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The Apollo celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Black women-led theatrical dance company and social activism ensemble, Urban Bush Women with a stunning visual exhibition in the Laura and Frank Baker Gallery. With special pop-up performances on select dates, Legacy, Lineage and Liberation: An Examination of Urban Bush Women’s Art-Making and Community Organizing Praxis contains rare photographs, performance footage, manuscripts, costumes and memorabilia from the groundbreaking ensemble’s 40-year history.

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CREDITS

Lead Curators

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Chanon Judson, Co-Artistic Director
Mame Diarra Speis, Co-Artistic Director

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Curatorial Team

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Jonathan D. Secor, Producer
Laura Stewart, Curatorial Consultant
Pia Monique Murray, Associate Producer

Burkindy, Visual Artist
Vince Ballantine, Visual Artist
Eddie Ballard, Installer
Jean Barberis, Lead Installer
Lizzy Cooper Davis, Scholar/Writer
Andrew Gordon, Installer
Nick Hussong, Video Compilation & Projection Design
Teya Juarez, SUNY Buffalo Research Assistant
Camille Lawrence, UBW Archivist
Nina Angela Mercer, Scholar/Writer
Makeda Smith, Marketing Director

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Presented in Partnership with Urban Bush Women

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‍ABOUT URBAN BUSH WOMEN:
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Urban Bush Women is a groundbreaking Black women-led theatrical dance company and social activism ensemble, founded in 1984 by visionary choreographer Jawole Willa Jo Zollar as an engine and an amplifier for the unheard stories of Black Women+. Today, under the artistic leadership of Chanon Judson and Mame Diarra Speis, UBW combines revolutionary performance, deep-healing community engagement, and ancestral knowledge from the African diaspora into a cultural force that is urgent, forward-looking, and essential.

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UBW embraces the power of radical storytelling to activate social change. Whether creating genre-defying work for the stage, guiding the development of Black Women+ choreographers and producers, organizing for justice through art-making, or inspiring leaders across generations, UBW is an innovator, operating at the vanguard.

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Urban Bush Women 40th Anniversary leadership funding is provided by Bloomberg Philanthropies. Additional funding is provided by the Howard Gilman Foundation.‍
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Legacy, Lineage, and Liberation: An Examination of Urban Bush Women’s Art-Making and Community Organizing Praxis was made possible with additional support from the University at Buffalo.

Take your family on an inspiring adventure at The Apollo Stages at The Victoria with STUNTBOY: In the Meantime! This heartwarming musical School Day Live tells the story of Portico Reeves, a middle schooler who faces everyday challenges with a “superpower” that helps him keep his friends and family safe. When life gets tough, Portico learns how to overcome his “frets” and finds strength in those he loves. Based on Jason Reynolds’s popular graphic novel, this show will resonate with every family member, young and old. Join The Apollo for a story of resilience, courage, and connection.

A Musical Journey Through Appalachian Elegy: Poetry and Place

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Apollo New Works artist, vocalist, composer Martha Redbone teams up with longtime collaborator composer, pianist, producer Aaron Whitby to celebrate the words of bell hooks in their developmental work-in-process Guardian Spirit: The Poetry of bell hooks, a multidisciplinary musical exploration of bell hooks’ landmark work, Appalachian Elegy: Poetry and Place. Known for their powerful and award-winning settings of poets Ntozake Shange in for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuff, Drama Desk Award 2019; Broadway revival 2022 and William Blake, album The Garden of Love: Songs of William Blake, Redbone and Whitby channel bell hooks’ meditative, confessional, and political lyricism into a genre-defying soundscape that echoes the spirit of her Kentucky roots and heritage she shares with Redbone.

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Known as one of New York’s most popular live entertainment experiences, Amateur Night at The Apollo attracts performers and audiences from around the world in a classic talent competition that has launched the careers of countless legendary artists, from Ella Fitzgerald, Luther Vandross, Lauryn Hill, H.E.R, Machine Gun Kelly, Jazmine Sullivan and more. 

Join the fun with the weekly classic competition that sheds light on the careers of a whole new roster of stars. Be a part of the notoriously “tough” audience in an interactive evening unlike any other and lend your voice to decide who will “Be Good or Be Gone!” to win the triumphant grand prize. 

