View source for John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

{{Organization
|OrganizationName=John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
|OrganizationType=Cultural Institutions
|Mission=To present the broadest range of the highest quality performing arts, to nurture new works, and to reach out to all communities to engage them in the arts. The Center serves as the nation's living memorial to President John F. Kennedy.
|CreationLegislation=National Cultural Center Act of 1958
|Employees=1200
|Budget=$124 million (Fiscal Year 2019)
|OrganizationExecutive=President
|Services=Performing arts presentations; Educational programs; Community engagement initiatives
|HeadquartersLocation=38.89567, -77.05566
|HeadquartersAddress=2700 F St NW, Washington, DC 20566, USA
|Website=https://www.kennedy-center.org/
}}
{{Short description|Cultural center in Washington, D.C.}}
{{Redirect|Kennedy Center|the spaceport in Florida|Kennedy Space Center}}

The '''John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts''' (officially known as the '''John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts''', and commonly referred to as the '''Kennedy Center''') is the national cultural center of the [[United States]], located on the eastern bank of the [[Potomac River]] in [[Washington, D.C.]] It was named in 1964 as a memorial to [[Assassination of John F. Kennedy|assassinated President]] [[John F. Kennedy]]. Opened on September 8, 1971, the center hosts many different genres of performance art, such as theater, dance, classical music, [[jazz]], pop, [[Psychedelic music|psychedelic]], and [[folk music]]. It is the official residence of the National Symphony Orchestra and the Washington National Opera.

Authorized by the 1958 National Cultural Center Act of Congress,<ref name=sbccstw>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=tL9eAAAAIBAJ&pg=2328%2C3245154 |newspaper=[[Lewiston Morning Tribune]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |title=U.S. capital seeks to build culture center |date=October 21, 1962 |page=2}}</ref> which requires that its programming be sustained through private funds, the center represents a [[public–private partnership]]. Its activities include educational and outreach initiatives, almost entirely funded through ticket sales and gifts from individuals, corporations, and private foundations.

The original building, designed by architect {{nowrap|[[Edward Durell Stone]],<ref name=sbccstw/>}} was constructed by Philadelphia contractor [[John McShain]], and is administered as a bureau of the [[Smithsonian Institution]]. An earlier design proposal called for a more curvy, spaceship-inspired building similar to how the [[Watergate complex]] appears today.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://ghostsofdc.org/2022/03/02/kennedy-center-looked-like/| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220303165411/https://ghostsofdc.org/2022/03/02/kennedy-center-looked-like/| url-status=dead| archive-date=March 3, 2022| title=The Kennedy Center Could Have Looked Like This| last=Tom| date=February 24, 2014| website=Ghosts of DC| language=en-US| access-date=February 19, 2019}}</ref> An extension to the Durell Stone Building was designed by [[Steven Holl]] and opened in 2019. The center receives annual federal funding to pay for building maintenance and operation.

{{TOC limit|3}}

==History==
The idea for a national cultural center dates to 1933 when [[First Lady of the United States|First Lady]] [[Eleanor Roosevelt]] discussed ideas for the [[Federal Emergency Relief Administration|Emergency Relief and Civil Works Administration]] to create employment for [[unemployment|unemployed]] actors during the [[Great Depression]].<ref name="meersman-p527">{{cite journal |last=Meersman |first=Roger |title=The Kennedy Center: From Dream to Reality |journal=Records of the Columbia Historical Society |year=1980 |volume=50 |pages=527–528}}</ref> [[United States Congress|Congress]] held [[congressional hearing|hearings]] in 1935 on plans to establish a [[Cabinet of the United States|Cabinet level]] Department of Science, Art and Literature, and to build a monumental theater and arts building on [[Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.|Capitol Hill]] near the [[United States Supreme Court|Supreme Court]] building. A 1938 congressional resolution called for construction of a "public building which shall be known as the '''National Cultural Center'''" near [[Judiciary Square]], but nothing materialized.<ref name="meersman-p527"/>

The idea for a national theater resurfaced in 1950, when [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. Representative]] [[Arthur George Klein]] of New York introduced a bill to authorize funds to plan and build a cultural center. The bill included provisions that the center would prohibit any discrimination of cast or audience. In 1955, the [[SRI International|Stanford Research Institute]] was commissioned to select a site and provide design suggestions for the center.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.sri.com/about/timeline/timeline1.html| title=Timeline of SRI International Innovations: 1940s – 1950s| website=[[SRI International]]| access-date=July 1, 2012| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061129224242/http://www.sri.com/about/timeline/timeline1.html| archive-date=November 29, 2006| df=mdy-all}}</ref> From 1955 to 1958, Congress debated the idea amid much controversy. A bill was finally passed in Congress in the summer of 1958 and on September 4, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed into law the National Cultural Center Act which provided momentum for the project.<ref name="meersman-p529">{{cite journal |last=Meersman |first=Roger |title=The Kennedy Center: From Dream to Reality |journal=Records of the Columbia Historical Society |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/40067836 |year=1980 |volume=50 |page=529 |jstor=40067836 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>

This was the first time that the [[Federal government of the United States|federal government]] helped finance a structure dedicated to the performing arts. The legislation required a portion of the costs, estimated at $10–25 million, to be raised within five years of the bill's passage.<ref name="meersman-p541">{{cite journal |last=Meersman |first=Roger |title=The Kennedy Center: From Dream to Reality |journal=Records of the Columbia Historical Society |year=1980 |volume=50 |page=541}}</ref> Edward Durell Stone was selected as architect for the project in June 1959.<ref name="meersman-p542">{{cite journal |last=Meersman |first=Roger |title=The Kennedy Center: From Dream to Reality |journal=Records of the Columbia Historical Society |year=1980 |volume=50 |page=542}}</ref> He presented preliminary designs to the President's Music Committee in October 1959, along with estimated costs of $50 million, double the original estimates of $25–30 million. By November 1959, estimated costs had escalated to $61 million.<ref name="meersman-p543">{{cite journal |last=Meersman |first=Roger |title=The Kennedy Center: From Dream to Reality |journal=Records of the Columbia Historical Society |year=1980 |volume=50 |page=543}}</ref> Despite this, Stone's design was well received in editorials in ''[[The Washington Post]]'', ''[[Washington Star]]'', and quickly approved by the [[United States Commission of Fine Arts]], [[National Capital Planning Commission]], and the [[National Park Service]].<ref name="meersman-p544">{{cite journal |last=Meersman |first=Roger |title=The Kennedy Center: From Dream to Reality |journal=Records of the Columbia Historical Society |year=1980 |volume=50 |page=544}}</ref>

The National Cultural Center was renamed the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in 1964, following the [[John F. Kennedy assassination|assassination of President Kennedy]].<ref name="nyt-robertson">{{cite news |title=At Last, the Performances Begin |newspaper=The New York Times |last=Robertson |first=Nan |date=September 6, 1971 |author-link=Nan C. Robertson |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/09/07/archives/at-last-the-performances-begin.html |url-access=subscription  |access-date=November 4, 2014}}</ref>{{clear left}}

===Fundraising===
The National Cultural Center Board of Trustees, a group [[Dwight D. Eisenhower|President Eisenhower]] established on January 29, 1959, led fundraising.<ref name="meersman-p541"/> Fundraising efforts were not successful, with only $13,425 raised in the first three years.<ref name="meersman-p545">{{cite journal |last=Meersman |first=Roger |title=The Kennedy Center: From Dream to Reality |journal=Records of the Columbia Historical Society |year=1980 |volume=50 |page=545}}</ref> President John F. Kennedy was interested in bringing culture to the nation's capital, and provided leadership and support for the project.<ref name="nyt-09061971">{{cite news |title=Kennedy Arts Center Primps for Opening and Hopes to Make Profit |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/09/06/archives/kennedy-center-primps-for-washington-opening-kennedy-arts-center.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=September 6, 1971 |last=Lydon |first=Christopher |url-access=subscription }}</ref> In 1961, President Kennedy asked [[Roger L. Stevens (producer)|Roger L. Stevens]] to help develop the National Cultural Center, and serve as chairman of the Board of Trustees. Stevens recruited First Lady [[Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis|Jacqueline Kennedy]] as honorary chairman of the center, and former First Lady [[Mamie Eisenhower]] as co-chairman.<ref name="meersman-p546">{{cite journal |last=Meersman |first=Roger |title=The Kennedy Center: From Dream to Reality |journal=Records of the Columbia Historical Society |year=1980 |volume=50 |page=546}}</ref> In January 1961, [[Jarold A. Kieffer]] became the first Executive Director of the National Cultural Center, overseeing numerous fundraising efforts and assisting with the architectural plan.<ref>Press release [https://www.jfklibrary.org/about-us/news-and-press/press-releases/jfk-presidential-library-opens-papers-of-jarold-kieffer-first-executive-director-of-the-john-f-kenne "JFK Presidential Library Opens Papers of Jarold Kieffer First Executive Director of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts"]. May 8, 2006. ''The John F. Kennedy Library''. Retrieved: March 6, 2020</ref>

