Martha Graham Dance Company Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater Washington

The John F. Kennedy Center was formerly known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts. The venue is located in Washington D.C. on the Potomac River. The Center was named in 1964 as a memorial to the assassinated President John F. Kennedy. The arts center was opened on September 8, 1971. It hosts several genres of performance art such as folk music, pop, jazz, orchestras, dance, and theater. The arts center is also authorized by the 1958 National Culture Act of Congress.

Eisenhower Theater is located on the north side of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The theater has a seating capacity of 1,163, and it is named after President Dwight D. Eisenhower. He is the individual who signed the National Cultural Center Act into law on September 2, 1958. The theater primarily hosts musicals, plays, contemporary dance, ballet, and smaller-scale operas. The theater also features an orchestra pit for up to 35 musicians. They are also convertible to a forestage or additional seating space. The Eisenhower Theater underwent a 16-month renovation phase and reopened in October 2008. The renovation included a change in color scheme and seating arrangements.