The 17th Annual Fire This Time Festival breaks ground this winter at The Apollo Stages at The Victoria! Don’t miss the incredible lineup of six world-premiere 10-minute plays cover a range from the humorous to moving, pointed, and political, all directed by preeminent director and creator, Ken-Matt Martin.
“To bring The Fire This Time Festival to The Apollo is to root our work in the very heart of Black artistic excellence. The Apollo has always been a beacon for voices that define culture and truth. This partnership allows us to continue nurturing the playwrights and storytellers who are illuminating our world in powerful new ways.”
Kelley Girod, Founder of The Fire This Time Festival and Apollo New Works Director.
Online tickets for the shows on January 23rd and January 24th are currently sold out. A limited number of tickets will be available to purchase in-person at our Box Office. In person tickets will be sold on a first come, first served basis. The Apollo's Box Office will be open from 10am to 8pm for Friday performances and from 12pm - 8pm for Saturday matinee and evening performance. Attendees are encouraged to arrive early and experience Got To Be There: The Apollo, Its People and Its Stories in the Laura and Frank Baker Gallery.
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:
ABOUT THE FIRE THIS TIME FESTIVAL:
Founded in 2009 by playwright and Apollo’s Director of New Works, Kelley Nicole Girod, The Fire This Time Festival provides a platform for early career playwrights of African and African American descent. Since its founding, the Festival has produced the plays of dozens of emerging writers whose works explore a wide range of themes and perspectives. The Festival also supports actors, directors, and technical personnel to help seed the pipeline with diverse talent and amplify underrepresented voices in theater in New York and beyond. The Fire This Time playwrights have gone on to have their plays produced in cities across the United States and work as writers in film and television. The Fire This Time Festival has evolved into an annual January event and continues to grow, expanding upon its core short play presentations to offer panel discussions, staged readings, a playwright’s lab and other programs. The Festival has become a destination for diverse audiences, producers, and artists seeking new possibilities and opportunities in contemporary theater.
ABOUT THE PLAYS:
Everything But–
Written by Teniia Micazia Brown (She/her/hers)
A story about what's said, what's felt, and what’s lost when we don't fully choose.
Black To Save The Day
Written by Preston Crowder
When Sista Steel, a member of the underfunded Black Superhero League, defeats the villainous Gentrifier, she thinks the day is saved. But her fame-hungry ex, Fire Blade, shows up with an offer to join the elite and very white Great Supremacy League, forcing her to choose between community loyalty and personal gain in this humorous superhero satire.
Clumsy
Written by Mo Holmes
A young man crashes his car into a woman's kitchen. She tries to make him grits. How do you forgive an accident like that?
DNR
Written by Naomi Lorrain
After not seeing each other for nearly a decade and a half, Andrea returns home to reconnect with her cousin, Ralphie.
Goose
Written by DeLane McDuffie
A young idealist joins a fiery collective of 1960s freedom-riding activists on their way to a 2020s D.C. protest march. But whose battle are they fighting?
White Diamond
Written by Donathan Walters
As Andrea prepares her mother's funeral in a midwestern town where image and reputation is everything, her son Hakeem arrives with a request: he wants his boyfriend to be more involved in the family. In the thick of grief and tradition, a deeper tension surfaces - one that neither of them expected to face.
The 17th Annual Fire This Time Festival breaks ground this winter at The Apollo Stages at The Victoria! Don’t miss the incredible lineup of six world-premiere 10-minute plays cover a range from the humorous to moving, pointed, and political, all directed by preeminent director and creator, Ken-Matt Martin.
“To bring The Fire This Time Festival to The Apollo is to root our work in the very heart of Black artistic excellence. The Apollo has always been a beacon for voices that define culture and truth. This partnership allows us to continue nurturing the playwrights and storytellers who are illuminating our world in powerful new ways.”
Kelley Girod, Founder of The Fire This Time Festival and Apollo New Works Director.
Online tickets for the shows on January 23rd and January 24th are currently sold out. A limited number of tickets will be available to purchase in-person at our Box Office. In person tickets will be sold on a first come, first served basis. The Apollo's Box Office will be open from 10am to 8pm for Friday performances and from 12pm - 8pm for Saturday matinee and evening performance. Attendees are encouraged to arrive early and experience Got To Be There: The Apollo, Its People and Its Stories in the Laura and Frank Baker Gallery.
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:
ABOUT THE FIRE THIS TIME FESTIVAL:
Founded in 2009 by playwright and Apollo’s Director of New Works, Kelley Nicole Girod, The Fire This Time Festival provides a platform for early career playwrights of African and African American descent. Since its founding, the Festival has produced the plays of dozens of emerging writers whose works explore a wide range of themes and perspectives. The Festival also supports actors, directors, and technical personnel to help seed the pipeline with diverse talent and amplify underrepresented voices in theater in New York and beyond. The Fire This Time playwrights have gone on to have their plays produced in cities across the United States and work as writers in film and television. The Fire This Time Festival has evolved into an annual January event and continues to grow, expanding upon its core short play presentations to offer panel discussions, staged readings, a playwright’s lab and other programs. The Festival has become a destination for diverse audiences, producers, and artists seeking new possibilities and opportunities in contemporary theater.
ABOUT THE PLAYS:
Everything But–
Written by Teniia Micazia Brown (She/her/hers)
A story about what's said, what's felt, and what’s lost when we don't fully choose.
Black To Save The Day
Written by Preston Crowder
When Sista Steel, a member of the underfunded Black Superhero League, defeats the villainous Gentrifier, she thinks the day is saved. But her fame-hungry ex, Fire Blade, shows up with an offer to join the elite and very white Great Supremacy League, forcing her to choose between community loyalty and personal gain in this humorous superhero satire.