The total cost of construction was $70 million.<ref name="nyt-robertson" /> Congress allocated $43 million for construction costs, including $23 million as an outright [[Grant (money)|grant]] and the other $20 million in [[Bond (finance)|bonds]].<ref name="nyt-09061971"/> Donations also comprised a significant portion of funding, including $5 million from the [[Ford Foundation]], and approximately $500,000 from the [[Kennedy family]].<ref name="meersman-p564" /><ref name="nyt-09031971">{{cite news |title=Clamor Continues for Seats at Kennedy Center Opening |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9B05EFDE1338EF34BC4B53DFBF66838A669EDE |url-access=subscription  |work=The New York Times |date=September 3, 1971 |last=Curtis |first=Charlotte |author-link=Charlotte Curtis}}</ref> Other major donors included [[J. Willard Marriott]], [[Marjorie Merriweather Post]], [[John D. Rockefeller III]], and [[Robert W. Woodruff]], as well as many corporate donors.<ref name="nyt-09031971" /> Foreign countries provided gifts to the Kennedy Center, including a gift of 3,700 tons of [[Carrara marble]] from Italy (worth $1.5 million) from the [[government of Italy|Italian government]], which was used in the building's construction.<ref name="nyt-gifts">{{cite news |title=$3-Million in Gifts Adorn Center |newspaper=The New York Times |date=September 6, 1971 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/09/06/archives/3million-in-gifts-adorn-center.html |url-access=subscription}}</ref>

===Construction===
[[File:Gala opening of J.F.K. Performing Arts Center (Presidential box - Kennedy family, including Rose Kennedy) (cropped1).jpg|thumb|[[Rose Kennedy]] and [[Ted Kennedy]] in the presidential box during the center's opening gala on September 8, 1971]]

President Lyndon B. Johnson dug the ceremonial first-shovel of earth at the [[groundbreaking]] for the Kennedy Center December 2, 1964.<ref name="meersman-p560">{{cite journal |last=Meersman |first=Roger |title=The Kennedy Center: From Dream to Reality |journal=Records of the Columbia Historical Society |year=1980 |volume=50 |page=560}}</ref> However, debate continued for another year over the [[Foggy Bottom]] site, with some advocating for another location on [[Pennsylvania Avenue (Washington, D.C.)|Pennsylvania Avenue]].<ref name="meersman-p564">{{cite journal |last=Meersman |first=Roger |title=The Kennedy Center: From Dream to Reality |journal=Records of the Columbia Historical Society |year=1980 |volume=50 |page=564}}</ref> [[Earthworks (engineering)|Excavation]] of the site got underway on December 11, 1965, and the site was cleared by January 1967.<ref name="meersman-p568">{{cite journal |last=Meersman |first=Roger |title=The Kennedy Center: From Dream to Reality |journal=Records of the Columbia Historical Society |year=1980 |volume=50 |pages=568–569}}</ref>

The first performance was September 5, 1971, with 2,200 members of the general public in attendance to see a premiere of [[Leonard Bernstein]]'s ''[[Mass (theatre)|Mass]]'' in the Opera House,<ref name="nyt-robertson" /> while the center's official opening took place September 8, 1971, with a formal gala and premiere performance of the Bernstein ''Mass''.<ref name="nyt-09021971">{{cite news |title=Kennedy Hall Gets Acoustics Workout | work=The New York Times |date=September 2, 1971 |author-link=Harold C. Schonberg| last=Schonberg |first=Harold C. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/09/02/archives/kennedy-hall-gets-acoustics-workout.html |url-access=subscription}}</ref> The Concert Hall was inaugurated September 9, 1971, with a performance by the [[National Symphony Orchestra (United States)|National Symphony Orchestra]] conducted by [[Antal Doráti]].<ref name="nyt-09021971" /> [[Alberto Ginastera]]'s opera, ''[[Beatrix Cenci]]'' premiered at the Kennedy Center Opera House September 10, 1971. The Eisenhower Theater was inaugurated October 18, 1971, with a performance of ''[[A Doll's House]]'' starring [[Claire Bloom]].<ref name="chitrib">{{cite news |title=Eisenhower Theater Opening Performance Seen by Nixons| newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]| date=October 19, 1971| last=Hutchinson| first=Louise| url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1971/10/19/page/9/article/eisenhower-theater-opening-performance-seen-by-nixons}}</ref>

==Architecture==
Architect [[Edward Durell Stone]] designed the Kennedy Center.<ref name="weeks">{{cite book |title=AIA Guide to the Architecture of Washington, D.C. |url=https://archive.org/details/aiaguidetoarchit00week |url-access=registration |edition=Third |publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press |year=1994 |last=Weeks |first=Christopher|isbn=978-0-8018-4713-4}}</ref> Overall, the building is {{convert|100|ft}} high, {{convert|630|ft}} long, and {{convert|300|ft}} wide. The Kennedy Center features a {{convert|630|ft|m|adj=mid|-long}}, {{convert|63|ft|m|adj=mid|-high}} grand foyer, with 16 hand-blown [[Orrefors glassworks|Orrefors crystal]] chandeliers (a gift from Sweden) and [[red carpet]]ing. The Hall of States and the Hall of Nations are both {{convert|250|ft|m|adj=mid|-long}}, {{convert|63|ft|m|adj=mid|-high}} corridors. The building has drawn criticism about its location (far away from [[Washington Metro]] stops), and for its scale and [[visual appearance|form]], although it has also drawn praise for its [[acoustics]], and its [[Terrace (building)|terrace]] overlooking the Potomac River.<ref name="weeks" /> In her book ''On Architecture'', [[Ada Louise Huxtable]] called it "[[Gemütlichkeit|gemütlich]] [[Albert Speer|Speer]]".<ref name=Huxtable>{{cite book| first=Ada Louise| last=Huxtable| author-link=Ada Louise Huxtable| page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780802717078/page/82 82]| title=On Architecture: Collected Reflections on a Century of Change| publisher=Bloomsbury| year=2008| isbn=978-0-8027-1707-8| url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780802717078/page/82| url-access=subscription}}</ref>

[[Cyril M. Harris]] designed the Kennedy Center's auditoriums and their acoustics.<ref name=Roth>{{cite book |title=A Concise History of American Architecture |last=Roth |first=Leland M. |year=1982 |publisher=Westview Press |isbn=978-0-0643-0086-5 |page=[https://archive.org/details/concisehistoryof0000roth/page/337 337] |url=https://archive.org/details/concisehistoryof0000roth/page/337 }}</ref> A key consideration is that many aircraft fly along the Potomac River and over the Kennedy Center, as they take off and land at the nearby [[Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport]]. [[Helicopter]] traffic over the Kennedy Center is also fairly high. To keep out this noise, the Kennedy Center was designed as a box within a box, giving each auditorium an extra outer shell.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Science and Applications of Acoustics |last=Raichel |first=Daniel R. |publisher=Springer |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-3879-8907-5 |page=[https://archive.org/details/scienceapplicati0000raic/page/252 252] |url=https://archive.org/details/scienceapplicati0000raic/page/252 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>

After the original structure was marked for expansion, a competition in 2013 selected [[Steven Holl|Steven Holl Architects]] to undertake the design.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.archdaily.com/791873/steven-holl-recieves-approval-for-kennedy-center-pedestrian-bridge|title=Steven Holl Receives Approval for Kennedy Center Pedestrian Bridge|date=July 31, 2016|work=ArchDaily|access-date=May 9, 2018|language=en-US}}</ref> The extension, called The REACH, opened in 2019.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.kennedy-center.org/video/center/other/2019/welcome-to-the-reach--the-kennedy-center/#:~:text=The%20REACH%20opens%20to%20the,explore%20Washington's%20newest%20cultural%20destination.| title=Welcome to the REACH| website=The Kennedy Center|  access-date=September 20, 2023}}</ref>

