Kennedy Center plans massive staff cuts ahead of renovations as new director of artistic programming quits after 2 weeks

Kennedy Center staff have been warned that "skeletal teams" will be left in place at the performing arts center amid a two-year closure that was announced by President Trump at the beginning of February. This comes as the new head of artistic programming stepped down from his role less than two weeks after being named.

In the email to staff members, sent on Tuesday night, Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell said that during the "aggressive construction phase" which is expected to last two years, "departments will obviously function on a much smaller scale with some units totally reduced or on hold until we begin preparations to reopen in 2028. This period will mean permanent or temporary adjustments for most everyone."

"We will provide as much clarity and advance notice as possible. Our goal is to ensure continuity of mission while positioning the organization for an extraordinary reopening in 2028," Grenell continued. "Over the next few months, department heads and I will be evaluating the needs and making the decisions as to what these skeletal teams left in place during the facility closure and construction phase will look like. We will continue to share updates as decisions are finalized so that we can all plan accordingly."

He said that the "total renovation" of the center will begin in early July, and wrote, "We believe this complete renovation of the TKC in two years, as opposed to spending five years in a partial shutdown, is the best way forward. This approach allows us to deliver a fully modernized facility, improved patron and artist experience, and long-term operational efficiency on an accelerated timeline."

This comes after Kevin Couch, who was named on January 16 as the new senior vice president of artistic programming at the Kennedy Center, stepped down from his post. Grenell had said of Couch, "Kevin brings a clear-eyed approach to curating a roster of compelling shows that invite and inspire all audiences," per the Boston Herald.

In early February, however, Trump announced that the Kennedy Center would be closing down on July 4 for a period of two years for a renovation.

Trump wrote at the time, "After a one year review of The Trump Kennedy Center, that has taken place with Contractors, Musical Experts, Art Institutions, and other Advisors and Consultants, deciding between either Construction with Closure and Re-Opening or, Partial Construction while continuing Entertainment Operations through a much longer period of time, working in and around the Performances, I have determined that The Trump Kennedy Center, if temporarily closed for Construction, Revitalization, and Complete Rebuilding, can be, without question, the finest Performing Arts Facility of its kind, anywhere in the World."

He added, "In other words, if we don’t close, the quality of Construction will not be nearly as good, and the time to completion, because of interruptions with Audiences from the many Events using the Facility, will be much longer. The temporary closure will produce a much faster and higher quality result," he continued. "Based on these findings, and totally subject to Board approval, I have determined that the fastest way to bring The Trump Kennedy Center to the highest level of Success, Beauty, and Grandeur, is to cease Entertainment Operations for an approximately two year period of time, with a scheduled Grand Reopening that will rival and surpass anything that has taken place with respect to such a Facility before."