Nikki Giovanni, Johnnetta Cole, April Ryan, Angela Davis, Suze Orman, And Alice Smith, Part Of WOW – Women of the World Festival This March At The Apollo Theater
The Apollo Theater revealed the line-up for the third annual WOW – Women of the World Festival. Presented over four days in various spaces at the iconic cultural theater, the WOW Festival runs from March 12-17 and will feature workshops, activities, programming, and performances with artists, community leaders, writers, thinkers, activists, and leaders exploring a variety of issues across cultural, civic, and social boundaries with a focus on empowerment and activism. Participants include Poet Nikki Giovanni, Educator Johnnetta B. Cole; Finance Expert Suze Orman; Musician Alice Smith; White House Correspondent April Ryan; Comedian Mugga, and more to be announced. WOW Apollo will feature more than a dozen events, many of the events free or low cost.
Launched in 2010, the Festivals have developed a reputation as a space where world-renowned artists, performers, and political and social activists come and participate, alongside thousands of people of all genders, to celebrate achievements and imagine a gender equal world together. The unique Festival model creates ways for participants and campaigners, women and men, to take part in WOW, to amplify their own causes, or start new initiatives, which have a wide impact on communities. To date, WOW has reached over 2 million people in 17 countries on 5 continents across more than 60 festivals. The Apollo Theater is proud to be WOW’s New York home and its programming centers on issues and topics of interest to Women of Color.
Tickets and RSVP links to WOW Apollo are available now at www.wowapollo.com.
Offering an incredible range of powerful voices and insights, this year’s WOW Festival at the Apollo will include:
- A conversation between Poet Nikki Giovanni and National Council of Negro Women President Johnnetta B. Cole on Tuesday, March 12
- Apollo’s world-famous Amateur Night takes center stage and will feature special guest artist to be announced, adding even more sparkle to Wednesday, March 13 evening
- Multi-talented comedian and film star Mugga at the mic, hosts an all-women Comedy Night on Thursday, March 14
- Heralded singer Alice Smith and performer Liv Warfield take the stage on Friday, March 15
- Things heat up on Saturday, March 16 thanks to a full day of offerings including a Women and Money with Suze Orman, the world’s personal finance expert
- Also on Saturday: WOW 2019’s Teen Summit featuring panelists from theater, journalism, modeling, podcast/radio, and comedy, addressing shade representation in the media and helping young people better understand the history and current climate of colorism
- A full range of free events take place on Sunday, March 17, including conversations between icons and thought-leaders including educator and activist Angela Davis in a sit-down with WOW Founder Jude Kelly; White House Correspondent/Journalist April Ryan and many more workshops and conversations that center around issues important to women of color
- Interactive sessions and WOW bites—energized bite-sized talks, such as Work, Women, and Spirituality: A Sisters’ Cypher; Women Auto Know, a workshop on car maintenance; and Leadership Hacks for Women, a panel sharing perspectives and practical advice to women of all ages—round out Sunday’s docket
“The Apollo Theater is a cultural and civic anchor and we are proud to provide an avenue for meaningful exchanges of ideas,” said Kamilah Forbes, Executive Producer of the Apollo Theater. “It’s a true honor to produce this event again this year, and to be able to provide a forum for important cultural discussions that further amplify the smart and powerful messages of these incredible women.”
“WOW was built around a number of ‘ThinkIns,’ which consisted of conversations we had with hundreds of woman in our community who suggested topics, ideas, and concerns that were of importance to them,” said Jamilla Deria, Apollo Theater’s Program Director. ‘As we honor the contributions of women from around the globe and continue to share the wisdom of these powerhouses, we also aim to cultivate the individuality, strength, creativity, and fierceness of the future generations.”
The WOW Foundation Director and WOW Founder Jude Kelly said, “WOW – Women of the World Festivals are designed to be agents of change in their host cities, reflecting the community, supporting progress and powerful conversations about issues affecting women and girls. It’s such a gift to have a continued partnership with the Apollo Theater and to be able to provide a platform for this amazing lineup of women, representing massive breadth and depth of both professional and life experience.”
