Yesterday, the Apollo Theater celebrated its 75th birthday week by announcing special programming for the upcoming season. Besides its cornerstone Amateur Night at the Apollo on Wednesday nights (tonight's Amateur Night will be a birthday celebration with the first 750 tickets going for just $7.50), a big year is planned, full of concerts, panels, collaborations with other cultural institutions and a revival of a beloved musical.

The building's storied past, starting from January 26, 1934 with a performance from Ralph Cooper Sr, Benny Carter, and his orchestra (plus the "16 Gorgeous Hot Steppers"), was invoked numerous times during a press conference: The Apollo is where Ella Fitzgerald invented skat, where Aretha Franklin learned a proper curtsey, where Sarah Vaughn, James Brown and the Jackson Five all won Amateur Night. The Apollo's board chairman Richard Parsons said, "We really want to talk about what's next ... and keep the Apollo part of the constellation of cultural organizations that share our world."

Performers Dionne Warwick, Chuck Jackson and Savion Glover were on hand to recount their Apollo experience. Glover mentioned how the recently renovated dressing rooms were almost too nice and asked to go to a non-renovated area for the "vibe"; Jackson said, "When I performed here you had to run up and down the stairs to the fifth floor every half-hour. When I came here this morning, they gave me a dressing room with a television and a shower. Mr. Glover, you can have the upstairs.” And Warwick reminisced about former owner Frank "Pop" Schiffman's extremely discerning notes; Schiffman's notes for many performers will be displayed at the Smithsonian next year. And rising R&B singer Chanj, who has won Amateur Night, performed a beautiful rendition of "A Change is Gonna Come."

The new season's programming includes: The New Legends series' first concert featured Estelle and headliner John Legend, which starts next month; a series of free weekend Open Houses so the public can learn more about the theater; an oral history project with Columbia University featuring interviews with Smokey Robinson and many others; a collaboration with Carnegie Hall called Honor!, which features gospel and spiritual music (curated by Jessye Norman), in March; and the revival of a national tour of Dreamgirls premieres at the Apollo in November. Plus, a number of panels, lectures and other community programs are planned.

75th ANNIVERSARY PROGRAMMING HIGHLIGHTS

Amateur Night at the Apollo

Throughout 2009 and 2010

Since introducing the first Amateur Night contests in 1934, the Apollo and its notoriously “tough” audience has played a major role in cultivating artists and in the emergence of innovative musical genres including jazz, swing, bebop, R&B, gospel, blues, soul, and hip-hop. Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, Sammy Davis, Jr., James Brown, Bill Cosby, Gladys Knight, Luther Vandross, D’Angelo, Lauryn Hill, and countless others began their road to stardom on the Apollo’s stage. There is no more enduring and significant talent showcase in American history than Apollo’s Amateur Night, and in its 75th Anniversary Season, the Apollo will continue this tradition under the leadership of a new producer, Marion J. Caffey.

To kick-off the Theater’s 75th Anniversary Season, the January 28. Amateur Night will feature a number of special elements, including a guest host, surprise visits from legendary alumni, and a big birthday cake. And as a thank you to the Apollo’s loyal patrons, there will be a special promotional ticket offer—with the first 750 tickets available for $7.50.

Honor! A Celebration of the African American Cultural Legacy

March 21 and 22, 2009

In March 2009, the Apollo will help celebrate the legacy of African-American culture as a partner in Carnegie Hall’s Honor! festival curated by Jessye Norman. As part of this series, the Apollo will present two events—a celebratory concert and a panel discussion—on the history of the Spiritual and gospel music, which both have important roots at the world-famous Theater. The Honor! festival will be presented at venues across the city and is organized by Carnegie Hall.

Panel Discussion: On Saturday, March 21, Miss Norman will be joined on stage for a wide-ranging conversation with distinguished guests, exploring historical, political, and musical issues associated with these musical genres. Participants include Derrick Bell; Dr. Calvin O. Butts, III; Portia Maultsby; Sweet Honey in the Rock; Chapman Roberts; and Olly Wilson.

Concert: The concert on Sunday, March 22 traces the development of the Spiritual from its African roots in a joyous program that brings together music director Ray Chew, vocalists Shirley Caesar andRichard Smallwood, The Abyssinian Baptist Church Cathedral Choir, Hezekiah Walker and the Love Fellowship Choir, and Vy Higginsen’s Gospel for Teens, with other artists to be announced.

The Apollo Theater has a long and storied history presenting Spiritual and gospel music, having launched the careers of gospel greats like Clara Ward, the Staple Sisters, and Sam Cooke’s Soul Stirrers. As legends like these graced its stage, the Apollo became a catalyst for broadening the audience of Spiritual music, and sparked the development of the many genres that grew out of the gospel tradition.

Dreamgirls National Tour Launch

November 2009

An important part of the Apollo’s legacy has been its history as a launching pad and resource for generations of artists. With the opening scene set at the Apollo, Dreamgirls is the story of “The Dreamettes,” a trio of young singers from Chicago who enter Amateur Night in hopes of launching their show business careers, making the Apollo the perfect place to launch the national tour of this Tony Award-winning Broadway show.

The national tour of Dreamgirls is directed and choreographed by Bobby Longbottom with co-choreography by Shane Sparks, scenic design by Robin Wagner, costume design by William Ivey Long, lighting design by Ken Billington, and is produced by John Breglio for Vienna Waits Productions.