‍Amateur Night at The Apollo sponsored by Coca-Cola, is hosted by the comedian Capone. Each show begins with a festive pre-party featuring video and music by DJ Jess and Set It Off Man Greginald Spencer. Keep a lookout for C.P. Lacey, the resident Executioner who sweeps bad talent off the stage!

Presented in partnership with Bob Sumner (producer of Def Comedy Jam, creator of Laff Mobb on Aspire), the Apollo Comedy Club celebrates these rich comedic roots with an evening of comedy at The Apollo Stages at The Victoria to serve as a late-night hotspot featuring the best emerging talent in comedy today.

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The Apollo has a long history of launching the careers of countless legendary artists and performers in a variety of genres, including comedy. Comedic legends Richard Pryor, Redd Foxx, Monique, Jamie Foxx, and Jackie Mabley (a.k.a. Moms) have all delighted audiences from The Apollo Stage.

Harmonicist Frédéric Yonnet plays an instrument many have owned, but few have mastered.  Originally from France, Yonnet is regarded as one of the most talented and innovative harmonica players on the international music scene.

Upright bassist Endea Owens headlines the Apollo Music Café with her red-hot smoking band, The Cookout.  For all you jazz lovers looking for a feast, this night at the café is a banquet.

The Apollo Theater Academy Technical Stage Production Internship provides high school students with opportunities for professional and personal development as they explore careers in Technical Stage Production. Interns learn how to apply technical elements of theater such as lighting design, videography, audio engineering, carpentry, and production design to live and recorded stage productions. Over six (6) weeks, interns are trained by and assigned to work with members of The Apollo’s production crew to learn what goes into creating events at the Apollo Theater.

The competition heats up as winners from the first round of Amateur Night return for a chance to advance one step closer to the $20,000 grand prize.  Known as one of New York’s most popular live entertainment experiences, Amateur Night at The Apollo attracts performers and audiences from around the world in a classic talent competition that has launched the careers of countless legendary artists, from Ella Fitzgerald,  Luther Vandross, Lauryn Hill, H.E.R, Machine Gun Kelly. and Jazmine Sullivan. 

Join the notoriously “tough” audience in an interactive evening unlike any other and lend your voice to decide who will “Be Good or Be Gone!” to win the triumphant grand prize.

Amateur Night at The Apollo sponsored by Coca-Cola, is hosted by the comedian Capone. Each show begins with a festive pre-party featuring video and music by DJ Jess. Keep a lookout for C.P. Lacey, the resident Executioner who sweeps bad talent off the stage!

Join The Apollo and Jason Moran for a soul-stirring evening of music and breathtaking imagery featuring the music of Jazz legend Duke Ellington and the work of iconic photographer Gordon Parks. 

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Witness Apollo Works in Process’ presentation of Tonya Pinkins’ theatrical work, Jeffrey Manor at The Apollo Stages at The Victoria. This searing exploration of Black womanhood explores the lengths a family will go to preserve their legacy and love for one another. Set in the textured tapestry of the South Side of Chicago, Jeffrey Manor is a testament to the strength and resilience of Black womanhood.

This developmental presentation of Jeffrey Manor by Tonya Pinkins is presented by The Apollo in partnership with Divinity to Infinity Unlimited, produced by Sheila K. Davis of NEW PROFESSIONAL THEATRE.

Known as one of New York’s most popular live entertainment experiences, Amateur Night at The Apollo attracts performers and audiences from around the world in a classic talent competition that has launched the careers of countless legendary artists, from Ella Fitzgerald, Luther Vandross, Lauryn Hill, H.E.R, Machine Gun Kelly, Jazmine Sullivan and more. 

Join the fun with the weekly classic competition that sheds light on the careers of a whole new roster of stars. Be a part of the notoriously “tough” audience in an interactive evening unlike any other and lend your voice to decide who will “Be Good or Be Gone!” to win the triumphant grand prize. 

‍Amateur Night at The Apollo sponsored by Coca-Cola, is hosted by the comedian Capone. Each show begins with a festive pre-party featuring video and music by DJ Jess and Set It Off Man Greginald Spencer. Keep a lookout for C.P. Lacey, the resident Executioner who sweeps bad talent off the stage!