Performance Programs
Amateur Night at the Apollo debuted in 1934, is the Theater’s longest-running performance series, and has become the quintessential talent competition, serving as the model for Star Search and American Idol.  Competitions are held nearly every Wednesday evening throughout the year, culminating in December with the Super Top Dog competition. The show marries world-class talent with a distinctive, vaudeville-like atmosphere, and has depended on audience participation since the very beginning.  The popularity contest has proven an effective measure of star potential, becoming a launch pad for some of the nation’s greatest entertainers.

Showtime at the Apollo, a made-for-TV version of Amateur Night, was launched in 1987, currently runs in syndication weekly on NBC affiliates across the country in roughly 120 media markets, and has a weekly viewership of approximately 1.1 million.  It is one of the most consistently watched programs in African-American and Latino households.  Periodically over the past few years, Showtime at the Apollo on Tour has gone on the road, performing in cities across America, expanding the notoriety of the Apollo’s brand, and giving regional amateur performers the chance to perform in front of a local audience, a distinct advantage for aspiring performers looking for a big break.

Apollo Legends Series and New Legends Series
Every year, the Theater brings some of the biggest names in music to play before standing-room crowds.  Recent headlining stars include Aretha Franklin, Little Richard, Roberta Flack, Baby Face, Tony Bennett, CeCe Winans, Rod Stewart, Stevie Wonder, Annie Lennox, Van Morrison, Morrissey, George Clinton, The Wailers, Chaka Kahn, the Temptations and the Four Tops, The O’Jays, John Legend, India.Arie, Lyfe, Keyshia Cole, T.I., Fantasia Barrino, and Ruben Studdard.

Artistic Programs
Apollo Salon Series is an incubation and performance program for mid-career artists working in diverse genres of the performing arts, including music, theater, spoken word, multimedia, and movement. Artists receive one week of time on the Soundstage and access to Apollo resources to develop new works. Projects culminate in two performances with audience discussion after each presentation.  The Series involves up to 10 projects per year.  The Salon Series allows the Apollo to nurture works of high artistic value.  This is part of a comprehensive programmatic shift to integrate artistic performance as part of the Apollo’s core offerings.

After two successful seasons of the Salon Series, it has become obvious that presenting artistic works on the Main Stage is a direction in which the Apollo must move.  While the Soundstage space is wonderful for developing and presenting works-in-progress, the heart and soul of the Apollo is on its Main Stage.  Therefore, building upon the momentum of the Salon Series, 2007-08 is the inaugural season for the Performing Arts Series, which integrates works of high artistic quality into the Theater’s core offerings on the Main Stage.  The Performing Arts Series presents a wide range of genres, and seeks out productions with a demonstrated connection to the Apollo legacy. 

In 2006, the Apollo debuted its first Family Series production, a celebration of the 40th anniversary of Kwanzaa.  The Series presents a set of 5 to 8 annual productions based in music that engage topics meaningful to Harlem’s communities, each production accompanied by in-depth education programming. The Apollo Family Series is an integral part of our continuing efforts to reposition the Theater as a multifaceted cultural center, providing high-quality, educational performances and artistic programs for a diverse audience.

The Apollo Theater Archive Project
The Apollo Theater Archive Project is a concerted effort to investigate, organize and properly store historically important materials currently held and continually produced by the Apollo, as well as to collect costumes, documents, photographs, recordings, memorabilia and other items that are in the possession of other known and unknown parties.  This project is the most important endeavor that we currently are undertaking, as it forms the basis and is the platform for all other activities at the Apollo Theater.  This project centralizes a wealth of information and materials relating to the Apollo Theater’s history; documents the Apollo’s current activities, including construction and restoration efforts, performances, and programs; and serves as an important resource for marketing, audience development, educational programs, and new business ventures.  Additionally, the Apollo Theater Archive Project will establish a system for the long-term care of archival materials, secure equipment that will enable us to capture, document, and preserve our ongoing activities, and provide multiple means for sharing the unique collection with the public.

The Apollo Theater Archive Project is essential to the ongoing growth and long-term stability of this historic institution.  The Archivewill grow to become a primary resource for all programmatic initiatives and other efforts at the Theater.  Additionally, the Archive presents an unparalleled resource for the entire community to explore aspects of American history and culture in which the Apollo has played a unique role. Moreover, it provides a historical underpinning and institutional identity enabling the Apollo to evolve, and remain a vital, dynamic performing arts organization.