The Apollo Announces 2025 Winter/Spring Season

Highlights include a commemoration of the 40th anniversary of Urban Bush Women and a two-day celebration exploring the impact and legacy of James Baldwin

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Annual Series Amateur Night, Apollo Music Cafe, and Apollo Comedy Club continue the Institution's ongoing support of emerging talent

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Harlem, NY – (December 4, 2024) – The Apollo announced today highlights of its Winter/Spring 2025 season performances, exhibitions, and educational programs across its stages in its historic building and at its new Stages at the Victoria. At the core of this season is the exploration of Black legacy and lineage, celebrating the impact of seminal and pioneering Black artists and thinkers including James Baldwin, Duke Ellington, bell hooks, and the Urban Bush Women.

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The Apollo will honor acclaimed writer and civil rights activist James Baldwin through the screening of pioneering documentarian Sir Horace Shango Ové CBE’s film Baldwin’s Nigger, which features Baldwin himself with comedian and activist Dick Gregory; and an evening-length concert by composer Samora Abayomi Pinderhughes’ The James Baldwin Essays: As Much Truth As One Can Bear, which interweaves an instrumental ensemble, choir and spoken word in a timely exploration of James Baldwin’s work. In another legacy commemoration, composer and pianist Jason Moran will illuminate Duke Ellington’s jazz canon, pairing stunning, rarely seen photography of Ellington by legendary photographer Gordon Parks with Moran’s personal narration about the significance of Ellington’s impact.

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This season, The Apollo also builds upon key partnerships it has with the community, continuing its annual tradition with a celebration of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in partnership with WNYC and New York Public Radio. The Apollo will also present Loss, originally produced by The Theatre Centre and part of the twentieth edition of the Under the Radar Festival, supporting its role as an incubator of emerging talent in American theater.

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“This coming season, we look forward to celebrating legendary performers and thought leaders of color, while also creating space to uplift the abundance of emergent Black talent,” said Executive Producer Kamilah Forbes. “Through our Apollo Works in Process series, we are investing in the future of the Black artistic canon, providing an incubator for burgeoning talent across music, dance, and theater.”

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The legendary Amateur Night at The Apollo returns from February to June, alongside other annual favorites Apollo Comedy Club and Apollo Music Café. Expanding The Apollo’s support of emerging and established artists, The Apollo Works in Process series presents performances by Indigenous activist and artist Martha Redbone and by Tony Award-winning actress and playwright Tonya Pinkins. This season highlights the works of both rising and established Black artists and creatives, including performances of Loss from Toronto-based playwright Ian Kamau, and film screenings of Claudine, a film that showed American audiences a different view of Black culture than what was being presented onscreen in the heyday of blaxploitation, starring Diahann Carroll and the late James Earl Jones.

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The Apollo’s season of programs follows below, with additional programs to be announced. To learn more and view programming updates, please visit https://www.apollotheater.org/winter-spring-2025.

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Tickets go on sale to the general public Friday, December 6, 2024 at 12pm noon ET. Pre-sale tickets are available to Apollo Members starting today. Become an Apollo Member by visiting apollotheater.org/membership.

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CALENDAR OF THE APOLLO'S WINTER AND SPRING 2025 SEASON:

All times below listed in EST.

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Under the Radar: Loss

Thursday, January 9, 2025 – Saturday, January 11, 2025

The Apollo Stages at The Victoria | See performance details below

Originally produced by The Theatre Centre, Loss is a deeply honest, live retelling of an intergenerational family story, written by Ian Kamau and his father Roger McTair. This multi-media performance begins as a mirror into a winter of depression, then slowly unravels the mystery surrounding the death of his paternal grandmother Nora Elutha Rogers. An orchestration of memories using live music, video, and storytelling, Loss is an exploration of grief in Afro-Caribbean communities and an immersive experience towards healing shared with the audience.

• Thursday, January 9, 2025 | 8pm
• Friday, January 10, 2025 | 8pm
• Saturday, January 11, 2025 | 2pm, 8pm

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Lineage Legacy and Liberation: An Examination of Urban Bush Women’s Art-Making and Community Organizing Praxis
Monday, January 13, 2025 – March 12, 2025
Laura and Frank Baker Gallery

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, Lineage Legacy and Liberation: An Examination of Urban Bush Women’s Art-Making and Community Organizing Praxis contains rare photographs, performance footage, manuscripts, listening stations, and memorabilia representing the past, present, and future of the groundbreaking ensemble.

• Gallery Pop-Up Performances | January 11, January 25, February 22, March 8 | 4pm

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Apollo Film: Claudine

Friday, January 17, 2025

The Apollo Stages at the Victoria | 7:30 PM

Directed by John Berry and starring Diahann Carroll, this Oscar-nominated romantic comedy deftly balances warm humor with a serious look at the myriad issues—from cycles of poverty to the indignities of the welfare system—that shape its characters’ realities. The result is an empathetic chronicle of both Black working-class struggle and Black joy, a bittersweet, bighearted celebration of family and community. Presented in collaboration with the Harlem Festival of Culture Foundation.

