Got talent? Let’s see whatcha got in an open call from the famed Apollo Theater, holding Fall Amateur Night Auditions on Saturday, September 21st for the 2019-2020 seasons. The auditions will take place from 10am to 6pm, held at the Apollo Theater, where Amateur Night producers will screen the first 250 vocalists, rappers, dancers, comedians, spoken word artists, and other performers vying for a coveted spot on the Apollo’s stage, where they will then compete for a chance to win the grand prize amount of $20,000.
Since its inception in 1934, the Apollo Theater’s signature show, Amateur Night, has been one of New York City’s most popular live entertainment experiences, launching the careers of thousands of performers and attracting audiences from all over the world. Amateur Night has long been revered by artists as a transformative experience where up-and-coming talent feel the power of the legendary performers who have come before them, and where audience responses can help make or break a career. Ella Fitzgerald, Lauryn Hill and H.E.R. are just a few of the legendary performers who launched their careers on the Apollo stage.
Each contestant will have up to 90 seconds to audition.
- An Amateur is anyone who does not currently have a recording, film or TV contract with a major studio.
- No profanity including any racial epithets or slurs (Including the N-Word) all material must be appropriate for a family show.
- Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
- Only children ages 5 to 17 will be considered for the “Child Star of Tomorrow” segment.
- Contestants competing in the adult category must be 18 years or older.
- No lip-synching, singing along with track lead vocals or post-production engineering of lead vocals permitted.
- The audition is open to singers, dancers, comedians, spoken word artists, musicians and other variety performances.
- Singers can bring music in a MP3 file format and player i.e. flash drive, phone or MP3 player or sing a cappella. NO STREAMING FROM INTERNET ALLOWED.
- Apollo will provide an 88 key-keyboard (Motif 8 – Semi-Weighted) for any auditioning musicians or accompanist.
- Apollo will provide a standard drum kit (bring your own sticks), bass and guitar amp.
- Musicians and bands must bring their own instruments other than one keyboard and drums as mentioned above.
- Dancers should bring music in a MP3 format. NO STREAMING ALLOWED.
- CDs will not be allowed.
*Important Note: For Amateur Night at the Apollo, only children ages 5 to 17 will be considered for the “Child Stars of Tomorrow” segment. Performers in the adult category must be 18 years or older. Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. For a complete list of audition guidelines and rules, visit https://www.apollotheater.org/
Performers are encouraged to arrive early as judges will only see the first 250 acts.