===Artwork===
The plaza entrance of the Kennedy Center features two [[Wikt:tableau|tableaus]] by German sculptor [[:de:Jürgen Weber (Bildhauer)|Jürgen Weber]]; created between 1965 and 1971, which were a gift to the Kennedy Center from the [[West German]] government. Near the north end of the plaza is a display of nude figures in scenes representing [[war and peace]], called ''War or Peace''. The piece, {{convert|8|×|50|×|1.5|ft|m|abbr=on}}, depicts five scenes showing the symbolism of war and peace: a war scene, murder, family, and creativity.<ref name="SOS">{{cite web |year=1994 |title=War or Peace, (sculpture) |work=Save Outdoor Sculpture, District of Columbia survey |publisher=Smithsonian Institution |url=http://siris-artinventories.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?&profile=all&source=~!siartinventories&uri=full=3100001~!322453~!0#focus |access-date=November 4, 2014}}</ref> At the south end is ''America'' which represents Weber's image of America (8 × 50 × 1.5&nbsp;ft.). Four scenes are depicted representing threats to liberty, technology, foreign aid and survival, and free speech.<ref name="SOS2" /> It took the artist four years to sculpt the two reliefs in plaster, creating 200 castings, and another two years for the foundry in [[Berlin]] to cast the pieces. In 1994, the [[Smithsonian Institution]]'s [[Save Outdoor Sculpture!]] program surveyed ''War or Peace'' and ''America'' and described them as being well maintained.<ref name="SOS" /><ref name="SOS2">{{cite web |year=1994 |title=America, (sculpture) |work=Save Outdoor Sculpture, District of Columbia survey |publisher=Smithsonian Institution |url=http://siris-artinventories.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?&profile=all&source=~!siartinventories&uri=full=3100001~!322452~!0#focus |access-date=November 4, 2014}}</ref> Another sculpture ''[[Don Quixote (Teno)|Don Quixote]]'' by Aurelio Teno occupies a site near the northeast corner of the building. [[King Juan Carlos I]] and [[Queen Sofia of Spain]] gave the sculpture to the United States for its [[United States Bicentennial|Bicentennial]], June 3, 1976.<ref name=SHJ>{{cite news |agency=[[Associated Press]] |date=May 9, 1976 |title=Kennedy Unit to Get King's Gift |newspaper=[[Spartanburg Herald-Journal]] |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=VEEsAAAAIBAJ&pg=4641%2C1619537 |access-date=November 4, 2014}}</ref>

==Venues==
The Kennedy Center has three main theaters: the Concert Hall, the Opera House, and the Eisenhower Theater.

===Concert Hall===
The Concert Hall, located at the south end of the center, seats 2,465<ref name=":0">{{cite web |title=Theater Rentals |url=https://www.kennedy-center.org/rentals/theater-rentals/ |access-date=August 8, 2023 |website=The Kennedy Center |language=en}}</ref> including chorister seats and stage boxes, and has a seating arrangement similar to that used in many European halls such as [[Musikverein]] in Vienna. The Concert Hall is the largest performance space in the Kennedy Center and is the home of the [[National Symphony Orchestra (United States)|National Symphony Orchestra]]. A 1997 renovation brought a high-tech acoustical canopy, handicap-[[accessibility|accessible]] locations on every level, and new seating sections (onstage boxes, chorister seats, and parterre seats). The [[Hadeland Glassverk|Hadeland]] crystal chandeliers, given by the Norwegian government, were repositioned to provide a clearer view.<ref name="nyt-gifts" /> Canadian organbuilder [[Casavant Frères]] constructed and installed a new pipe organ in 2012.<ref name=Wakin>{{cite web| last=Wakin| first=Daniel J.| newspaper=The New York Times| url=http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/27/kennedy-center-to-replace-its-pipe-organ/| title=Kennedy Center to Replace Its Pipe Organ| date=September 27, 2011}}</ref>

===Opera House===
The Opera House, in the middle, has approximately 2,347<ref name=":0" /> seats. Its interior features include walls covered in red velvet, a distinctive red and gold silk curtain, given by the Japanese government, and [[J. & L. Lobmeyr|Lobmeyr]] crystal chandelier with matching pendants, a gift from the government of [[Austria]].<ref name="nyt-gifts" /> It is the major opera, ballet, and large-scale musical venue of the center, and closed during the 2003/2004 season for extensive renovations which provided a revised seating arrangement and redesigned entrances at the orchestra level.<ref>{{cite web| title=Kennedy Center Opera House Renovation| url=https://www.clarkconstruction.com/our-work/projects/kennedy-center-opera-house-renovation#:~:text=The%20renovation%20of%20Kennedy%20Center%27s%20Opera%20House%20included,an%20additional%20house%20elevator%20serving%20all%20lobby%20levels.| website=Clark Construction| access-date=July 22, 2022}}</ref> It is the home of the [[Washington National Opera]] and the annual [[Kennedy Center Honors]].

===Eisenhower Theater===
The Eisenhower Theater, on the north side, seats about 1,161<ref name=":0" /> and is named for President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who signed the National Cultural Center Act into law on September 2, 1958. It primarily hosts plays and musicals, smaller-scale operas, ballet, and contemporary dance. The theater contains an orchestra pit for up to 35 musicians that is convertible to a forestage or additional seating space. The venue reopened in October 2008, following a 16-month renovation which altered the color scheme and seating arrangements.

===Other performance venues===
Other performance venues in the center include:
* '''Justice Forum''' is a 144 seat<ref name=":0" /> lecture hall located at The Reach.  Intended for film screenings, presentations, and ensembles this space is equipped with projection screens and the seats have a table arm for note-taking,
* '''Millennium Stage'''. with 235 seats.  Part of the concept of "Performing Arts for Everyone" launched by Chairman [[James A. Johnson (businessman)|James Johnson]] in the winter of 1997, the Millennium Stage provides free performances at 6:00 pm Wednesday through Saturday on two specially created stages at either end of the Grand Foyer. A Millennium Stage film is shown at 3:00 pm on Sundays. A broad range of art forms are featured on the Millennium Stage. These include performing artists and groups from all 50 states and an Artist-in-Residence program featuring artists performing several evenings in a month. Every show on the Millennium Stage is available as a simulcast of the live show at 6:00 pm, and is archived for later viewing via the Kennedy Center's website.
* '''River Pavilion''' is a 268 capacity<ref name=":1">{{cite web |title=Rent the REACH |url=https://www.kennedy-center.org/rentals/rent-the-reach/ |access-date=August 8, 2023 |website=The Kennedy Center |language=en}}</ref> flexible interior space located at The Reach.  Complete with a cafe this space offers brilliant views of the Potomac River.  A wall of windows allows for natural sunlight and views of the reflecting pools and the Presidential Grove of Ginkgo trees.
* '''Room PT-109''' is a meeting space at The Reach with a capacity for 85.<ref name=":1" /> Great for meetings, dinners and conference breakout sessions.  This space overlooks the reflecting pool.
* '''Skylight Pavilion''' Located at The Reach and with capacity for 425<ref name=":1" /> this vaulted ceiling space offers expansive views of the river and hosts events, receptions and dinners under the multiple glass skylights.
* '''Studio F''' is large multipurpose rehearsal room located at The Reach.  This space is larger than Studio J with a capacity of 164.<ref name=":1" /> Equipped with ballet barres and mirrors this space can be a green room, rehearsal space, breakout room or used for a reception or dinner.
* '''Studio J''' is a multipurpose rehearsal room located at The Reach.  This space is complete with ballet barres mirrors.  Suitable for a green room, meeting space, reception, or dinner.  This space has a capacity of 50.<ref name=":1" />
* '''Studio K''' is the largest multipurpose room at The Reach.  With a capacity of 350<ref name=":1" /> this space contains a viewing balcony and can be used for a variety of events, performances, theater, or breakout sessions.  It is now home to the Kennedy Center Jazz Club.
* '''The Family Theater''', with 320<ref name=":1" /> seats, opened December 9, 2005. It replaced the former [[American Film Institute]] Theater located adjacent to the Hall of States. Designed by the architectural firm Richter Cornbrooks Gribble, Inc. of Baltimore, the new theater incorporates a computerized rigging system; and a digital video projection system.
* '''The Terrace Gallery'''. On March 12, 2003, the space formerly known as the Education Resource Center was officially designated the Terrace Gallery.
* '''The Terrace Theater''', with 490<ref name=":0" /> seats, was constructed on the roof terrace level in the late 1970s as a Bicentennial gift from the people of Japan to the United States. It is used for chamber music, ballet and contemporary dance, and theater. The theater was renovated between 2015 and 2019 to update finishes, systems and make the venue [[Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990|ADA]] compliant.<ref>{{cite news| title=A Beloved Theater within the Kennedy Center Is Updated to Rave Reviews| url=https://www.retrofitmagazine.com/a-beloved-theater-within-the-kennedy-center-is-updated-to-rave-reviews/| first=Nathan M.| last=Gillette| magazine=Retrofit| date=November 4, 2019| access-date=July 22, 2022}}</ref>
* '''The Theater Lab''', with 399 seats, currently houses the whodunit ''[[Shear Madness]]'' which has been playing continuously since August 1987.

