APOLLO THEATER FOUNDATION INC
253 WEST 125TH STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10027 www.apollotheater.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: THE APOLLO THEATER IS A COMMISSIONER AND PRESENTER; CATALYST FOR NEW ARTISTS, AUDIENCES, AND CREATIVE WORKFORCE; AND PARTNER IN THE PROJECTION OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN NARRATIVE AND ITS ROLE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF AMERICAN AND GLOBAL CULTURE.

2018 - 2019 PERFORMING ARTS PROGRAMSFY 2019 WAS THE APOLLO'S 85TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON AND IT CELEBRATED ITS LEGACY THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. AMATEUR NIGHT RUNS ANNUALLY ON WEDNESDAYS ALL YEAR, FEATURING COMPETITION FROM EMERGING TALENT, WITH PARTICIPATION FROM LIVE AND DIGITAL AUDIENCES. THE 2018-2019 SEASON OPENED WITH SAY IT LOUD - I'M BLACK AND I'M PROUD AT 50! CELEBRATING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF JAMES BROWN'S BLACK POWER ANTHEM. THE CONCERT, LED BY MUSICAL DIRECTOR AND JAZZ ARTIST CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE, INCLUDED AN ALL-STAR BAND ... CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O OF PERFORMERS WHO WORKED WITH BROWN. SPECIAL GUESTS INSPIRED BY HIM INCLUDE VOCALISTS RAHEEM DEVAUGHN, LISA FISCHER, NONA HENDRYX, LEE FIELDS & AVERY SUNSHINE.THE APOLLO AGAIN PARTNERED WITH AFROPUNK, AS PART OF THE APOLLO'S BLACK HISTORY MONTH CELEBRATION, WITH A WEEKEND OF MUSIC BY KAMASI WASHINGTON AND HIS 10-PIECE BAND, THE NEXT STEP, WHO PLAY CROSS MUSICAL GENRES FROM JAZZ, TO HIP-HOP, CLASSICAL AND R&B. THE APOLLO PRESENTED TWISTED MELODIES, A ONE-MAN SHOW BASED ON THE LIFE OF SOUL SINGER, COMPOSER AND APOLLO LEGEND, DONNY HATHAWAY. IT IS AN IMMERSIVE AND CRUSHING PLAY ABOUT THE BRILLIANT MUSICIAN'S INNER STRUGGLES, PERFORMED BY KELVIN ROSTON, JR.IN 2018-2019, THE APOLLO PRESENTED AN ENCORE OF THE WOMEN OF THE WORLD (WOW) FESTIVAL. THE FOUR-DAY FESTIVAL TOOK PLACE DURING WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH 2019. THIS WAS THE THIRD ITERATION OF THIS BIENNIAL FESTIVAL AT THE APOLLO. THE FOCUS OF THE WOW FESTIVAL IS FEMALE ARTISTS AND ACTIVISTS, AND ALL OF THE PERFORMANCES, PANEL DISCUSSIONS, FILM SCREENINGS, AND INTERACTIVE DIALOGUES ARE GROUNDED IN THE SPIRIT OF RESISTANCE THROUGH ARTISTIC EXPRESSION.FOR ITS 6TH CONSECUTIVE YEAR, THE AFRICA NOW! FESTIVAL SHOWCASED AFRICA'S GROWING PROMINENCE BY PRESENTING CONTEMPORARY MUSICIANS ALONGSIDE CULTURAL INNOVATORS TRANSFORMING TELEVISION, PODCASTS AND FILM. LUVVIE AJAYI AND YVONNE ORJI (BOTH FROM NIGERIA) OF THE POPULAR PODCAST "JESUS AND JOLLOF" HELD A LIVE CONVERSATION WITH A LIVE PERFORMANCE BY KALETA & SUPER YAMBA BAND, HOSTED BY YOUNG PRINCE AND MUSIC BY DJ MOMA.NOW IN ITS 13TH YEAR, THE APOLLO SALON SERIES EXTENDS THE THEATER'S LEGACY OF NURTURING MID-CAREER AND ESTABLISHED ARTISTS BY PROVIDING CRITICAL SUPPORT IN THEIR CREATION OF NEW WORK ACROSS ARTISTIC DISCIPLINES. IT ALSO PROVIDES A TESTING GROUND FOR NEW LARGE-SCALE PROJECTS THAT MIGHT BE PRESENTED ON THE APOLLO'S MAINSTAGE OR ELSEWHERE, AND DEVELOPS NEW AUDIENCES. ARTISTS RECEIVE UP TO 2 WEEKS FOR DEVELOPMENT AND UP TO 4 WORKSHOP PERFORMANCES. IN FY19, THE APOLLO HAD TWO RESIDENCIES IN THE FALL AND SPRING THAT INCLUDED A TOTAL OF THREE PERFORMANCES: - LELUND DUROND THOMPSON AND JASON MICHAEL WEBB CONTINUED WORK ON A NEW MUSICAL ENTITLED WILDFLOWER IN PARTNERSHIP WITH NATIONAL BLACK THEATRE;- HARLEM TO HOLLYWOOD FEATURING ACTOR/WRITER AND HARLEM NATIVE, MALIK YOBA WORKSHOPPED HIS THEATER PIECE.EACH YEAR, THE APOLLO PRESENTS HOLIDAYS AT THE APOLLO, A SERIES OF HOLIDAY PROGRAMMING, COMMUNITY PROGRAMS AND A CHANCE TO MEET SANTA UNDER THE MARQUEE. A CENTRAL PART OF THE SERIES WAS THE HOLIDAY JOY CONCERT, AN EVENING OF UPLIFTING MUSIC TO CELEBRATE THE SEASON WITH HEZIKIYA WALKER AND CECE WINANS.THE APOLLO MUSIC CAF SERIES, WHICH RUNS FROM OCTOBER - JUNE FOR 2 PERFORMANCES/PER MONTH, BRINGS NYC'S BEST UNDERGROUND ARTISTS TO HARLEM AND OFFERS PERFORMANCES IN A CAF SETTING ON THE SOUNDSTAGE. THIS SERIES EXPOSES AUDIENCES TO A MIX OF ARTISTS INCLUDING LIVE MUSIC AND POWERFUL PERFORMANCES BY VOCALISTS, SPOKEN WORD ARTISTS, AND MASTERFUL DJS. MANY MUSIC CAF PERFORMANCES ARE TIED TO MAINSTAGE AND GLOBAL FESTIVAL PROGRAM THEMES PROVIDING AUDIENCES WITH AN ARRAY OF WAYS TO EXPERIENCE THE APOLLO.SIMILAR IN STRUCTURE TO THE MUSIC CAF, THE APOLLO PRODUCES APOLLO COMEDY CLUB IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE LEGENDARY BOB SUMNER (PRODUCER OF DEF COMEDY JAM, CREATOR OF LAFFMOBB ON ASPIRE. TWO TO THREE EMERGING COMEDIANS PERFORM THE FIRST THURSDAY OF EACH MONTH FROM OCTOBER- JUNE IN THE APOLLO'S SOUNDSTAGE.

EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENTTHE APOLLO REMAINS A LEADING CULTURAL ANCHOR FOR UPPER MANHATTAN AND THE 125TH STREET CORRIDOR, ENGAGING AN ANNUAL AUDIENCE OF MORE THAN 200,000, INCLUDING HARLEM AND NEW YORK RESIDENTS AS WELL AS NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL TOURISTS. IN ADDITION TO PERFORMING ARTS, THE APOLLO OFFERS COMMUNITY PROGRAMS THAT ADDRESS IMPORTANT ISSUES AND MEANINGFULLY ENGAGE OUR NEIGHBORHOOD INCLUDING: THE ANNUAL FREE HARLEM HEALTHY SOUL FESTIVAL; A FREE ANNUAL OPEN HOUSE; APOLLO HISTORIC BACKSTAGE TOURS; THE FREE UPTOWN HALL SERIES FOSTERING DIALOGUE AROUND PRESSING ISSUES IN OUR COMMUNITY; A MONTH OF FREE AND AFFORDABLE HOLIDAY PROGRAMMING EACH DECEMBER; AND AN ARRAY OF FREE AND LOW-COST PROGRAMS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, INCLUDING A WIDE-REACHING TICKET ACCESS PROGRAM ENSURING BROAD ACCESSIBILITY TO THE THEATER'S RANGE OF PERFORMING ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT. THE APOLLO THEATER IS COMMITTED TO ENGAGING STUDENTS AND YOUTH THROUGH INNOVATIVE EDUCATION INITIATIVES. THE APOLLO THEATER ACADEMY OFFERS HANDS-ON PROGRAMS TO DEVELOP CAREER AND LEADERSHIP SKILLS IN UNDER-SERVED TEENS BY ENGAGING THEM IN "BEHIND THE SCENES" ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT PROFESSIONS INCLUDING TECHNICAL THEATER APPRENTICESHIPS, ADMINISTRATIVE INTERNSHIPS, AND INFORMATIVE PANEL DISCUSSIONS. THE APOLLO ORAL HISTORY PROJECT IS AN IN-DEPTH IN-SCHOOL PROGRAM WHERE HARLEM STUDENTS TRANSFORM LOCAL HISTORY INTO ORIGINAL THEATRICAL AND MULTIMEDIA PROJECTS. EXTENDING THE APOLLO EXPERIENCE TO A NEW GENERATION OF THEATERGOERS WHILE SUPPORTING CLASSROOM LEARNING AND IN-SCHOOL WORK, SCHOOL DAY LIVE AND FAMILY SHOWTIME PERFORMANCES ALLOW MORE THAN 11,000 STUDENTS, TEACHERS, AND FAMILIES TO EXPERIENCE WORLD-CLASS PERFORMING ARTS PRESENTATIONS ON THE APOLLO STAGES. THROUGH ITS PERFORMING ARTS PROGRAM, EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY INITIATIVES, AND OTHER ENDEAVORS SUCH AS DIGITAL MEDIA AND THE ARCHIVES, THE ICONIC APOLLO THEATER EXTENDS ITS LEGACY AS A WORLD RENOWNED PERFORMING ARTS CENTER AND A NURTURING HOME FOR DIVERSE ARTISTS. THE THEATER CONTINUES TO SHOWCASE POPULAR AND EMERGING TALENT AND ENGAGE AUDIENCES WITH ITS ARTISTIC, EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY PROGRAMMING. WITH DEMONSTRATED LONGEVITY AS A SIGNIFICANT AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTER, THE APOLLO REMAINS A CELEBRATED AND ACCESSIBLE VENUE FOR DIVERSE AUDIENCES, ARTISTS AND COMMUNITIES.

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