Apollo Theater Oral History Project - Incite at Columbia University
Apollo Theater Oral History Project
- Led by Columbia Oral History
- Funding Apollo Theater Foundation
- Project Team Mary Marshall Clark
For the Apollo Theater's 75th anniversary in 2009, the Apollo Theater Foundation approached Columbia Oral History to collect the rich history of the theater.
From 2009 to 2011, researchers at Incite Institute talked to patrons, staff, and performers who have been involved with the Apollo Theater's events and its legacy.
The interviews include conversations with leading figures in the Apollo Theater’s history with music performers, dancers, talent scouts and comedians; as well as former business managers and owners, directors, and staff. The oral history project is available for public viewing at Columbia’s Rare Book and Manuscript Library, which holds a collection of interview transcripts with prominent figures like Gladys Knight, Smokey Robinson, and Dionne Warwick.
The Apollo Theater is a pillar of African-American history and a Harlem institution. The oral history project reveals the significance of the theater in the past and looking towards the future.
Explore more below:
- How the Apollo Theater’s Oral History Project Housed at Columbia Brought New Stories from Harlem and Black Music to Light
- Apollo Theater Oral History Project, 2008-2011
- Apollo Video Oral History Project at Wadleigh Secondary School for the Performing and Visual Arts
- Apollo Theater Oral History Project and the Apollo Theater Oral History Project at C.S. 154 by Harlem Apollo Theater (review)
Related Projects
-
go to Paul Taylor Dance Company Oral History
Paul Taylor Dance Company Oral HistoryChronicling the Paul Taylor Dance Company's contributions to American modern dance, this archive stands as a testament to Paul Taylor's life and work. -
go to Phoenix House Oral History
Phoenix House Oral HistoryCapturing the story of how Phoenix House transformed drug rehabilitation in America. Funded by Phoenix House Foundation
-
go to NYC Covid-19 Oral History, Narrative, and Memory Project
NYC Covid-19 Oral History, Narrative, and Memory ProjectDocumenting New York City’s experience of the Covid-19 pandemic. Funded by the National Science Foundation and the Board of Trustees of the American Assembly
-
go to Lawrence Cremin Oral History Project
Lawrence Cremin Oral History ProjectEducator, historian, and administrator Lawrence Cremin shaped Columbia Teachers College over four decades—his impact documented through twenty interview sessions with ten colleagues, family members, and those he influenced.