Kennedy Center Union Strikes

Musicians at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts went on strike today, forcing cancellation of a performance of the musical “West Side Story” and casting doubt on other scheduled engagements.

The 70 members of the Kennedy Center’s opera house orchestra, represented by the D.C. Federation of Musicians, walked off the job after contract talks broke off this morning, a Kennedy Center spokeswoman said. Today’s performance of Festival of India, a showcase of Indian dance and music, also was called off because officials were unsure if the stagehands would cross the picket line.