Apollo To Hold Auditions For Amateur Night In Harlem

On Saturday, September 22nd, 2018 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. the world famous Apollo Theater will hold auditions for the 85th season of its signature program Amateur Night Live at the Apollo. Contestants chosen from these auditions will get a spot in the 2019 Amateur Night season line-up. Auditions will be held at the Apollo Theater where Amateur Night producers will screen hundreds of vocalists, rappers, dancers, comedians, spoken word artists, and other performers vying for a coveted spot on the Apollo’s stage, where they will then compete for a chance to win the new grand prize amount of $20,000. Additionally, the first place winner of the Child Stars of Tomorrow will receive $5,000.

Since its inception in 1934, the Theater’s signature show, Amateur Night Live at the Apollo, has been one of New York City’s most popular live entertainment experiences, 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. Ella Fitzgerald, James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Lauryn Hill and Michael Jackson are just a few of the legendary performers who launched their careers on the Apollo stage.

Rules:       

• Each contestant will have up to 90 seconds to audition.
• An Amateur is anyone who has not had a recording, film or TV contract with a major studio.
• No profanity including any racial epithets or slurs all material must be appropriate for a family show.
• Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
• Only children ages 5 to 17 will be considered for the “Child Star of Tomorrow” segment.
• Contestants competing in the adult category must be 18 years or older.
• No lip synching, singing along with track vocals or post-production engineering of vocals permitted.
• The audition is open to singers, dancers, comedians, spoken word artists and musicians and other variety performances.
• Singers can bring a track on cassette or CD or sing a cappella. A band is not available.
• Musicians must bring their own instruments.
• Dancers should bring a CD.
• Do not bring CD’s in CD-RW format.

*Important Note: For Amateur Night Live at the Apollo, only children ages 5 to 17 will be considered for the “Child Stars of Tomorrow” segment. Performers in the adult category must be 18 years or older. Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. For a complete list of audition guidelines and rules, visit apollotheater.org.

Performers are encouraged to arrive early as judges will only see the first 250 acts, if time permits. Amateur Night Live at the Apollo weekly performances are independent from the APOLLO LIVE and SHOWTIME AT THE APOLLO taped events.

Apollo Theater, 253 West 125^th Street, New York, NY 10027