===River and rooftop terraces===
The Kennedy Center offers one of the few open-air rooftop terraces in Washington, D.C.; it is free of charge to the public from 10:00&nbsp;a.m. until midnight each day, except when closed for private events. The wide terrace provides views in all four directions overlooking the [[Rosslyn, Arlington, Virginia|Rosslyn]] skyline in [[Arlington County, Virginia]], to the west; the Potomac River and National Airport to the south; the Washington Harbor and the Watergate complex to the north; and the [[Lincoln Memorial]], [[Department of State]] buildings, [[George Washington University]] and the [[Saudi Arabia|Saudi]] embassy to the east.

[[File:John F. Kennedy Center, interior 000 0017.jpg|thumb|upright|The Grand Foyer, at {{convert|63|ft|m}} high and {{convert|630|ft|m}} long, is one of the largest rooms in the world.{{cn|date=March 2024}} If laid on its side, the [[Washington Monument]] would fit in this room with {{convert|75|ft|m}} to spare.]]

==Productions==
{{more citations needed section|date=September 2011}}

===Dance===
World premiere performances of Kennedy Center-commissioned works have been offered through a commissioning program for new ballet and dance works. These works have been created by America's foremost choreographers—Paul Taylor, [[Lar Lubovitch]], and Merce Cunningham—for leading American dance companies including [[American Ballet Theatre]], [[Ballet West]], [[Houston Ballet]], [[Pacific Northwest Ballet]], [[Pennsylvania Ballet]], and the [[San Francisco Ballet]]. The Kennedy Center formerly supported and produced the [[Suzanne Farrell Ballet]] in performances at the center and on extended tours.

The center sponsors two annual dance residency programs for young people; Exploring Ballet with Suzanne Farrell and the Dance Theatre of Harlem Residency Program, both now in their second decade. The Kennedy Center's Contemporary Dance series offers a wide range of artistic perspectives, from the foremost masters of the genre to the art form's newest and most exciting artists. In the 2008/2009 series, the Kennedy Center recognized Modern Masters of American Dance, bringing [[Martha Graham Dance Company]], [[Merce Cunningham Dance Company]], [[José Limón|Limón Dance Company]], [[Mark Morris Dance Group]], [[Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater]], [[Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company]] and [[Paul Taylor Dance Company]].

The Center is known for its annual production of the ballet "[[The Nutcracker]]". Over the years, it has been performed by various different companies throughout the United States. The [[Kansas City Ballet]] performed "The Nutcracker" at the Kennedy Center in November 2022.<ref>{{cite news| title=Christmas whirls into town with Kansas City Ballet's 'The Nutcracker'| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/theater-dance/2022/11/24/nutcracker-review-kansas-city-ballet-kennedy-center/| first=Sarah L.| last=Kaufman| date=November 24, 2022| newspaper=The Washington Post| access-date=September 20, 2023}}</ref>

===Public education===
In recent years the Kennedy Center has expanded its public education programs nationwide. The 2005 opening of the Family Theater has helped achieve this.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Billy Taylor's Jazz – The Kennedy Center |url=https://legacy.npr.org/programs/btaylor/btaylor/kenctr.html |access-date=February 10, 2024 |website=legacy.npr.org}}</ref>

====Performances for Young Audiences====
;Theater for Young Audiences (TYA)
The 2008–2009 season programming for Performances for Young Audiences reached more than 100 performances for young people and their families and over 110 performances for school audiences. The season included four Kennedy Center-commissioned world premieres: ''The Trumpet of the Swan'', a musical adapted by [[Pulitzer Prize]] winner [[Marsha Norman]] from the book by E.B. White with music by [[Jason Robert Brown]];'' Mermaids, Monsters, and the World Painted Purple'', a new play by Marco Ramirez; ''Unleashed! The Secret Lives of White House Pets'', a new play by Allyson Currin in collaboration with the White House Historical Association; and ''OMAN...O man!'', a new dance production conceived and directed by [[Debbie Allen]] and is part of the center's Arab festival, ''Arabesque: Arts of the Arab World''. Theater for Young Audiences on Tour toured with two nationally touring productions of ''[[The Phantom Tollbooth]]'' and ''Blues Journey''.

On June 8, 2016, it was announced that the Kennedy Center Theater for Young Audiences-commissioned musical Elephant & Piggie's We are in a Play!, with book and lyrics by [[Mo Willems]] and music by Deborah Wicks La Puma, transferred to the Off-Broadway [[New Victory Theater]] in January 2017.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.broadwayworld.com/off-broadway/article/New-Season-Announced-for-New-Victory-Theater-20160607 |title=New Season Announced for New Victory Theater |first=Marianka |last=Swain |website=[[BroadwayWorld]]| date=June 7, 2016| access-date=July 22, 2022}}</ref>

;National Symphony Orchestra Performances for Young Audiences
Members of the National Symphony Orchestra will continue to present Teddy Bear Concerts throughout its seasons. During these concerts, children aged three to five bring their favorite stuffed animal to interactive musical programs featuring members of the NSO. Members of the NSO present NSO Ensemble Concerts, connecting music with various school subjects such as science and math, Kinderkonzerts, introducing kids to orchestral instruments and classical composers, as well as NSO Family Concerts.

====Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF)====
Started in 1969 by Roger L. Stevens, the Kennedy Center's founding chairman, the [[Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival]] (KCACTF) is a national theater program involving 18,000 students from colleges and universities nationwide which has served as a catalyst in improving the quality of college theater in the United States. The KCACTF has grown into a network of more than 600 academic institutions throughout the country, where theater departments and student artists showcase their work and receive outside assessment by KCACTF respondents. Since its establishment in 1969, KCACTF has reached more than 17.5 million theatergoing students and teachers nationwide.

====Changing Education Through the Arts (CETA)====
The Kennedy Center's CETA program's mission is make the arts a critical component in every child's education. CETA, which stands for Changing Education Through the Arts, creates professional development opportunities for teachers and school administrators. Each year over 700 teachers participate in approximately 60 courses that focus on ways to integrate the arts into their teaching.<ref>{{cite web| title=Ceta: Program Overview| url=http://www.kennedy-center.org/education/ceta/overview.html| access-date=December 18, 2011}}</ref> The Kennedy Center's CETA program also partners with sixteen schools in the Washington DC Metro area to develop long-range plan for arts integration at their school. Two of these schools, [http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/parkwoodes/ Kensington Parkwood Elementary School] in Kensington, MD and [https://web.archive.org/web/20120322023028/http://www.fcps.edu/WoodburnES/woodburn_arts_integration.html Woodburn Elementary School for the Fine and Communicative Arts] in Falls Church, Virginia serve as Research and Development schools for CETA.

