Cultural icon Apollo Theater sets new goals on the occasion of its 85th anniversary

Nestled between the boulevards of Adam Clayton Jr. and the boulevards of Frederick Douglass, the Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York, took its throne as the guardian of Black history for 85 years. Since reopening in 1934 to fulfill the growing talent of African Americans in Harlem, the Apollo Theater has cultivated, protected and elevated the black arts. Whether it’s music, writing, dance and even the art of speaking, no place in the world will be called home, sanctuary and origin like the Apollo Theater. Before it was the home of Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday or Bruno Mars, the Apollo was a burlesque theater. Opening in 1914, Benjamin Hurting and Harry Seamon obtained a lease on the newly built theater, which was owned by Sidney Cohen and, like much of America at the time, prohibited African Americans from entering and entertaining themselves. However, in 1933 the mayor began banning Burlesque performances and the theater closed. A 12 months later, Cohen recognized the growing population and evolution of African-American entertainment in Harlem and commenced to fulfill the growing demand, and from there the rest was history. One can only imagine what it will be like to steer a being like Apollo; the responsibility of not only keeping history alive but additionally fostering growth will be intimidating, but fortunately under CEO/President Jonelle Procope, Apollo is prospering and preparing for the next 85 years. A lawyer by career. Procope was initially a company lawyer, then moved into entertainment law, mainly music law. She knew at this point that this was the catalyst for joining the Apollo board in 1999. She served on the board for about three years, during which she began to grasp Apollo’s vision. “The fact that it was a turning point and we were basically starting from scratch, we needed infrastructure and people, we had to provide the organization with a solid financial foundation; once we take care of that, we can really focus on the more interesting things that are happening within these four walls,” Procope tells ESSENCE. Even though Apollo was a cultural icon, he fell on hard times. When she joined, she knew that participating on this rescue mission was to save lots of her. After three years, she was asked to take over the management of the theater, and in 2003 she began a new profession as president of the Apollo Theater. “At first, the reality of being asked to run was daunting because I had never run in anything! I was just a practicing lawyer. I really had to think about it with the help and advice of my husband and girlfriends because you know women are risk averse, especially my generation. Fortunately, everyone agreed it was the perfect job for me because everything I had done led to this decision.” “I had to learn on the job. It was important for me to be a manager who understood that I couldn’t know all the details about running a theater and I couldn’t do it alone.” During her tenure as president/CEO, Procope was dedicated to ensuring that the Apollo was more than just a theater. “We are celebrating the 85th anniversary of^vol anniversary, and while we have a truly amazing legacy, we are a place of opportunity and one of the first theaters to be desegregated. He launched almost everyone’s career in music, dance and comedy. It was one of the few places where you could hone your skills and perform; Today, all these people are legendary. We celebrate this legacy. Reason 85^vol is so special because our future is truly amazing.” But that is not the only thing extraordinary about the Apollo Theater’s legacy. The theater will likely be the operational manager of the new cultural space, which is able to come online in 2020 and can include two new theaters and office space. But what it really means is that the Apollo will turn into a middle for the performing arts, which is a very essential milestone in the evolution of theater. It allows the theater to expand its programming and proceed to create opportunities for African Americans and cultural expansion. “We truly want to lead the most inspiring, long-term and exciting effort in America to advance a diverse 21st century^street century American canon of performing arts. The canon will focus on African American stories; stories based on the experiences of African Americans and the African diaspora,” says Procope. Hopefully, the next time you visit the Apollo Theater, you will see greater than only a structure – it’s your property. The house that has housed our culture for 85 years. The definition and embodiment of Black History.