Atcllc!
The place where
dreams are bom,
legends are made
By Denise Bames
Does the Hurtig and
Seaman’s New Blessed
Theatre and Opera House
ring a bell? Perhaps everyone is not
familiar with this theatre and opera
house because it is now known as
the Apollo Theatre in Harlem, New
York. The Apollo Theatre is known
for hosting major concerts and pre
senting the hottest new acts.
However, it was not always known
as the “mecca of entertainment for
the Black community.”
Built in 1913, this theatre
used to be an all-white opera house.
Before 1934, Blacks were not per
mitted to see a show, or even per
form on the stage. Later that year,
Frank Schiffman purchased the
building and changed the name to
Apollo, derived from the Greek god
of entertainment. A place for Black
entertainers to perform, the Apollo
was christened as a gold mine. The
theatre brought artists like Billie
Holliday, Nat “King” Cole, James
Brown, Bill Cosby, Michael
Jackson, Patti Labelle, and Prince.
Most of these artists got their start
on “Amateur Night,” created by
one of Apollo’s late hosts, Ralph
Cooper, Sr.
A common dream of those
struggling to step into the door of
entertainment is appearing on
“Amateur Night.” Everyone knows
the all so common aspects: during
the show, the audience determines
whether the featured artists make
the final cut or are “booed” off
stage. If one happens to suffer the
humiliation of being rejected by the
audience, the Sandman is always
eager to run out and sweep some
one off the stage.
With all of this fun and
excitement who would ever think
that the Apollo was once unsuc
cessful? Well, the theatre was
forced to close down in 1977 due to
the economy in the area. No one
had money to go to the shows, and
the music was changing from rock
‘n’ roll to disco and the now popu
lar beats of R&B.
As usual, the media was
viewed as a portion of the problem.
The media portrayed the people
who lived, worked, taught, and
prayed in Harlem as if they were
wild animals. Whites were hesitant
to venture to Uptown Manhattan in
fear of crime. Few people were
aware that from Harlem came peo
ple of German, French, and Greek
descent. Also during this time, the
theatre underwent a number of
changes from various groups. The
Apollo went from a church, to a
discotech, to a movie theater, but
nothing worked. The Apollo con
tinued to remain strong throughout
its transformation over a period of
five years.
Then, in 1982, a man by the
name of Percy Ellis Sutton and the
Inner City Broadcasting Company
purchased the Apollo. Sutton
ended up losing a lot of money due
to the media. Finally in 1992, the
state of New York along with
Sutton, began efforts to have the
theatre designated as a national
landmark; the Apollo Theatre
Foundation. Now, the non-profit
foundation is run on a daily basis.
The Apollo continues to provide
major concerts, Amateur Night,
“Showtime At The Apollo,” and
community services consisting of
arts shows, historical tours, and tal
ent showcases for adults and chil
dren. The Apollo Theatre continues
to be the place where dreams are
bom and legends are made. ^
Information from Socialstep, Cultural
Horizons section, an on-line magazine
resource. Article by Tracy Grant.
Black Ink
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