====Exploring Ballet with Suzanne Farrell (EBSF)====
Exploring Ballet with Suzanne Farrell is a three-week summer ballet intensive for international pre-professional ballerinas ages 14–18. [[Suzanne Farrell]], one of the most revered ballerinas of the 20th century, has been hosting this [[Balanchine]]-inspired intensive at the Kennedy Center since 1993.<ref name="kennedy-center.org">{{cite web| title=Exploring Ballet with Suzanne Farrell| url=http://www.kennedy-center.org/education/farrell/| access-date=July 16, 2015| website=The Kennedy Center}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| title=Dance Spotlight: Learning Curve| first=Amy| last=Brandt| url=https://pointemagazine.com/issuesdecemberjanuary-2011dancer-spotlight-learning-curve/| magazine=[[Pointe (magazine)|Pointe]]| date=November 17, 2010| access-date=July 22, 2022| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150717131713/http://www.pointemagazine.com/issues/decemberjanuary-2011/dancer-spotlight-learning-curve| archive-date=July 17, 2015| df=mdy-all}}</ref> During their three weeks in Washington, D.C., Farrell's students practice technique and choreography during twice daily classes, six days per week. Outside of the classroom, excursions, activities and performance events are planned for EBSF students to fully immerse themselves in the culture of the nation's capital.<ref name="kennedy-center.org"/>

====Art and Ideals : President John F. Kennedy====
Opened in September 2022, ''Art and Ideals : President John F. Kennedy'', is a permanent exhibit dedicated to President John F. Kennedy's relationship with art.<ref name="WPArtsandIdeals">{{cite news |last1=Hahn |first1=Fritz |title=A new Kennedy Center exhibition shows JFK's love of the arts |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/09/20/jfk-exhibit-kennedy-center/ |access-date=January 28, 2024 |agency=[[Washington Post]] |date=September 20, 2022}}</ref> The exhibit has four sections, each explaining the role art played in culture, democracy, social change, and the [[White House]] during Kennedy's presidency.<ref name="Rudig">{{cite news |last1=Rudig |first1=Stephenie |title=Kennedy Center Unveils New Permanent, Interactive Exhibit Honoring JFK |url=https://dcist.com/story/22/09/09/kennedy-center-new-permanent-exhibit-honoring-jfk/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220909175101/https://dcist.com/story/22/09/09/kennedy-center-new-permanent-exhibit-honoring-jfk/ |url-status=live |archive-date=September 9, 2022 |access-date=January 28, 2024 |agency=dcist |date=September 9, 2022}}</ref><ref name="Highlights">{{cite web |title=Highlights |url=https://www.kennedy-center.org/memorial/jfk/highlights/ |website=The Kennedy Center |access-date=January 28, 2024}}</ref> The exhibit was designed by architectural firm [[KieranTimberlake]], curator Ileen Gallahger, and a committee of five U.S. historians.<ref name="Pentagran">{{cite web |title='Art and Ideals: President John F. Kennedy' |url=https://www.pentagram.com/work/art-and-ideals-president-john-f-kennedy/story |website=Pentagram |access-date=January 28, 2024}}</ref>

===Festivals===
The Kennedy Center presents festivals celebrating cities, countries, and regions of the world. The festivals are filled with a wide range of performing arts, visual arts, cuisine, and multi-media. In 2008, the center presented an exploration of the culture of Japan entitled ''Japan! culture + hyperculture''. The 2009 Arab festival was an unprecedented exploration of the culture of the 22 Arab countries in the League of Arab States, titled ''Arabesque: Arts of the Arab World''. In 2011, the Kennedy Center presented ''maximum INDIA'', a three-week-long celebration of the arts and culture of the sub-continent.

===Jazz===
Since its establishment in September 1971, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has showcased jazz in solo, various ensembles, and big band settings. In 1994, the Kennedy Center appointed Dr. [[Billy Taylor]] as Artistic Advisor for Jazz, and his first installation was his own radio show ''Billy Taylor's Jazz at the Kennedy Center''. Featuring his trio and guest artists in performance and discussion, the series ran for seven seasons on [[NPR]]. Since Taylor's appointment in 1994, the center has initiated numerous performance programs to promote jazz on a national stage, featuring leading international artists and rising stars, including: the [[Art Tatum]] Piano Panorama, named after Dr. Taylor's mentor; the [[Louis Armstrong]] Legacy, highlighting vocalists; the [[Mary Lou Williams]] Women in Jazz Festival, the first festival by a major institution promoting outstanding female jazz artists; Beyond Category, featuring artists whose work transcends genre; the Platinum Series, with internationally acclaimed headliners; Jazz Ambassadors with the [[United States Department of State]], sending musicians on worldwide goodwill tours (1998–2004); the KC Jazz Club, a highly praised intimate setting; and Discovery Artists in the KC Jazz Club, highlighting up-and-coming talent. Kennedy Center and NPR annually collaborated on the beloved holiday broadcast 'NPR's Piano Jazz Christmas', until the retirement of host Marian McPartland, and hence the show, in 2011. Since 2003, the center's jazz programs have been regularly broadcast on NPR's ''JazzSet'' with [[Dee Dee Bridgewater]]. Recent highlights, produced by the center, have included ''Great Vibes, A Salute to [[Lionel Hampton]]'' (1995); ''Billy Taylor's 80th Birthday Celebration'' (2002); ''[[Nancy Wilson (jazz singer)|Nancy Wilson]], A Career Celebration'' (2003); ''[[Michel Legrand]] with [[Patti Austin]]'', part of the center's Festival of France (2004); ''A Tribute to [[Shirley Horn]]'' (2004); ''[[James Moody (saxophonist)|James Moody]]'s 80th Birthday'' (2005); and ''[[Benny Golson]] at 80'' (2009). In March 2007, the center hosted a once-in-a-lifetime celebration, Jazz in Our Time, which bestowed the center's Living Jazz Legend Award to over 30 revered artists. During Dr. Taylor's tenure, the center has created recognized educational initiatives, including national jazz satellite distance-learning programs; adult lecture series; master classes and workshops with national artists and local metropolitan Washington, D.C. students; and [[Betty Carter]]'s Jazz Ahead—continuing the singer's legacy of identifying outstanding young talent. In 2015, [[Lady Gaga]] and [[Tony Bennett]] performed there as part of their [[Cheek to Cheek Tour]].<ref>{{cite news| title=Lady Gaga Surprises Tony Bennett Onstage with a Massive Cake for His 89th Birthday| first=Lindsay| last=Kimble| date=August 2, 2015| url=https://people.com/celebrity/lady-gaga-surprises-tony-bennett-onstage-with-a-massive-cake-for-his-89th-birthday/| magazine=[[People (magazine)|People]]| access-date=July 22, 2022}}</ref>

===National Symphony Orchestra (NSO)===
[[File:2009 05 17 - 6179 - Washington DC - Kennedy Center.jpg|thumb|The National Symphony Orchestra playing in the Kennedy Center in 2009.]]
The [[National Symphony Orchestra]], the Kennedy Center's artistic affiliate since 1987, has commissioned dozens of new works, among them [[Stephen Albert]]'s ''RiverRun'', which won the Pulitzer Prize for Music; [[Morton Gould]]'s ''[[Stringmusic]]'', also a Pulitzer Prize-winner; [[William Bolcom]]'s Sixth Symphony, [[Roger Reynolds]]'s ''george WASHINGTON'', and [[Michael Daugherty]]'s ''UFO'', a concerto for solo percussion and orchestra.

In addition to its regular season concerts, the National Symphony Orchestra presents outreach, education, and pops programs, as well as concerts at [[Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts|Wolf Trap]] each year. The annual American Residencies for the Kennedy Center is a program unique to the National Symphony Orchestra and the center. The center sends the Orchestra to a different state each year for an intensive period of performances and teaching encompassing full orchestral, chamber, and solo concerts, master classes and other teaching sessions. The Orchestra has given these residencies in 20 states so far: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, North and South Carolina, Oklahoma, North and South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Nevada, and Wyoming/Montana.

The NSO recording of [[John Corigliano]]'s ''Of Rage and Remembrance'' won a [[Grammy Award]] in 1996.

===Performing Arts for Everyone (PAFE)===
The Kennedy Center is the only U.S. institution that presents a free performance 365 days a year, daily at 6pm (12 noon on December 24). The Millennium Stage, created as part of the center's Performing Arts for Everyone initiative in 1997 and underwritten by [[James A. Johnson (businessman)|James A. Johnson]] and [[Maxine Isaacs]], features a broad spectrum of performing arts, from dance and jazz, to chamber music and folk, comedy, storytelling and theater. In the past twelve years, over three million people have attended Millennium Stage performances. The Millennium Stage has presented more than 42,000 artists, which includes over 4,000 international artists from more than 70 countries; performers representing all 50 states; and 20,000 Washington-area ensembles and solo artists. The Charlie Byrd Trio and the Billy Taylor Trio were the first artists to delight audiences with a free performance on March 1, 1997. In 1999, the center began web-casting each night's live performance, and continues to archive and maintain each event in a database of over 3,000 performances which may be accessed via the center's website. Performing Arts for Everyone initiatives also include low- and no-cost tickets available to performances on every stage of the Kennedy Center, and several outreach programs designed to increase access to Kennedy Center tickets and performances.

====The Conservatory Project====
An initiative of the Millennium Stage, the Conservatory Project is a semi-annual event occurring in February and May that is designed to present the best young musical artists in classical, jazz, musical theater, and opera from leading undergraduate and graduate conservatories, colleges and universities.