Apollo Uptown Hall: MLK

Sunday, January 19, 2025

The Apollo’s Historic Theater | 2 PM

This annual event, done in partnership with WNYC and the March on Washington Film Festival, will bring together Harlem and NYC audiences with scholars, cultural and community leaders, and activists to engage in conversation about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy and how his teachings affect us today.

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Apollo Comedy Club
Full performance dates below
The Apollo Stages at The Victoria | 10 PM

Presented in partnership with Bob Sumner (producer of Def Comedy Jam, creator of Laff Mobb on Aspire) and hosted by Freddie Ricks, the Apollo Comedy Club celebrates these rich comedic roots with an evening of comedy on the Apollo’s Stages at the Victoria, featuring the best emerging talent in comedy today. The Apollo has a long history of launching the careers of countless legendary artists and performers including comedic legends Richard Pryor, Redd Foxx, Monique, Jamie Foxx and Jackie Mabley (a.k.a. Moms).

• Thursday, February 6, 2025 | 10 PM
• Thursday, March 6, 2025 | 10 PM
• Thursday, April 3, 2025 | 10 PM
• Thursday, May 1, 2025 | 10 PM

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Apollo Music Café
Full performance dates below
Procope Theater | 10 PM

The Apollo Music Café series presents independent artists to a unique audience. Featuring diverse performances across a myriad of genres (R&B, hip-hop, soul, jazz, funk, and rock), this series showcases artists drawn from the independent music scene who impact the way music is heard and experienced.  

• Friday, February 7, 2025 | sahn
• Saturday, February 8, 2025 | For The Love of Luther
• Friday, March 7, 2025 | Georgia Anne Muldrow
• Saturday, March 8, 2025 | Sebastian Mikael
• Friday, April 4, 2025 | Fred Yonnet
• Saturday, April 5, 2025 | Endea Owens & The Cookout
• Friday, May 2, 2025 | The Amours
• Saturday, May 3, 2025 | Julius Rodriguez

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Apollo Film: Baldwin’s Nigger + Post Show Conversation
Friday, February 21, 2025
The Apollo Stages at the Victoria | 7:30 PM

In this riveting short documentary from 1968, directed by pioneering Trinidadian-British filmmaker Horace Ové, James Baldwin and comedian-activist Dick Gregory speak to a group of radical West Indian students in London about everything from the state of the civil rights movement to the perils of false consciousness. The provocative title, drawn from Baldwin’s words, refers to one of the painful realities of Black American identity: that even his name conjures a history of slavery.

Samora Pinderhughes: The James Baldwin Essays: As Much Truth As One Can Bear

Saturday, February 22, 2025
The Apollo Stages at the Victoria | 3 PM, 8 PM

Samora Abayomi Pinderhughes is a composer/pianist/vocalist known for large multidisciplinary projects and his use of music to examine socio-political issues. In celebration of James Baldwin’s legacy, Pinderhughes will be performing The James Baldwin Essays: As Much Truth As One Can Bear, which was commissioned by Harlem Stage in 2015. Pinderhughes has performed in venues including Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center, and is the first-ever Art for Justice + Soros Justice Fellow. He received Chamber Music America‘s 2020 Visionary Award, and is a 2019 Creative Capital grantee.

Amateur Night at The Apollo

Every Wednesday, February 19 – June 25, 2025

The Apollo’s Historic Theater | 7:30 PM

America’s longest running talent show, Amateur Night has long been revered by artists as a transformative experience where up-and-coming talent feel the power of the legendary performers who have come before them—including Ella Fitzgerald, Luther Vandross, Lauryn Hill, H.E.R, Machine Gun Kelly, Jazmine Sullivan—and where audience responses can help make or break a career. The Grand Finale winner receives $20,000, alongside the “Child Star of Tomorrow,” who wins $5,000.

• Season Opener | Wednesday, February 19, 2025
• Grand Finale | Wednesday, June 25, 2025

Note: Live auditions for the 2026 season of Amateur Night will be held on Saturday, March 22, 2025 at The Apollo’s Historic Theater at 9:00 AM. More information can be found here.

Apollo Works In Process

The Apollo Stages at The Victoria

The Apollo Works in Process Series is part of Apollo New Works, a program that expands commitment to supporting creative innovation by emerging and established artists whose work challenges, reflects, and is in dialogue with the most pressing issues within our communities.

