Amateur Night | Apollo Theater (2024)

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TODAY

Tuesday 12, March 2024

Jun 26

| 7:30PM EDT

Jun 26-Jun 26Apollo's Historic TheaterAmateur Night at The Apollo: Grand Finale

This is the Amateur Night show you’ve been waiting for! Winners from the Semi-Finals return in this final competition for the title of Child Star of Tomorrow earning $5,000 while the Grand Finale winner receives $20,000. The talented performers return for one last chance to leave it all on the line with hopes of becoming the next Ella Fitzgerald, Luther Vandross, Lauryn Hill, H.E.R, Machine Gun Kelly or Jazmine Sullivan.Audiences have casted their vote to get them this far, but in the Grand Finale, you decide who will Be Good or Be Gone and win the triumphant grand prize. Don’t miss the final Amateur Night sponsored by Coca-Cola performance of the season hosted by the comedian Capone with a festive pre-party with DJ Jess and Set It Off Man Greginald Spencer.

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Audition for Amateur Night

Amateur Night at The Apollo invites singers, dancers, comedians, rappers, spoken word artists, variety acts, and musicians to take the stage every Wednesday and compete for a grand prize of up to $20,000.

Online Auditions

Live Auditions

Audition for Amateur Night at The Apollo anytime by completing the online audition form below. Those selected from the online audition have the opportunity to compete in Amateur Night at The Apollo.

Only one online audition per contestant. Multiple submissions will not be considered. No phone calls or emails please.

Audition Requirements

• An “Amateur” is considered to be anyone who DOES NOT have a recording contract with a major label or studio.
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• The Apollo DOES NOT provide travel to New York City or lodging for contestants for auditions or performances.
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• Auditions should be in good taste with no profanity, including racial epithets or slurs (this includes the “N” word).
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• Child Star of Tomorrow category age requirement: 5 to 17 years of age.
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• Adult category age requirement: 18 years of age and above.
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• No lip-syncing, singing along with track lead vocals, or post-production engineering of lead vocals permitted.

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Grand Prize Offerings

Adult Category

Price

$20,000

Net
profit

Grand Prize Offerings

Child Category

Price

$5,000

Net
profit

Live auditions are held at The Apollo located at 253 West 125th Street, New York, NY 10027. Please arrive early. Only the first 200 acts will be seen.

Audition Requirements

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About
The Show

Introduced in 1934, Amateur Night at The Apollo is known as one of New York’s most popular live entertainment experiences. The classic talent competition attracts performers from around the world and has launched the careers of countless legendary artists, from Ella Fitzgerald to Lauryn Hill, H.E.R, D’Angelo, Jazmine Sullivan, and Machine Gun Kelly. Join the notoriously “tough” audience in an interactive evening unlike any other, and lend your voice to decide who will “be good or be gone” to win the triumphant grand prize of up to $20,000. Amateur Night is a family-friendly show, great for all ages, and also includes the Child Stars of Tomorrow competition where performers under 18 years of age vie for a chance to win $5,000.

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The Legacy of Amateur Night

Be Good or Be Gone

Winners or competitors of the legendary show include James Brown, Busta Rhymes, Luther Vandross, D’Angelo, Sarah Vaughan, Lauryn Hill, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Jazmine Sullivan, H.E.R., Machine Gun Kelly, and many more. Amateur Night continues to maintain its position as the nation’s most popular arena for emerging and established Black performers.

An Icon Goes International

In recent years, The Apollo has increased its global reach by bringing Amateur Night to audiences around the world with international editions in England and Japan, as well as livestream broadcasts viewed by audiences from all corners of the globe.

An Incubator for Artistic Expression

The showcase has played a major role in the emergence of innovative musical genres including jazz, swing, bebop, R&B, gospel, blues, soul, and hip-hop. It works to cultivate aspiring performers in their artistic evolution as entertainers while creating access to professional performance and recording opportunities. Many Amateur Night performers have had professional success, and others have performed on American Idol, The Voice, America’s Got Talent, and other network television shows.

A Competition Like No Other

Amateur Night at The Apollo becomes the quintessential talent competition, serving as the model for Star Search and American Idol. The show marries world-class talent with a distinctive, vaudeville-like atmosphere that has depended on audience participation since the very beginning. This popularity contest has proven an effective measure of star potential, becoming a launch pad for some of the nation’s greatest entertainers.

From Amateur To Legend

After Amateur Night debuted at The Apollo in 1934, it quickly became the leading showcase for many young, talented, new performers, including a 15-year-old Ella Fitzgerald who went on to become the first female artist to win Amateur Night.Photo Courtesy of 1937 Duncan Butler/Frank Driggs Collection.

The Iconic Talent Show Is Born

Amateur Night’s history begins with Ralph Cooper, an actor and producer who started the original Harlem Amateur Hour in April 1933 at Frank Schiffman’s Lafayette Theater. In 1934, Cooper began the Wednesday Amateur Night at Sidney Cohen and Morris Sussman’s 125th Street Apollo Theatre. Cooper’s Amateur Night in Harlem radio shows were broadcast live from The Apollo over WMCA and were carried on a national network of 21 stations. Photo Courtesy of Apollo Archives

Congratulations Amateur Night 2023 Season Winners

Child Star Of Tomorrow Winner

Nathanael Barlow

Grand Finale Winner

Dee Dee Simon

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