=== Artist Residencies ===
The Kennedy Center hosts residencies for artists to collaborate with the center's performing ensembles, programmers, and community initiatives. The center holds positions for Composer-in-Residence, Education Artist-in-Residence, and Culture Artist-in-Residence. The current artists-in-residence are [[The Roots]], author [[Jacqueline Woodson]], composer [[Carlos Simon (composer)|Carlos Simon]], and pianist [[Robert Glasper]].<ref>{{cite press release |title=Kennedy Center Unveils 50th Anniversary Season, Including a Fall Reopening |website=The Kennedy Center |url=https://www.kennedy-center.org/press-releases/50th-anniversary-season/ |date=April 6, 2021 |access-date=July 22, 2022 |language=en}}</ref>

===Theater===
The center has co-produced more than 300 new works of theater over the past 43 years, including Tony-winning shows ranging from ''[[Annie (musical)|Annie]]'' in 1977 to ''[[A Few Good Men (play)|A Few Good Men]]'', ''[[How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (musical)|How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying]]'', ''[[The King and I]]'', ''[[Titanic (musical)|Titanic]]'', and the American premiere of ''[[Les Misérables (musical)|Les Misérables]]''. The center also produced the ''Sondheim Celebration'' (six [[Stephen Sondheim]] musicals) in 2002, ''Tennessee Williams Explored'' (three of [[Tennessee Williams]]' classic plays) in 2004, ''[[Mame (musical)|Mame]]'' starring Christine Baranski in 2006, ''[[Carnival!]]'' in 2007, [[August Wilson]]'s ''Pittsburgh Cycle'' (Wilson's complete ten-play cycle performed as fully staged readings) and ''[[Broadway: Three Generations]]'' both in 2008, and a new production of ''[[Ragtime (musical)|Ragtime]]'' in 2009. The Kennedy Center Fund for New American Plays has provided critical support in the development of 135 new theatrical works. In 2011, a new production of ''[[Follies]]'' starring [[Bernadette Peters]] opened at the Eisenhower Theater, and transferred to [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] that fall.<ref>{{cite news| title=Kennedy Center Follies Will Transfer to Broadway's Marquis Theatre| last=Gans| first=Andrew| date=June 15, 2011| url=https://www.playbill.com/article/kennedy-center-follies-will-transfer-to-broadways-marquis-theatre-com-180130| magazine=[[Playbill]]| access-date=July 22, 2022}}</ref>

===Kennedy Center Honors===
[[File:Photograph of President William Jefferson Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton Attending the Kennedy Center Honors Gala at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. - NARA - 5722475.jpg|thumb|President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton attending the Kennedy Center Honors in December 2000]]
{{Main|Kennedy Center Honors}}

Since 1978, the Kennedy Center Honors have been awarded annually by the center[[#Management|'s Board of Trustees]]. Each year, five artists or groups are honored for their lifetime contributions to American culture and the performing arts, including dance, music, theater, opera, film, and television.<ref>{{cite news |title=Kennedy nods to Douglas, Gould |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |date=September 8, 1994 |author=Boliek, Brooks}}</ref>

===Mark Twain Prize for American Humor===
{{Main|Mark Twain Prize for American Humor}}

The Kennedy Center has awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor annually since 1998. Named after the 19th-century humorist [[Mark Twain]], it is presented to individuals who have "had an impact on American society in ways similar to" Twain.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.kennedy-center.org/whats-on/marktwain/ |title=The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for Humor |website=The Kennedy Center |access-date=March 29, 2020}}</ref>

===Local performing arts organizations===
Many local arts organizations present (or have presented) their work at the Kennedy Center. Some of these include:
{{Div col|colwidth=20em|rules=yes}}
* [[American Film Institute]]
* [[The Washington Chorus]]
* [[Cathedral Choral Society|The Cathedral Choral Society of Washington]]
* [[Choral Arts Society of Washington]]
* [[Opera Lafayette]]
* [[VSA (Kennedy Center)|VSA arts]]
* [[The Washington Ballet]]
* [[Washington Concert Opera]]
* [[Washington National Opera]]
* Washington Performing Arts Society<ref>[http://www.wpas.org Washington Performing Arts Society website]</ref>
* [[Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company]]
* [[Young Concert Artists]] of Washington<ref>[http://www.yca.org Young Concert Artists of Washington website]</ref>
{{Div col end}}

===Other events===
The Kennedy Center regularly hosts special [[Inauguration Day]] events and [[wikt:gala|gala]]s during the start of each presidential term.

During the [[United States Bicentennial]], the Kennedy Center hosted numerous special events throughout 1976, including six commissioned plays.<ref>{{cite news| title=Bicentennial Hailed for Its Legacies| newspaper=The Washington Post| date=January 1, 1977| last=Darling| first=Lynn| url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/146897971| access-date=November 4, 2014| url-access=subscription| archive-date=October 18, 2016| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161018222932/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost_historical/doc/146897971.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Jan+1,+1977&author=By+Lynn+DarlingWashington+Post+Staff+Writer&desc=Bicentennial+Hailed+for+Its+Legacies| url-status=live}}</ref> The center hosted free performances by groups from each state.<ref>{{cite news| title=Critics' Roundtable The Arts: Poised for 1977| newspaper=The Washington Post| date=January 2, 1977| url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/146839919| access-date=November 4, 2014| url-access=subscription| archive-date=October 18, 2016| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161018222446/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost_historical/doc/146839919.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS%3AAI&type=historic&date=Jan+2%2C+1977&author=&pub=The+Washington+Post+%281974-Current+file%29&edition=&startpage=&desc=Critics%27+Roundtable| url-status=live}}</ref> In December 1976, [[Mikhail Baryshnikov]]'s version of ''[[The Nutcracker]]'' ballet played for two weeks.<ref>{{cite news| title=The New ''Nutcracker'': An Artistic Coup| newspaper=The Washington Post| date=January 2, 1977| last=Kriegsman| first=Alan M.| author-link=Alan M. Kriegsman| url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/146839008| access-date=November 4, 2014| url-access=subscription| archive-date=October 18, 2016| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161018204158/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost_historical/doc/146839008.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS%3AAI&type=historic&date=Jan+2%2C+1977&author=By+Alan+M.+Kriegsman&pub=The+Washington+Post+%281974-Current+file%29&edition=&startpage=&desc=The+New+%27Nutcracker%27%3A+An+Artistic+Coup| url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1977, the Opera House hosted [[George Bernard Shaw]]'s ''[[Caesar and Cleopatra (play)|Caesar and Cleopatra]]'' with [[Rex Harrison]] and [[Elizabeth Ashley]].<ref>{{cite news| title=Rex Harrison: 'The World Was A Rather Different Place Then'| newspaper=The Washington Post| date=January 12, 1977| last=Quinn| first=Sally| url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/146848681| access-date=November 4, 2014| url-access=subscription| archive-date=October 18, 2016| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161018202719/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost_historical/doc/146848681.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS%3AAI&type=historic&date=Jan+12%2C+1977&author=By+Sally+Quinn&pub=The+Washington+Post+%281974-Current+file%29&edition=&startpage=&desc=Rex+Harrison%3A+%27The+World+Was+A+Rather+Different+Place+Then%27...| url-status=live}}</ref> The [[American Ballet Theatre]] has also frequently performed at the Kennedy Center.<ref>{{cite news| title=ABT's Final Weekend: Upbeat Performances| newspaper=The Washington Post| date=April 11, 1977| last=Kriegsman| first=Alan M.| url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/146740403| access-date=November 4, 2014| url-access=subscription| archive-date=October 18, 2016| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161018222936/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost_historical/doc/146740403.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Apr+11%2C+1977&author=Alan+M.+KriegsmanJoseph+McLellanLarry+Rohter&desc=ABT%27s+Final+Weekend%3A+Upbeat| url-status=live}}</ref> The troupe's 2004 production of ''[[Swan Lake]]'', choreographed by [[Kevin McKenzie (dancer)|Kevin McKenzie]], was taped there, shown on [[PBS]] in June 2005, and released on DVD shortly after. Productions of ''[[The Lion King (musical)|The Lion King]]'' and [[Trevor Nunn]]'s production of ''[[My Fair Lady]]'' (choreographed by [[Matthew Bourne]]) were presented in the 2007–2008 season, to name a few.<ref name="smith">{{cite news |url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/music/bal-kennedy0306,0,4741807.story?coll=bal-artslife-music |title=Kennedy Center announces details of 2007–2008 season |last=Smith |first=Tim |date=March 6, 2007 |newspaper=[[The Baltimore Sun]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070324155041/http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/music/bal-kennedy0306,0,4741807.story?coll=bal-artslife-music |archive-date=March 24, 2007 }}</ref>