Martha Redbone: Guardian Spirit: The words of bell hooks

Saturday, March 29, 2025

Public Presentations at 2 PM, 7 PM

Guardian Spirit presents the poems, prose and essays of bell hooks set to music by Martha Redbone. In Redbone’s own words, “Almost everything [bell hooks] wrote resonated with my life, to the point I felt she knew my soul at its core...Her stories shone a radiant light on everything I had ever known and so many secrets lost before my time, bell hooks helped me listen to the whisperings of the guardian spirit. Having left our planet less than a year ago, it is only fitting to celebrate her writings setting them in music and storytelling.”

Tonya Pinkins: Jeffery Manor

Monday, April 7 – Saturday, April 12, 2025

Public Presentations at 2 PM, 7 PM on Saturday, April 12, 2025

Set in the textured tapestry of the South Side of Chicago, Jeffrey Manor is a testament to the strength and resilience of Black womanhood, highlighting he intricate dynamics of generations of Black women bound together by lineage, secrets and tragic outcomes, and exploring generational dysfunction and mental health issues that arise from a lifetime of trauma.

Ellington in Focus Featuring Jason Moran

Friday, April 11, 2025
The Apollo’s Historic Theater | 8 PM

Guided by Duke Ellington’s great canon, Jason Moran takes a solo piano climb up “Mount Ellington” in this extraordinary celebration of the composer’s enduring legacy. Experience the timeless genius of Ellington’s music, brilliantly illuminated by Moran and paired with iconic images of The Duke by legendary photographer Gordon Parks.

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APOLLO EDUCATION PROGRAMS:

The Apollo continues its robust education programs that extend its commitment to acting as a catalyst for opportunity for the more than 20,000 students, teachers, and audiences it engages annually. The programs use The Apollo’s storied history as a cultural, civic, and community resource and its influence on Black culture to build knowledge and highlight the impact The Apollo has had on arts and culture worldwide and supports future generations of arts and entertainment practitioners both inside and out of the classroom. For more information, see here.

MLK Young Changemakers

Monday, January 20, 2025

The Apollo Stages at The Victoria | 3 PM

This year’s MLK Young Changemakers explores the roots of Dr. King’s work in modern environmental advocacy. The discussion will focus on issues of food, environmental justice, and safe third spaces. Join us as the changemakers of tomorrow share their voices and resources to help the next generation become catalysts for change. With opportunities for direct action, this is the space for youth on the National Day of Service. This event is curated by The Apollo’s Apprentices.

Professional Learning Workshop:

HS Chancellor's Day - Apollo Stories

Monday, January 27, 2025, Time: 8:30 AM - 3 PM
The Apollo Stages at The Victoria | 8:30 AM

Join Apollo Education for a full-day Professional Learning Workshop to explore our groundbreaking national digital learning hub, Apollo Stories. Participate in hands-on activities designed to spark critical thinking in your students using the arts as a subject area. Activities will ignite thought-provoking discussions on justice, culture, and identity and will facilitate avenues to express ourselves through the arts.

Treasures from the Archives

February 26, 2025

The Apollo Stages at The Victoria | 4 PM

Join the Apollo Education Program to discover the vibrant 90-year history of The Apollo and its pivotal role in shaping American culture and entertainment. Through a presentation from the Apollo’s Digital Archivist, we will explore how the Digital Archives and its contents can be utilized as primary and secondary sources for teaching and learning. We’ll also connect primary sources to a selection of lessons in the Black Studies as the Study of the World: A PK-12 Black Studies Curriculum for New York City Public Schools. You’ll hear stories of hope, perseverance, and achievements, gaining a deeper understanding of the cultural significance of The Apollo.

School Day Live

Jump Up Jamboree | Friday, February 7, 2025 | 10:30 AM

The Apollo Stages at The Victoria

Jump Up Jamboree celebrates cultural traditions from Africa, the Caribbean, and the Diaspora. Weaving poetry, songs, games, storytelling, music and movement, The Pickney Players and Special Guests bring foundational aspects of folk expressions framing the importance of preserving that which shapes identity. Audiences actively participate through call and response, sing-along, and hands-on rhythm-making.

Most appropriate for students grades K-3.

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STUNTBOY: In the Meantime | March 25th & March 27th, 2025 | 10:30 AM

The Apollo Stages at The Victoria

Based on Jason Reynolds and Third’s award-winning graphic novel of the same name, Stuntboy: In the Meantime follows the middle-schooler Portico Reeves, whose superpower is making sure his parents and best friend, Zola, stay safe, all while navigating anxiety—and an arch-nemesis.

Most appropriate for students grades 3-8.

Baby Laurence Legacy Project | Friday, May 30, 2025 | 11 AM

Apollo’s Historic Theater

The Baby Laurence Legacy Project is an archival performance that investigates and celebrates the artistic genius of Donald “Baby Laurence” Jackson, a Baltimore-bred game-changer, and his impact on tap dance and jazz music. This production aims to redefine the relationship between technology, tap dancing, and jazz music to build a platform for sharing Laurence’s largely forgotten story with audiences.

Most appropriate for students grades 7-12.