Chris Peterson, OnStage Blog Founder

Before I begin, let me just quickly answer the question in the headline. I would love it if the Apollo Theater became a Broadway house. Or at the very least there, absolutely be more diversity among the organizations that own Broadway theatres. The heads of all the theatre owner groups are white and their organizations are mostly staffed with white people. So adding some diversity among that group would be a welcomed sight.

The reason why I bring this up is that there is newfound attention being paid to this question thanks to a petition making the rounds on social media.

The petition, “Make the Apollo Theater an official Broadway house!”, was started a couple of days ago. It has a goal of 10,000 signatures and as of writing this piece, it’s surpassed 7,600.

The petition states that the historic Harlem theater meets all the requirements to be considered a Broadway house. As BroadwayWorld pointed out: it has 500 seats or more, is located in Manhattan, and employs members of the Actors' Equity Association.

In addition, bringing the Apollo into the Broadway League(another organization desperate for diversity), it would have a voice and participation in the American Theatre Wing and the Tony Award nominating process.

But what should also be mentioned is that leadership at the Apollo Theater did not start this petition nor have they commented on it. So it’s fair to ask if they would even want to be a Broadway house?

I adore the Apollo and I love the many different events they host throughout the year. From concerts to speaking events to one-night-only plays. As a teen, I remember watching “Live from the Apollo” late after “Saturday Night Live”. The theatre was the subject of a fantastic documentary on HBO last year titled “The Apollo”. The trailer is below.

So one of the many beautiful things about this theater is its independence to be able to present the type of programming they want to present. Would housing a run of a Broadway show hinder the opportunity to host their famous amateur night? Would they want to adhere to the Broadway League’s regulations for how to operate? For an institution that has held their independence for so long, these are fair questions to ask.

I would also add that if making the Apollo a Broadway house would guarantee financial stability, I would be on board with that in a heartbeat, but that’s unclear too. From all appearances the theater is doing just fine, it’s technically owned by the State of New York and is run by the Apollo Theatre Foundation, which is a Black-run non-profit organization.

If the Apollo Theater becomes a Broadway house or not, I do believe that these ownership groups and the Broadway League need to have a newfound effort to employ people of color. Having those voices and perspectives can lead to a lot of positive changes for Broadway.

Should the Apollo Theater Become a Broadway House?

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