The Apollo to Hold In-Person Auditions for Amateur Night Saturday, September 9, 2023
WHAT
On Saturday, September 9, The Apollo (253 W. 125th Street) will hold in-person auditions for its signature program, Amateur Night at The Apollo, the quintessential talent competition and one of the longest-running events in the world. Taking place at The Apollo’s Historic Theater on a first-come, first-served basis from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST, Amateur Night producers will audition the first 200 vocalists, rappers, dancers, instrumentalists, comedians, spoken-word artists, and other performers vying for a coveted spot on The Apollo’s stage, where they will compete for a chance to win the $20,000 Grand Prize during the 2023-24 season. Contestants between the ages of 5 and 17 will audition for a spot in the “Child Star of Tomorrow” category and a $5,000 prize. The chosen artists will compete next year in front of the famous live— and very vocal— audience at The Apollo. In addition to in-person auditions, The Apollo will continue to accept online audition submissions year-round.
Since its inception in 1934, The Apollo’s signature Amateur Night continues to gain global recognition for launching the careers of thousands of performers and attracting audiences from all over the world. 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, and where audience responses can help make or break a career. Legendary performers who launched their careers on The Apollo Amateur Night stage have included Ella Fitzgerald, Luther Vandross, Lauryn Hill, and H.E.R. Beginning in 2017, The Apollo incorporated online submissions into its audition process to extend access to artists around the globe and diversify the talent featured in the show.
The current Amateur Night season opened on Wednesday, February 22, 2023, and continues each Wednesday night through the finale on November 22, 2023. Tickets for 2023-24 Amateur Night season are on sale now at www.ApolloTheater.org.
WHEN
Saturday, September 9 from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. EST
WHERE
The Apollo’s Historic Theater – 253 W. 125th Street between Frederick Douglass Blvd. and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd.
For a complete list of audition guidelines, please visit http://www.apollotheater.org/amateur-night/auditions/.
For online submissions please visit https://www.apollotheater.org/amateur-night/auditions/.
Sign up for audition updates and tips at the link here.
SPONSORS
Amateur Night at The Apollo is made possible by leadership support from Coca-Cola.
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 Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature, and from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
SUPPORT
Amateur Night at the Apollo is sponsored by Coca-Cola.
ABOUT THE APOLLO
The legendary Apollo—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. In 2023, The Apollo will open The Apollo’s Victoria Theaters, which will include two new theater spaces, and begin the renovation of its Historic Theater, marking the first ever expansion and renovation of The Apollo in its nearly 90-year history. Read more about the project here: www.apollotheater.org/renovation-restoration-and-transformation/
With music at its core, The Apollo’s programming extends to dance, theater, spoken word, and more. This includes the world premieres of The Blues and Its People and the theatrical adaptation of 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 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 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.
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.