Clumsy
Written by Mo Holmes
A young man crashes his car into a woman's kitchen. She tries to make him grits. How do you forgive an accident like that?
DNR
Written by Naomi Lorrain
After not seeing each other for nearly a decade and a half, Andrea returns home to reconnect with her cousin, Ralphie.
Goose
Written by DeLane McDuffie
A young idealist joins a fiery collective of 1960s freedom-riding activists on their way to a 2020s D.C. protest march. But whose battle are they fighting?
White Diamond
Written by Donathan Walters
As Andrea prepares her mother's funeral in a midwestern town where image and reputation is everything, her son Hakeem arrives with a request: he wants his boyfriend to be more involved in the family. In the thick of grief and tradition, a deeper tension surfaces - one that neither of them expected to face.
Celebrate Pride at The Apollo Stages at The Victoria with an integral conversation on representation of Black gay men in media with A Visible Life.
Join social-media creator and comedian Lavelle Dontae and artist-educator Dr. John-Martin Green with artist-scholar williambryantmiles for an intimate discussion featuring short film excerpts, performances, and fellowship. A Visible Life invites audiences to think about how both watching and crafting performance shapes and defines who they are, and who they aspire to be.
Celebrate Pride at The Apollo with Apollo Works in Process: A Little Light, a new queer coming-of-age musical by Derrick Byars. A Little Light tells the story of a young man navigating the rush of new love and the weight of generational survival. Centered on a Black family in a small Southern town, these new musical blends romantic comedy, theatrical camp, and emotional depth as soon-to-be college freshman, Jordan begins to step into the kind of life he’s only ever imagined.
Join us for a neo-soul dance party as we honor the late musical legend D’Angelo, whose revolutionary sound and artistry left an indelible mark on global culture. D’Angelo’s early roots can be traced to New York via The Apollo, where he won Amateur Night three times in a row then launched a career that would inspire a musical movement and soundtrack a generation. We invite you to meet us under the moonlight, slip on a pair of high-fidelity headphones and immerse yourself in D’Angelo’s music curated to perfection by the trailblazing sound collage artist and music maker DJ Reborn.
Location: 10 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 1002
Harlem Pride’s Celebration Day has evolved into a cornerstone of New York City’s Pride festivities, attracting more than 20,000 attendees annually. The event brings together a rich mosaic of identities and experiences while celebrating Harlem’s historic and ongoing role in LGBTQ+ activism, art, and culture. At the heart of the event is a live stage show featuring emerging and established LGBTQ musicians and performers. The show will also include special guests and community leaders.
Celebration Day 2026 will once again transform Harlem’s west side waterfront into a dynamic hub of community, returning to an expanded location first used in 2025. The new space, on 12th Avenue between West 130th and West 132nd Streets, provides attendees and participants alike with an enhanced event experience.
Presented with SummerStage, this evening brings together boundary-pushing voices in R&B and soul.
A foundational member of the loose late-’90s hip-hop/R&B collective the Soulquarians, Bilal has an effortless, understated swag. It oozes from every track of his 2001 debut 1st Born Second, a retro yet fresh take on soul music at the turn of the century. He’s gotten more experimental as he’s grown, collaborating with artists such as Kimbra, Otis Brown III, Kat Dahlia, Slum Village, and Kendrick Lamar on his third album To Pimp a Butterfly. Bilal’s latest release is Live at Glasshaus, a live recording from an intimate, career-spanning performance with Questlove, Robert Glasper, and Burniss Travis as his backing band.
He’s joined by GENA, a new project from the dynamic R&B artist Liv.e and renowned drummer Karriem Riggins; their name stands for God Energy, Naturally Amazing, indicative of their improvisationally ordained approach to making music.
On the ones and twos is DJ Tara, a DJ, urban planner, and co-founder of Donuts are Forever, the annual J Dilla tribute and fundraiser.
Location: 670 Lafayette Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11216
Presented with SummerStage. Mavis Staples has been performing for eight decades. At 86 years old, she’s known as one of the most enduring figures in American music, earning inductions into multiple halls of fame (blues, rock, and gospel), was a Kennedy Center Honoree, and winner of numerous GRAMMY awards, including one for lifetime achievement. With her return to SummerStage, she’s sure to perform the hits alongside new tracks from her 15th solo album Sad and Beautiful World. She’s collaborated with nearly every major figure of her many eras, from Bob Dylan to Prince, Aretha Franklin, and Willie Nelson. Opening the evening is Brother Wallace, a force of modern soul and gospel sound. Most recently, he’s collaborated with The Heavy guitarist Dan Taylor to build a body of work built on his electrifying brand of soul music.
Location: Rumsey Playfield, New York, NY, 10021
Join The Apollo as it kick’s off its Harlem Week at Harlem Summer Nights! Get a sneak peak of what the weekend has in store and grab a bite at Harlem’s biggest food festival!
Celebrate with The Apollo at HARLEM WEEK! The Apollo will have a table at Theater Row on 135th Street between Adam Clayton Powell Blvd and St. Nicholas ave on Saturday, August 15th and Sunday, August 16th from 12 to 6PM.
We hope to see you all at The Apollo tent on Theater Row and at the Harlem Week Mainstage!
Accessibility
The Apollo is here for everyone. Artists, audiences, and all supporters should be able to experience The Apollo fully and in a way that is comfortable for them.
The Apollo has taken comprehensive steps to ensure that entrances, seating, restrooms, and more are as accessible and compliant as possible. Learn more about accessibility options and support services that might be right for you.
All persons and bags are subject to search. Bags that have passed inspection must fit comfortably under your seat. Oversized bags are prohibited.
No outside food or beverage. Accommodations are made for patrons with medical needs. Please email access@apollotheater.org or call the box office at (212) 531-5305 for assistance.
