John Leguizamo Kicks Off His Latin History For Morons Tour At The Apollo Theater June 20 and 21

Friday, April 26 –Friday, April 27  

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WHAT: The Apollo Theater Salon Series in partnership with the Dr. Barbara Ann

Teer’s National Black Theatre (NBT) will present WiLDFLOWER, the

staged concert reading of the full-length musical with book, music and lyrics by

Jason Michael Webb and Lelund Durond Thompson, at 7:30 p.m. on

Friday, April 26, and Saturday, April 27, on the Apollo Theater Soundstage.

Tickets to the event, directed by Logan Vaughn, are $20.

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WiLDFLOWER is part of the Apollo’s Salon series, the Theater’s

new works program which began in 2016 to support innovative artists and works-

in-progress. The Salon Series extends the Apollo’s commitment to the creation of

new, innovative works that draw upon the Theater’s rich legacy to support

emerging and established artists. The event and collaboration are a part of

National Black Theatre’s 50th anniversary season and its program NBT Beyond

Walls, which sees the historic institution producing activities citywide, nationally

and internationally.

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WiLDFLOWER follows a rebellious but devoted young mother who unwittingly

meets a Sangoma (traditional healer), learns her ancestors’ purpose for her young

son, and then must choose between the cost of obeying her ancestors or the

higher cost of defying them. Set in the tumult of the early ’90s in both South

Africa and the U.S., the show features an exciting South African pop and gospel

score. Support for WiLDFLOWER was made possible by an NBT grant that

funded a two-week research trip to South Africa for the artists.

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WHERE: Apollo Theater - Soundstage  
253 West 125th Street    
New York, NY 10027  

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WHO:  Apollo Theater Executive Producer Kamilah Forbes; National Black Theatre  

CEO Sade Lythcott and Artistic Director Jonathan McCrory; WiLDFLOWER director Logan Vaughan and creators Jason Michael Webb and Lelund Durond Thompson  

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DATES: Performances

Friday, April 26th at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, April 27th at 7:30 p.m.

TICKETS: Tickets are $20 and are available at https://www.apollotheater.org/event/salon-

series-wildflower/2019-04-26/

LENGTH: 75-90 minutes

PRESS:  All media outlets interested in covering any of the readings, MUST submit

requests via email to press@apollotheater.org and alimah@cherylduncanpr.com.  

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ABOUT US: 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.

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With music at its core, the Apollo’s programming extends to dance, theater, spoken word, and more. This includes special programs such as the blockbuster concert Bruno Mars Live at the Apollo, 100: The Apollo Celebrates Ella, the annual Africa Now! Festival and the New York premiere of the opera We Shall Not Be Moved. The Apollo is a performing arts presenting organization that also produces festivals and large-scale dance and music works organized around a set of core initiatives that celebrate and extend the Apollo’s legacy through a contemporary lens; global festivals including the Women of the World (WOW) Festival and Breakin’ Convention, international and U.S.-based artist presentations focused on a specific theme; and Special Projects, multidisciplinary collaborations with partner organizations.

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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 D’Angelo, Lauryn Hill, Machine Gun Kelly, Miri Ben Ari, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, James Brown, Michael Jackson, Gladys Knight, Luther Vandross and Stevie Wonder; and the Apollo’s forward-looking artistic vision continues to build on this legacy.

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Founded by visionary Dr. Barbara Ann Teer in 1968, National Black Theatre

(NBT) is a nationally recognized cultural and educational institution. Dr. Teer

pioneered “the healing art of Black theater as an instrument for wholeness in

urban communities where entrepreneurial artists of African descent live and

work.” In 1983, Dr. Teer expanded the vision of NBT by purchasing a 64,000-

square-foot building on 125th Street and Fifth Avenue (renamed “National Black

Theatre Way” by local law in 1994). This was the first revenue-generating Black

arts complex in the country, an innovative arrangement through which for-profit

businesses who shared NBT’s spiritual and aesthetic values rented retail space to

subsidize the arts. Out of her vision, NBT houses the largest collection of Nigerian

New Sacred Art in the Western hemisphere and is considered the authentic

representation of a model whose time has come. NBT is supported by grants from

the Ford Foundation, New York Community Trust, Time Warner Corporation.

Howard Gilman Foundation, Jerome Foundation, Andrew Mellon Foundation,

City Council of New York, City of New York Department of Cultural Affairs,

Columbia Service Society and private donations. Visit

www.nationalblacktheatre.org or follow NBT on Facebook

(@NationalBlackTheatre) and Twitter/Instagram (@NatBlackTheatre).

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