D.C. theater scene refuses to back down amid Trump-era crackdowns

State of play: What's happening at the Kennedy Center — chairpersons fired, shows cancelled, major artists boycotting, drag shows labeled by Trump as 'anti-American propaganda' — is raising concerns among audiences and artists alike about censorship and control of the arts.

• Meanwhile, many theaters are losing federal grants from the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA). Mosaic Theater Company, which has produced shows at H Street's Atlas Performing Arts Center for the past decade, was notified last week that its $15,000 NEA grant was cut, per WUSA9 — essential funds they've relied on for years.

But for the vast majority of local theaters, Trump's policies are not influencing their programming or mission, Amy Austin, president and CEO of Theatre Washington, tells Axios.

• "I see no evidence that people are changing because of the DEI [executive order], or even being chilled by it," Austin says. "That's not how art works."

And leaders are promising resilience: "You can withdraw the grant, but the power of the arts will remain, and it will stand strong," Reginald Douglas, Mosaic's artistic director, told WUSA.

By the numbers: Nearly 70 professional theaters operate throughout the DMV, plus more community venues — not densely populated like Broadway, but serving communities downtown to far out in the suburbs. — not densely populated like Broadway, but serving communities downtown to far out in the suburbs.

• "I do want that conversation about the Kennedy Center to uplift how many theaters we have here, and how much great work is being done," Austin says.
• Austin points to this year's 37 world premieres at theaters across Washington, and plays that start here are destined for Broadway.

Between the lines: Artists and audiences are expressing dissent in many ways (cue the boos for Vice President J.D. Vance from the KenCen seats). Theaters are banding together to offer discount tickets for struggling federal workers. Drag artists and allies are protesting outside the Kennedy Center.

• And a fleet of venues, from Strathmore in Silver Spring to Shakespeare Theatre Company, are welcoming WorldPride performances after organizers severed ties with KenCen last month "to ensure our entire LGBTQ+ community will be welcome."
• The new lineup: "Gay for #DCTheatre."

The big picture: It's not just the arts. Pushback against Trump's agenda is starting to form across a wide swath of elite institutions, from universities like Harvard to law firms, broadcasters and major corporate shareholders.

What they're saying: Downtown D.C.'s Woolly Mammoth Theatre is one of the venues supporting queer artists performances during WorldPride and beyond.

• "If anybody looks at what we've been doing over the last 45 years, it's pretty clear what we care about in terms of pushing boundaries and envelopes," outgoing artistic director Maria Manuela Goyanes tells Axios.
• "We're going to keep doing that, and providing that ability for artists to be courageous on our stages in the way that we've always been."

What's next: The local theater community will gather tonight for their version of the Oscars: the 41st annual Helen Hayes Awards, where some 2,000 thespians, donors and supporters will meet at the Anthem to recognize 200 diverse nominees and theatre-makers.

• The awards will honor D.C. native Robert Hooks, a leader in the Civil Rights era's Black Arts Movement who founded the D.C. Black Repertory Company.

Behind the scenes: Lauded performer and choreographer Ashleigh King, who's designing the awards, tells Axios that one of her themes is "D.C. theater is home. Even if you're not from here, it can be a nurturing place." She says it's especially important now.

• "While theater always has the goal of changing minds, of getting an audience to leave with more questions, we do have a direct line to the actual policymakers of our world. We share each other's backyard. They can hear us — if only they listen."