''The Kennedy Center at 50'', a concert to celebrate the center's 50th anniversary, was held on September 14, 2021, and aired on [[PBS]] on October 1, 2021. [[Audra McDonald]] hosted, and First lady [[Jill Biden]] gave opening remarks.<ref>Marsh, Kayla (September 16, 2021). [https://districtfray.com/articles/kennedy-center-50th-anniversary-celebration-concert "All Is Bright Again: Inside The Kennedy Center's Star-Studded 50th Anniversary Celebration Concert"]. ''District Fray''. and Hampton, Olivia (September 16, 2021). [https://dcmetrotheaterarts.com/2021/09/16/stars-shine-for-kennedy-center-50th-anniversary-show "Stars shine for Kennedy Center 50th anniversary show"]. ''DC Metro Theater Arts''.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pbs.org/video/the-kennedy-center-at-50-jiarci/ |title=The Kennedy Center at 50 |date=October 1, 2021 |work=[[PBS]]}}</ref>

==Millennium Stage Archives==
[[File:First Lady Melania Trump at the Kennedy Center (48415137691).jpg|thumb|upright|The Millennium Stage in 2019]]
The Kennedy Center stages free daily performances on its '''Millennium Stage''' in the '''Grand Foyer'''. Featured on the Millennium Stage are a range of art forms, including performing artists and groups.

The two theaters of The Millennium Stage are equipped with lights, sound systems, and cameras. Every free event performed at this stage is recorded and archived on the Kennedy Center's website. These archives have been available to the public for free since 2009.<ref>{{cite web| title=Millennium Stage| url=https://www.kennedy-center.org/whats-on/millennium-stage/| website=The Kennedy Center| access-date=December 28, 2023}}</ref>

==VSA==
{{main|VSA (Kennedy Center)}}[[File:Kennedy center at night.jpg|thumb|Kennedy Center at night]]VSA (formerly VSA arts) is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1974 by Ambassador [[Jean Kennedy Smith]] to create a society where people with disabilities learn through, participate in, and enjoy the arts. VSA provides educators, parents, and artists with resources and the tools to support arts programming in schools and communities. VSA showcases the accomplishments of artists with disabilities and promotes increased access to the arts for people with disabilities. Each year 7 million people participate in VSA programs through a nationwide network of affiliates and in 54 countries around the world. Affiliated with the Kennedy Center since 2005, VSA was officially merged into the organization in 2011 to become part of the center's Department of VSA and Accessibility.

==Renovations and expansion==
On June 16, 1971, Congress authorized appropriations for one year to the Board of Trustees for operating and maintenance expenses. In following years, the appropriations were provided to the National Park Service for operations, maintenance, security, safety and other functions not directly related to the performing arts activities.<ref name="gao1993-p2">{{cite web |url=http://archive.gao.gov/d36t11/148480.pdf |author=General Accounting Office |author-link=Government Accountability Office |title=Kennedy Center: Information on the Capital Improvement Program |date=February 1993 |page=2}}</ref> The National Park Service and the Kennedy Center signed a cooperative agreement requiring each party to pay a portion of the operating and maintenance costs based on what proportion of time the building was to be used for performing arts functions. The agreement did not specify who was responsible for long-term capital improvement projects at the Kennedy Center, along with only periodic funding by Congress for one-time projects.<ref name="gao1993-p3">{{cite web |url=http://archive.gao.gov/d36t11/148480.pdf |author=General Accounting Office |title=Kennedy Center: Information on the Capital Improvement Program |date=February 1993 |page=3}}</ref>

===1990–2005===
In fiscal years 1991 and 1992, Congress recommended that $27.7 million be allocated for capital improvement projects at the center, including $12 million for structural repairs to the garage and $15.7 million for structural and mechanical repairs, as well as projects for improving handicapped access.<ref name="gao1993-p4">{{cite web |url=http://archive.gao.gov/d36t11/148480.pdf |author=General Accounting Office |title=Kennedy Center: Information on the Capital Improvement Program |website=GAO Report to Congress |date=February 1993 |page=4}}</ref> In 1994, Congress gave full responsibility to the Kennedy Center for capital improvement projects and facility management.<ref name="gao2005-p1">{{cite web |url=http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d05334.pdf |author=Government Accountability Office |title=Stronger Oversight of Fire Safety Issues, Construction Projects, and Financial Management Needed |date=April 2005 |page=1 }}</ref> From 1995 to 2005, over $200 million of federal funds were allocated to the Kennedy Center for long-term capital projects, repairs, and to bring the center into compliance with modern [[fire safety]] and accessibility codes.<ref name="gao2005-p1" /> Improvements included [[renovation]] of the Concert Hall, Opera House, plaza-level public spaces, and a new fire alarm system.<ref name="gao2005-p3">{{cite web |url=http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d05334.pdf |author=Government Accountability Office |title=Stronger Oversight of Fire Safety Issues, Construction Projects, and Financial Management Needed |date=April 2005 |page=3 }}</ref> The renovations projects were completed 13 to 50 percent over budget, due to modifications of plans during the renovations resulting in [[overtime]] and other penalties.<ref name="gao2005-p4">{{cite web |url=http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d05334.pdf |author=Government Accountability Office |title=Stronger Oversight of Fire Safety Issues, Construction Projects, and Financial Management Needed |date=April 2005 |page=4 }}</ref> Renovations to the Eisenhower Theater were completed in 2008.<ref name="smith" />

