’ Equity Association said the decision to cancel “Finn” undermines the power of meaningful art, especially for youth.
“It is disturbing to see the new leadership of this institution move so swiftly to suppress viewpoints they do not agree with,” the union said in a statement. “And it is beyond appalling that the art they find so dangerous is a joyful children’s musical, encouraging young people to be true to themselves and follow their dreams.”
