IATSE Union President on Canceled Kennedy Center Shows: “Behind-The-Scenes Workers Need to Feed Our Families”

IATSE International President Matthew D. Loeb cautioned artists and producers against cancelling shows at the Kennedy Center citing the impact on wages for behind-the-scenes workers.

Loeb visited the Kennedy Center workforce, including stagehands, wardrobe professionals, makeup artists, scenic artists and ticket sellers, represented by the union this week. His visit, and statement to artists and producers, comes after a number of upcoming engagements were canceled at the Kennedy Center after President Trump overhauled the board and became chair.

“Behind-the-scenes workers need to feed our families and have neither participated in any decisions relating to booked content, nor have we considered social issues as a matter of whether we service a production in the history of our relationship at the Kennedy Center,” Loeb said. “We have a contract and fulfill our end of the deal. We are the best, safest, most experienced workforce available and we’ve worked in the building since it opened 53 years ago, throughout all the challenges and successes the institution has seen. It is our hope the Center can continue to offer the best to the public when it comes to promoting world-class productions, while protecting freedom of speech and expression, free of censorship in the spirit of foundational democratic values.” 

A number of artists and producers have canceled their shows at the Kennedy Center, including Issa Rae, who she was canceling due to “an infringement on the values of an institution that has faithfully celebrated artists of all backgrounds through all mediums,” and Hamilton, with the producer citing the firings of the Kennedy Center president and the chairman of the board, as well as the cancellation of programming at the center, as reasons to call off the 2026 engagement. 

The Kennedy Center issued its own statement saying that any cancellations have been done by the artists themselves or were due to “lack of sales or artist availability” rather than any political or programming changes.

“IATSE urges artists and producers to consider the workers behind the scenes who make world class live performances at the Kennedy Center possible,” the union said in a statement. 

“When productions walk away, it leaves more than just an empty stage — they leave behind critical opportunities for skilled middle-class workers to earn [a] living in the arts, and forego a chance to inspire American audiences at this historic institution.” 

In total, more than 20 shows have been canceled at the Kennedy Center since Trump was named chair Feb. 12. Ric Grenell, Trump’s former ambassador to Germany, has been named interim executive director and has said his goal is to “make art great again.”