===2013–present===
[[File:Kennedy center illumination.JPG|thumb|The Kennedy Center lights up in rainbow colors every year in the weeks preceding the annual Kennedy Center Honors.]]
Beginning in 2013, the center commenced with an {{convert|60,000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} expansion project on four acres in the center's South Plaza. The expansion adds classroom, rehearsal, and performance space and includes three pavilions (the Welcome Pavilion, the Skylight Pavilion, and the River Pavilion), [[reflecting pool]], a tree grove, a sloping lawn to be used for outdoor performances, and a [[pedestrian bridge]] over [[Rock Creek Parkway]].<ref name="McGlone">McGlone, Peggy (May 8, 2018). [https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/completion-of-kennedy-center-expansion-still-more-than-a-year-away/2018/05/08/efe826be-521a-11e8-a551-5b648abe29ef_story.html "Completion of Kennedy Center expansion still more than a year away"]. ''The Washington Post''.</ref><ref name="Expansion">{{cite web |url=http://www.kennedy-center.org/pages/expansion |title=Expansion Project |website=The Kennedy Center}}</ref> The architect is [[Steven Holl]],<ref name="Expansion"/> with assistance from architectural firm [[BNIM]].<ref name=BNIM>{{cite news |url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nojavascript.html |title=KC firm BNIM will help design $100 million expansion of Kennedy Center |newspaper=[[Kansas City Star]] |date=April 4, 2013 |access-date=November 4, 2014 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> [[Edmund Hollander|Edmund Hollander Landscape Architects]] is the landscape architect.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cms.kennedy-center.org/thereach/?_ga=2.30687999.1382093361.1540750928-852336374.1540750928 |title=The REACH at the [sic] The Kennedy Center |website=The Kennedy Center |access-date=October 28, 2018 |archive-date=October 29, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181029031013/http://cms.kennedy-center.org/thereach/?_ga=2.30687999.1382093361.1540750928-852336374.1540750928 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Plans for the project began after [[David M. Rubenstein]] donated $50 million to the center.<ref name=BNIM/> A groundbreaking ceremony took place in December 2014. Originally estimated to cost $100 million, the cost of the project grew to $175 million, and design changes and a major [[District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority#DC Water Clean Rivers Project|D.C. sewer project]] significantly delayed construction. The expansion, entitled the REACH, opened on September 7, 2019, with an opening arts festival.<ref name="Expansion"/><ref>{{cite web |title=Welcome to the REACH |website=The Kennedy Center |url=https://www.kennedy-center.org/video/center/other/2019/welcome-to-the-reach--the-kennedy-center/ |access-date=July 12, 2021 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release |title=1000+ Artists, 500+ Free Events, Hands-On Learning and More: The REACH Opens in D.C. with Free 16-Day Multi-Genre Festival on Sept. 7–22 |date=August 7, 2019 |website=The Kennedy Center |url=https://www.kennedy-center.org/press-releases/Reach-Opening-Festival-Announcement/ |access-date=July 22, 2022 |language=en}}</ref> The fundraising goal for the new REACH expansion grew to $250 million<ref>{{cite web |url=https://wtop.com/dc/2019/09/kennedy-center-celebrates-the-reach-with-free-opening-festival/|title=Kennedy Center celebrates latest expansion 'The Reach' with free opening festival |date=September 7, 2019 |website=[[WTOP-FM|WTOP News]] |language=en |access-date=September 12, 2019}}</ref> as the project progressed, and the target was achieved just two days before opening. Since its opening, the REACH has received several design awards, such as ''[[The Architect's Newspaper]]'''s Best of the Year Award in the Cultural category and an Honor Award in the 2020 [[American Institute of Architects|AIA New York]] Design Awards.<ref>{{cite news |date=December 2, 2020 |title=Announcing the winners of the 2020 AN Best of Design Awards |url=https://www.archpaper.com/2020/12/2020-an-best-of-design-awards/ |access-date=July 12, 2021 |newspaper=The Architect's Newspaper |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=THE REACH |url=https://www.aiany.org/architecture/featured-projects/view/the-reach/ |access-date=July 12, 2021 |website=AIA New York |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Management==
[[File:Kennedy Center (53844537746).jpg|thumb|The entrance|left]]
Prior to 1980, daily operations of the Kennedy Center were overseen by the chairman of the board of directors, and by the board itself. Aspects of the center's programming and operations were overseen by various other people. George London was the Kennedy Center's first executive director (often called "artistic director" by the press, although that was not the formal title), serving from 1968 to 1970,<ref name=LondonGala>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/09/17/arts/news-of-music-nov-4-gala-to-honor-george-london.html| last=Davis| first=Peter G.| title=Nov. 4 Gala to Honor George London| newspaper=The New York Times| date=September 17, 1981| access-date=November 4, 2014 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> while William McCormick Blair, Jr. was its first administrative director.<ref>{{cite news| last=Robertson| first=Nan| title=Rudel and Blair Accept Kennedy Arts Center Jobs| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1968/02/01/archives/rudel-and-blair-accept-kennedy-arts-center-jobs.html| newspaper=The New York Times| date=February 1, 1968| access-date=November 4, 2014 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> Julius Rudel took over as music director in 1971.<ref name=Hectic>{{cite news| last=Taubman| first=Howard| title=Rudel Logs a Hectic Day In Kennedy Center Roles| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/08/30/archives/rudel-logs-a-hectic-day-in-kennedy-center-roles.html| newspaper=The New York Times| date=August 30, 1971| access-date=November 4, 2014 |url-access=subscription }}</ref> In 1972, Martin Feinstein replaced London and held the position of artistic director until 1980.<ref name=FeinsteinObit>{{cite news| last=Saxon| first=Wolfgang| title=Martin Feinstein, 84, Dies; Led the National Opera| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/07/arts/music/07feinstein.html| newspaper=The New York Times| date=February 7, 2006| access-date=March 12, 2016 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> [[Marta Casals Istomin]] was named the first female artistic director in 1980, a position she held until 1990;<ref name="RutterNamed"/> she was also the first person to be formally invested with that title.<ref name=Monitor>{{cite news| url=http://www.csmonitor.com/1980/0229/022900.html| title=Kennedy Center Artistic Director| newspaper=[[The Christian Science Monitor]]| date=February 29, 1980| access-date=November 4, 2014}}</ref><ref name=Cummings>{{cite news| last1=Cummings| first1=Judith| last2=Krebs| first2=Albin| title=The Kennedy Center Names a New Artistic Director| newspaper=The New York Times| date=February 27, 1980| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1980/02/27/archives/notes-on-people-the-kennedy-center-names-a-new-artistic-director.html| access-date=November 4, 2014| url-access=subscription}}</ref>

In 1991, the board created the position of chief operating officer to remove the day-to-day operations of the Kennedy Center from the chairman and board. Lawrence Wilker was hired to fill the position, which later was retitled president.<ref name="BoyleKaiserGoes">{{cite news| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/kennedy-center-begins-search-to-replace-president-michael-m-kaiser/2013/01/23/a88f9bd8-656e-11e2-9e1b-07db1d2ccd5b_story.html| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130217015827/http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-01-23/entertainment/36497120_1_president-michael-m-kaiser-kennedy-center-chairman-lawrence-wilker| url-status=live| archive-date=February 17, 2013| last=Boyle| first=Katherine| title=Kennedy Center Will Begin Search to Replace President Michael M. Kaiser| newspaper=The Washington Post| date=January 23, 2013| access-date=November 4, 2014}}</ref> The artistic director continued to oversee artistic programming, under the president's direction.

[[Michael Kaiser]] became president of the Kennedy Center in 2001. He left the organization when his contract expired in September 2014.<ref name="BoyleKaiserGoes"/><ref name=Pogrebin>{{cite news| title=Kennedy Center Names New Chief| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/11/arts/chicago-symphony-chief-to-run-kennedy-center.html| last=Pogrebin| first=Robin| newspaper=The New York Times| date=December 10, 2013| access-date=November 4, 2014 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>

In September 2014, [[Deborah F. Rutter]] became its third president; she is the first woman to hold that post. Rutter had previously been president of the [[Chicago Symphony Orchestra|Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association]], a position she held from 2003.<ref name="RutterNamed">{{cite news| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/deborah-f-rutter-to-become-kennedy-centers-third-president/2013/12/10/4a4cc492-60fe-11e3-8beb-3f9a9942850f_story.html| last=Boyle| first=Katherine| title=Deborah F. Rutter to Become Kennedy Center's Third President| newspaper=The Washington Post| date=December 10, 2013| access-date=November 4, 2014}}</ref> In 2015 Rutter tapped renowned arts organizations executive [[Robert Van Leer]] to assist with leadership and expansions.<ref>{{cite news |title=Kennedy Center imports London leader for new vice president of artistic planning |first=Peggy |last=McGlone |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2015/06/24/kennedy-center-imports-london-leader-for-new-vice-president-of-artisic-planning/ |date= June 24, 2015 |access-date=September 20, 2023 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> 

===Board of Trustees===
The Kennedy Center Board of Trustees, formally known as the Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, maintains and administers the center and its site. [[David Rubenstein|David M. Rubenstein]] is the chairman of the board.<ref name=trustees>{{cite web |title=Trustees |url=https://www.kennedy-center.org/about-us/leadership/trustees/ |access-date=September 21, 2023 |website=The Kennedy Center |language=en}}</ref>

The honorary chair members of the board are the [[First Lady of the United States|First Lady]] and her living predecessors. Members of the board are specified by [[United States Code|20 USC 76h]] and include ''[[ex officio]]'' members such as the [[United States Secretary of Health and Human Services|Secretary of Health and Human Services]], the [[Librarian of Congress]], the [[United States Secretary of State|Secretary of State]] (substituting for the director of the [[United States Information Agency]] after that agency was abolished), the chairman of the [[Commission of Fine Arts]], the [[List of mayors of Washington, D.C.|Mayor]] of the [[District of Columbia]], the Superintendent of [[District of Columbia Public Schools|schools of the District of Columbia]], the Director of the [[National Park Service]], the [[United States Secretary of Education|Secretary of Education]] and the Secretary of the [[Smithsonian Institution]], as well as 36 general trustees appointed by the president of the United States for six-year terms.<ref name=trustees/>

==See also==
* [[List of memorials to John F. Kennedy]]
* [[List of theaters in Washington, D.C.]]
* [[Architecture of Washington, D.C.]]

==References==
'''Notes'''
{{Reflist|colwidth=25em}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts}}
* {{Official website|http://www.kennedy-center.org}}
* [https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/the-kennedy-center The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts at Google Cultural Institute]

{{Washington DC landmarks}}
{{Music venues of Washington D.C.}}


{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Buildings and structures in Foggy Bottom]]
[[Category:Concert halls in the United States]]
[[Category:Edward Durell Stone buildings]]
[[Category:Event venues established in 1971]]
[[Category:Members of the Cultural Alliance of Greater Washington]]
[[Category:Monuments and memorials in Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:Monuments and memorials to John F. Kennedy in the United States|Center for the Performing Arts]]
[[Category:Opera houses in Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:Performing arts centers in Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway]]
[[Category:Theatres in Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:1971 establishments in Washington, D.C.]]