The Kennedy Center cut all 22 of its frontline ticket sellers Sept. 26, eliminating six full-time and 16 part-time box office jobs. The layoffs mark the third round of staff reductions since President Donald Trump took control of the performing arts center in February 2025.
The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 868, the union representing the ticket sellers, said it plans to take legal action, as first reported by City Cast DC.
Anne Vantine, president of IATSE Local 868, said the layoffs show the Kennedy Center's "willingness to act in bad faith." Vantine said the union will "pursue all legal options available to us" and continue bargaining on behalf of its members.
No response came from the center. City Cast DC reported the Kennedy Center did not reply to a request for comment.
The cuts came 11 days after the board of trustees voted Sept. 15 to shutter the main building. Executives characterized the closure as driven by urgent repairs, including water damage and outdated electrical systems. A report cited by El Tiempo Latino also revealed a $23 million deficit for the fiscal year.
The National Symphony Orchestra is now playing its season at venues across the region, including George Mason University's Center for the Arts and George Washington University's Lisner Auditorium. Thirteen box office employees remain, including those selling tickets for free programming at REACH, a Kennedy Center facility.
Two earlier rounds of cuts preceded the Sept. 26 layoffs. In April, 25 employees who handled phone sales, subscriptions and customer service were let go. On Sept. 18, more than a dozen employees across IT, communications and marketing lost their jobs.
After the April layoffs, IATSE filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board. The union argued the workers were fired in retaliation after it submitted grievances about alleged contract violations.
More than 1,000 people linked arms around the Kennedy Center on Sept. 18 in a protest organized by Hands Off the Arts, according to DC News Now. The center, at 2700 F St. NW, remains in an ongoing legal battle that began in December 2025 when the board voted to rename the venue the "Trump Kennedy Center." Ex-officio board member Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, sued Trump and fellow trustees; her lawsuit later expanded to contest a two-year closure.
U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper told center officials that the court must receive 30 days' notice before any plans to raze the building. No filing date for the union's planned legal action has been announced.
