Apollo Archives - Apollo Theater

Overview

The Apollo Archives is a collection of physical and digital material documenting the history, legacy, and day-to-day operations of The Apollo. Taken together, these items tell the story of The Apollo, its ongoing contributions to American and global culture, and its deep connection to the Harlem community. The materials in the Apollo Archives span the entire length of the theater’s existence, from the building’s pre-Apollo burlesque era, to the Apollo’s launch in 1934, to the present day.

The Apollo Theater Archives were originally part of a series of retrospective projects that also included a traveling exhibition in partnership with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture – and the publication of a companion book, Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing: How the Apollo Theater Shaped American Entertainment – and The Apollo Theater Oral History Project in collaboration with the Columbia University Center for Oral History Research.

The Apollo Archives is not yet open to the public, as materials are currently being collected, cataloged, preserved, and digitized, but the Archives welcome your questions.

Archive Photos

Meet The Apollo's Archivist

Learn more about the Apollo’s Archivist, Brad San Martin in his interview with Archives Aware!

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is in The Apollo Archives?
The Apollo Archives includes materials related to (and resulting from) the operation of Harlem’s world famous Apollo Theater, dating from prior to the theater’s opening in 1934 to the present day. These materials include, but are not limited to, the following categories:
- Photographs
- Video
- Audio
- Historic documents (contracts, scripts, business records, etc.)
- Program booklets
- Posters and flyers
- Commercial CD, LP, videocassettes, and DVDs recorded at the Apollo
- Published and unpublished books about or related to the history of The Apollo
- >Oral histories about The Apollo and the Harlem community
The Apollo Archives also collects and stores data related to the Apollo Theater, including a performance history database containing information about shows presented at the Apollo Theater from 1934 to the present day.
What is NOT in The Apollo Archives?

For most of its existence, the Apollo was a working, for-profit theater. The owners understandably focused their limited resources on selling tickets, paying performers and staff, and keeping the theater running. They were not able to dedicate time and money towards recording and/or photographing performances at the theater. As a result, photographs, audio, and audio-visual recordings of Apollo performances from 1934 through the late 1990s are very rare.
Is The Apollo Archives the only resource for information and materials related to The Apollo?

While The Apollo Archives is the only repository exclusively devoted to The Apollo, Apollo and Apollo-related materials can be found in other institutions. Two of the most extensive Apollo related holdings are:

The Frank Schiffman Apollo Theater Collection at the National Museum of American History

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The Gordon Anderson Collection at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture

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Can the material in The Apollo Archives be viewed online or in person?

Currently the Apollo Archives are not open to the public, as the process of collecting, cataloging, preserving, and digitizatizing materials is still ongoing. Our goal is to eventually allow people to search the archives via an interactive web portal.

Online streaming or display of certain materials in The Apollo Archives is not possible due to copyright and/or existing contractual agreements.
Can materials in The Apollo Archives be licensed for my book/documentary/TV show/article/website?
How can I contact the Apollo Archives?

Contact Apollo Archives

The Apollo Archives welcomes your questions about the Apollo, its history, legacy, and performances. Please provide as much information as you can in the contact form and allow 2-4 weeks for a response.