Apollo Theater & Screen/Play Presents: 30 YEARS OF HOUSE PARTY – A Virtual Celebration of the Cult Classics
Harlem, NY – (Updated February 19, 2021; February 11, 2021) – The Apollo Theater announced details today for Apollo Film & Screen/Play Presents: 30 Years of House Party on Saturday, February 27 at 7:00 p.m. EST, launching the nonprofit Theater’s 87th season of expanded digital offerings that celebrates and centers Black artists and voices from the African Diaspora. Featuring performances by acclaimed hip- hop duo Kid ‘N Play, legendary R&B/hip-hop group Full Force, Lisa Lisa, DJ Wiz, Today, and more, the event also includes conversations with the film’s stars and creators. The virtual program will explore House Party (1990) and House Party 2 (1991) and the cult classic comedy’s roles in centering the Black teenage experience for mainstream audiences. Tickets for 30 Years of House Party are available now for $15 and $10 for Apollo A-List Members at https://www.apollotheater.org/spring2021/#HouseParty.
In addition to special performances, Apollo Film & Screen/Play Presents: 30 Years of House Party will include a conversation with Christopher “Kid” Reid and Christopher “Play” Martin; A.J. Johnson; Darryl “Chill” Mitchell; writer and director Reginald Hudlin; producer Warrington Hudlin; DJ Cassidy; and other special guests. Forefathers to TikTok viral dance-offs, Kid ‘N Play’s now iconic moves, along with their performances and Hudlin’s vision, the House Party franchise continues to resonate across generations of audiences today. Created and produced by Cali Green, the Screen/Play series celebrates “throwback” films and their soundtracks.
“From the unbelievable cast to the performances, dance-offs and legendary soundtrack, House Party is an iconic film that continues to speak to so many, even more than 30 years after it was initially released,” said Executive Producer Kamilah Forbes. “I’m thrilled that we’ll be joined by Kid ‘N Play, Reginald Hudlin, and so many others who drove the House Party franchise into the cultural zeitgeist as we take a look back at two films that amplified Black voices and offered Black teenagers an opportunity to see themselves center stage.”
Apollo Film will continue throughout the spring season with its innovative series Apollo Film Presents: ImageNation’s Cocktails & Sol Cinema on Sunday, May 20 at 7:00 p.m. EST. Featuring independent films primarily directed by people of color, the program seeks to explore the history, examine social issues, and highlight the humanity of Pan-African people in the genres of drama, science fiction, animation, comedy, documentary, experimental, and emerging media. Please check www.ApolloTheater.org for film updates.
In addition to its film programs, the Apollo Theater’s season features a dynamic range of programs that center Black artists and voices from the African Diaspora, while tackling important social issues for Harlem, New York, and the nation. To learn more about the Spring 2021 season, please click here.
TICKET INFO
Tickets for the Apollo Theater’s 2021 season are available now at www.ApolloTheater.org. Tickets for House Party are available for $15 and $10 for Apollo A-List Members. To become an Apollo A-List Member, please click here.
Please check www.ApolloTheater.org for updates on ticket availability for additional 2021 spring season programming.
SUPPORT
The Apollo's spring season is made possible by leadership support from Coca-Cola, Citi, Sherman Fairchild Foundation, Ford Foundation, Howard Gilman Foundation, the Jerome L. Greene Arts Access Fund in the New York Community Trust, HBO, and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Public support for the Apollo Theater is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, and from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
Apollo Education Programs provided by the Ronald O. Perelman Family Foundation, BNY Mellon, Fund II, Hearst Foundations, the Jerome L. Greene Arts Access Fund in the New York Community Trust, The Pinkerton Foundation. Generous support from Apollo EmpowHer, Conscious Kids Inc., Con Edison, Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation, Ellis L. Phillips Foundation, The Reginald F. Lewis Foundation, and public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, and from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, with special support from New York City Council Members Bill Perkins and Mark Levine.
ABOUT THE APOLLO THEATER
The legendary Apollo Theater—the soul of American culture—plays a vital role in cultivating emerging artists and launching legends. Since its founding, the Apollo has served as a center of innovation and a creative catalyst for Harlem, the city of New York, and the world.
With music at its core, the Apollo’s programming extends to dance, theater, spoken word, and more. This includes the world premiere of the theatrical adaptation of Master Artist-in-Residence Ta-Nehisi Coates’s Between the World and Me and the New York premiere of the opera We Shall Not Be Moved; special programs such as the blockbuster concert Bruno Mars Live at the Apollo; 100: The Apollo Celebrates Ella; and the annual Africa Now! Festival. The non-profit Apollo Theater is a performing arts presenter, commissioner, and collaborator that also produces festivals; large-scale dance and musical works organized around a set of core initiatives that celebrate and extend the Apollo’s legacy through a contemporary lens, including the Women of the World (WOW) Festival; as well as other multidisciplinary collaborations with partner organizations.
Since introducing the first Amateur Night contests in 1934, the Apollo Theater has served as a testing ground for new artists working across a variety of art forms and has ushered in the emergence of many new musical genres—including jazz, swing, bebop, R&B, gospel, blues, soul, and hip-hop. Among the countless legendary performers who launched their careers at the Apollo are Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, Luther Vandross, H.E.R., D’Angelo, Lauryn Hill, Machine Gun Kelly, and Miri Ben Ari; and the Apollo’s forward-looking artistic vision continues to build on this legacy. For more information about the Apollo, visit www.ApolloTheater.org.
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Press Contact:
Fatima Jones
Senior Director of Marketing and Communications press@apollotheater.org
Julie Danni / Destanie Martin-Johnson / Josh Balber Resnicow and Associates
JDanni@resnicow.com / DMartin-Johnson@resnicow.com / JBalber@resnicow.com 212-671-5173 / 212-671-5172 / 212-671-5175
About The Apollo
The Apollo is an American cultural treasure. It is a vibrant non-profit organization rooted in the Harlem community that engages people from around New York, the nation, and the world. Since 1934, The Apollo has celebrated, created, and presented work that centers Black artists and voices from across the African Diaspora. It has also been a catalyst for social and civic advocacy. Today, The Apollo is the largest performing arts institution committed to Black culture and creativity.
The Apollo 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.
The Apollo envisions a new American canon centered on contributions to the performing arts by artists of the African diaspora, in America and beyond.