Heineken New Legends Series

February, March, May, September and December 2009

Since 2005, the Apollo’s Heineken New Legends Series has brought some of the biggest rising stars in the music industry to play before standing-room crowds. Past notable artists include India.Arie, Lyfe Jennings, The Roots, and Keyshia Cole.

The first concert in the Anniversary Season will feature alumni John Legend, who was the very first artist to appear on the series, and who will return for one “legendary” evening on Monday, February 9, 2009 to help the Apollo celebrate its Anniversary year

Inspired!

Fall of 2010

The Apollo’s 75th Anniversary Season will culminate with Inspired!, a celebration featuring twelve extraordinary performances by Apollo legends, rising stars, and up-and-coming talent. Some of the biggest and brightest stars in entertainment will come together to celebrate the people and music that inspired them, and the Apollo legends whose influences helped build their careers.

Inspired! celebrates Apollo legends as well as the people to whom the torch has been passed, and the responsibility that comes with it. Top performers will celebrate their Apollo inspiration - and leave their own mark - for future generations to be “Inspired.”

Each performance will feature a star performer paying tribute to an Apollo artist who has been inspirational to them, and will also introduce new talent who will follow in the footsteps of the great performers who have come before them on the Apollo stage.

Inspired! will be produced by legendary concert and recording producer Allen Sviridoff, whose work with celebrity performers reads like a veritable “Who’s Who” of the recording industry, and who is perhaps best known for reviving and managing the career of Rosemary Clooney. Specific performers and dates for Inspired! to be announced.

Salon Series

April 2009

The Apollo’s Salon Series is held on the intimate Soundstage, offering a glimpse into the creative process and featuring works-in-progress by artists who are working out of the mainstream and are innovators in their particular genres. Past Salon Series events include a music/theater/martial arts ballet commissioned from creator-composer Fred Ho, DJ Spooky, jazz musician Russell Gunn, and theater artist Dael Orlandersmith.

The Anniversary Season will begin in March 2009 with a two-part opening event featuring conversations between artists and audiences as well as a late night jam session. Subsequent performances will feature artists such as Will Power, Jessica Care Moore, Dana Leong, and Melvin Van Peebles bringing new works to perform and discuss.

NATIONAL EVENTS

Jazz, Jump, and Jive: The Apollo Theater and American Entertainment

April 2010 through 2011

The Apollo is collaborating with theSmithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) to develop a major traveling exhibition designed to explore the theater’s impact on American popular culture. Drawing on wide-ranging materials including historic photographs, film, recordings, and artist interviews, the exhibition will trace the evolution of the Apollo from its first permutation in 1913 as a segregated burlesque theater to a premier entertainment venue with an iconic presence in Harlem and a magnet for audiences from around the world.

The exhibition will showcase items from public and privately held collections from across the country and rarely seen artifacts from the Apollo Theater Archive, home to nearly 3,000 historic objects. Curators are Dr. Tuliza Fleming of NMAAHC and Dr. Guthrie Ramsey, associate professor of Music History at the University of Pennsylvania.

The exhibition will debut in April in Washington, D.C. at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in the NMAAHC gallery. Tour stops are being planned for a number of cities including Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, and New York.

Oral History Project

Throughout 2009 and 2010

The Apollo will also continue its partnership with Columbia University’s Oral History Research Office to create an oral documentary of the world-famous theater. The project will feature audio and video interviews with artists and community leaders across generations who have helped distinguish the renowned theater, with participation from such notable figures as Smokey Robinson and Hal Jackson, among many others.

The project will include an oral history archive, an online and on-site exhibition based on the interviews, and an educational program for public school students. The project will be completed in 2010 and will open to the public at Columbia University beginning in January 2011.

COMMUNITY AND EDUCATION EVENTS

Lecture Series

Throughout 2009

The Theater will offer a suite of public lectures exploring a variety of themes from the Theater’s history as part of its 75th Anniversary celebrations.

The first lecture in the series will feature a panel with Amsterdam News columnistHerb Boyd and other journalists discussing the impact of Harlem on the Theater and of the Theater on Harlem. Subsequent lectures, to be announced, will include a panel discussion on the women who have helped to shape the Apollo’s history and an exploration of the roots of African-American music, the groundbreaking artists who changed the face of how we make and listen to music, in-depth discussions with Apollo legends, and the role of the Apollo as the place where that music was performed.

Open Houses

February and October 2009
Four free weekends at the Apollo will give patrons “a backstage pass” to the landmark venue and will include: free historic tours of the Theater led by in-house historian and tour guide Billy Mitchell including a mock Amateur Night and the chance to come on stage, take pictures, and rub the Tree of Hope for good luck; film screenings of historic Apollo moments; a mini exhibition featuring photos of key Apollo figures and legendary performers at milestone moments; performances by local community and civic organizations; and self-guided, behind-the-scenes explorations of the Theater and its history. Apollo Open Houses are sponsored by Chase.

Backstage Tours

Since 1991, the venerable Billy Mitchell has led backstage tours at the Apollo. In equal parts educational, informative, entertaining, and inspirational, Billy Mitchell’s behind-the-scenes tours paint a vivid picture of the Apollo’s storied past, with first-hand accounts of brushes with legendary artists and the opportunity to “perform” on the Apollo stage.