American College Theatre Festival Severs Affiliation With Kennedy Center After 58 Years
After an affiliation that’s lasted nearly 60 years, the American College Theatre Festival is suspending its partnership with The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.
The affiliation, according to an ACTF statement post on Facebook, is “no longer viable” due to “circumstances and decisions that do not align with our organization’s values.”
The theater festival involves collegiate theater students from across the United States, and includes eight regional competitions that have long culminated in a week-long national festival, including the awarding of scholarships and other honors, at the Kennedy Center.
The regional conferences, which operate under a nonprofit entity separate from the National Committee, will continue independently as planned for 2026.
The Kennedy Center has been the subject of ongoing controversy since President Donald Trump assumed control of the arts organization last January. Most recently, the center’s Trump-appointed board voted to rename the venue The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, a move that Democrats, Kennedy family members and others say only Congress can authorize.
In its statement on Facebook, the ACTF National Committee writes, “For 58 years, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has been an integral and vital partner in advancing the work of the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF)…Unfortunately, our affiliation with the Kennedy Center is no longer viable. Due to circumstances and decisions that do not align with our organization’s values, the National Committee, which includes regional leadership (regional chairs, regional playwriting chairs, regional design, technology, and management chairs, and the building opportunity through leadership and development chairs) has voted to suspend our affiliation with the Kennedy Center.
“We are proceeding with the eight vibrant regional conferences as planned for 2026,” the statement continues. “We want to assure you that this change does not mark an end—but a new chapter…The American College Theatre Festival will continue, and we are confident that we can and will sustain the extraordinary opportunities, celebrations, and connections that define our work. We remain steadfast in our mission to encourage, recognize, and celebrate the finest and most diverse work created in college and university theatre programs; to provide opportunities for participants to develop their skills, insight, and professionalism; to elevate the quality of theatre produced in higher education; to champion distinguished productions of new plays—especially those written by students—as well as revitalized classics and bold, experimental works, and building opportunity through leadership and development.”
The note further states that leaders of the ACTF have been “thoughtfully preparing for this transition and is confident in a positive, sustainable path forward. We ask for your grace and patience as we continue to plan, reorganize, and explore this new structure and national partnerships…ACTF will continue to serve as a ghostlight—a beacon of joy, a sanctuary for all, and a place where every artist feels seen, safe, welcomed, celebrated, and beloved.”
