Deryl Davis Reported On How Washington-area Theaters Are Responding to Trump’s Crackdowns

by | April 11, 2025

For DC Theater Arts, Deryl Davis reported on how Washington-area theaters are responding to the Trump administration’s “crackdowns on DEI, immigration, and the Kennedy Center.”

For the article, Davis spoke to various directors and presidents of theaters about how they are reacting to the president’s insistence to have a heavy-handed role in culture. The article notes how Trump taking over as a chairman of the Kennedy Center, for instance, reflects the broader effort to stiffen creative expression. 

Davis writes, “While many theaters are exercising caution in the face of the new Trump initiatives, in some cases, to protect funding and avoid alienating audiences, advocacy efforts have begun on both local and national levels.” 

Deryl Davis is a journalist and documentary producer. His work has appeared in PBS and NPR.

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