Past participants of the Apollo’s WOW have included Nobel Prize Winner Leymah Gbowee; Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong’o; Phoebe Robinson (of Two Dope Queens); Olympian Gabby Douglas; actress Gabourey Sidibe, Iyanla Vanzant, Macy Gray, and Women’s March leaders, Tamika Mallory and Carmen Perez.
The working WOW schedule is below. Visit www.wowapollo.com or www.ApolloTheater.org/WOW for updates and more information on the festival.
WOW Festivals are presented by arrangement with Southbank Centre, London.
THE APOLLO PRESENTS WOW
WOMEN OF THE WORLD
March 12-17, 2019
All events to take place at the Apollo Theater
Working Schedule
As of January 22
TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2019
7-8:45 PM
Live Wire: Nikki Giovanni in Conversation with Johnnetta B. Cole
Apollo Mainstage
Tickets: FREE with RSVP
As part of its “Legendary” series honoring iconic artists and their impact on American culture, Apollo Live Wire pays tribute to poet, educator and activist, Nikki Giovanni. Ms. Giovanni will be in conversation with anthropologist and educator Johnnetta B. Cole, recently appointed chair and seventh president of the National Council of Negro Women. The two will look at Giovanni’s past and current work in a career that has spanned more than 50 years.
Presented by the Apollo Education Program in collaboration with Delta Sigma Theta Inc.’s Pride in Our Heritage Tour.
Participants:
Nikki Giovanni – Poet, educator and activist (interviewee)
Johnnetta B. Cole – anthropologist and educator (interviewer)
* * *
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 2019
6:30-8:15 PM
Live Wire: Fierce and Feminist in Harlem: Women and the Life of a Community
Apollo Soundstage
Tickets: FREE with RSVP
Fierce and Feminist in Harlem: Women and the Life of a Community will look at artists, activists, journey-women, and others leading the cultural and political zeitgeist and whose presence and work in the Harlem community exemplify the concept of feminism. From the numbers racket, to the Harlem Renaissance, to involvement in the Communist Party, the Black Panther Party, and the Young Lords, Fierce and Feminist will consider the extraordinary influence women have had within the Harlem community and beyond. This discussion will honor women who were at the intersection of art, politics, and social change, such as pianist Hazel Scott, anthropologist Eslanda Goode Robeson, writer and anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston and activist Yuri Kochiyama.
Presented by the Apollo Theater Education Program in collaboration with the organization, While We Are Still Here.
Participant:
Karen D. Taylor, Founder and Executive Director, While We Are Still Here (facilitator)
7:30 PM
Amateur Night
Apollo Mainstage
Tickets: Start at $24
This season, the Apollo Theater will feature a WOW inspired special guest to perform during its weekly show, Amateur Night at the Apollo. Amateur Night is the Apollo’s signature talent competition. Since introducing the first Amateur Night contests in 1934, the Apollo and its notoriously “tough” audience has played a major role in cultivating artists and in the emergence of innovative musical genres including jazz, swing, bebop, R&B, gospel, blues, soul, and hip-hop. Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, Sammy Davis, Jr., James Brown, Gladys Knight, Luther Vandross, D’Angelo, Lauryn Hill, and countless others began their road to stardom on the Apollo’s stage.
* * *
THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2019
10:00 PM
Apollo Comedy Club featuring Mugga, JoJo Collins, Carlise Hawkins, Barbara Carlyle
Apollo Soundstage
Tickets: $22 each; ($15 via the A-List) plus $10 drink minimum per person
Multi-talented comedian and film star Mugga hosts a line up of women comedians including JoJo Collins, Calise Hawkins and Barbara Carlyle — all guaranteed to leave you in stitches. Presented in partnership with the legendary Bob Sumner (producer of Def Comedy Jam, creator of LaffMobb on Aspire), the Apollo Comedy Club features the best up and coming talent in comedy today.
Performers
Mugga, film star and comedian (host)
Barbara Carlyle, comedian
JoJo Collins, comedian
Calise Hawkins, comedian
* * *
FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2019
8:00 PM
Alice Smith in Concert
Apollo Mainstage
Tickets: Start at $30
Alice Smith headlines WOW with an evening length concert featuring new music from her upcoming Full LP Mystery. The singer/songwriter/ producer, known for her 4-octave vocal range and stunning stage presence, made a name for herself with her critically acclaimed 2006 debut album, For Lovers, Dreamers & Me, released on BBE Records. Smith’s artful blend of bluesy, soulful vocals and mid-tempo grooves has garnered her a passionate following around the world.
Opening the evening concert, Liv Warfield will focus on her She-Roes. In 2006, Liv’s self-released debut album Embrace Me, and in 2009 legendary performer Prince invited her to audition for his vocal backing group, the New Power Generation (NPG) In 2014, Liv recorded her sophomore album, The Unexpected, with Prince as the Executive Producer. Liv Warfield’s describes her style as “alternative R&B Soul with a little bit of Rock ‘n’ Roll” – a style which she has spent years cultivating.
10:00 PM
Apollo Music Café: Butterscotch
Apollo Soundstage
Tickets: $22 each; ($15 via the A-List) plus $10 drink minimum per person
Butterscotch, the retro-futuristic, voice percussionist virtuosa, is a force to be reckoned with in today’s music scene. Considered the world’s first female beatboxing champion, Butterscotch beatboxes, sings, and plays guitar and piano, performing her own compositions and jazz standards. The Apollo Music Café is a monthly music series.
Performers
Jodine N Dorce (Host)
Hard Hittin Harry (DJ)
* * *
SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2019
12PM-1:30PM
WOW Teen Summit: No Shade
Apollo Mainstage
Tickets: Free with RSVP
Created by and for teens, this year’s WOW Teen Summit: No Shade, looks to explore the impact of colorism on a global scale and its influence on local communities. Through performances and panel discussions, we will demystify the connection between racism and colorism, while opening up a dialogue of healing that will help us develop tactics to combat it.
Participants:
Jocelyn Bioh, Playwright, School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls
Valencia Clay, Educator and Activist
Victory Jones, Modeling Agency for Women of Color
Janel Martinez, Journalist; Founder, Ain’t I Latina
5:00 PM
Suze Orman, The World’s Financial Expert Presents Women and Money
Apollo Mainstage
Tickets: $20 in advance, $30 at the door
After a sold-out, standing-room-only debut at the Apollo in 2018 that was broadcast on OWN, renowned financial expert Suze Orman returns to the Apollo Theater with a specially-crafted message.
While Orman is known for giving wide-ranging financial advice on everything from mortgages to retirement plans, because of the economic challenges and disparities in this city and beyond, her emphasis for this program will be to provide important financial information specifically for the empowerment of low-income or economically struggling women of color and women in general.
Laura Greer, Apollo Theater Associate Producer said, “We really wanted to address women who are trying to ‘make ends meet.’ The women who aren’t at the point of thinking about 401Ks and investments yet. We want to reach out to very specific community organizations, churches and civic associations to comprise the audience for this program.” Having financial freedom can often impact the challenges and obstacles that women face – from situations of domestic violence, sexploitation to accessing healthcare and education.
This evening is intended to give women the opportunity to tap into Ms. Orman’s unique spirit, people-first wisdom, and unparalleled appreciation that for women, money itself is not the end goal; it’s the means to live a full, meaningful life that supports their loved ones and their beloved communities.
10:00 PM
Apollo Music Café: Kimberly Nichole, the ROCK ballerina
Apollo Soundstage
Tickets: $22 each; ($15 via the A-List) plus $10 drink minimum per person
Kimberly Nichole exploded on the national scene on Season 8 of The Voice, gaining praise from Pharrell Williams, Christina Aguilera, Lionel Richie, Mark Ronson, and Reba McEntire, with her show-stopping performances, stylish presence, and vocal power. Fans clamored for her iconic rock covers and led her to the iTunes’ Top 20 three weeks in a row and even landed on the Billboard 100 Charts!
Performers
Jodine N Dorce (Host)
Hard Hittin Harry (DJ)
* * *
SUNDAY, MARCH 17, 2019
2PM-6PM
WORKSHOPS/PANELS/CONVERSATIONS/WOW BITES
*All Sunday programming is free and open to the public.*
Apollo Mainstage, Soundstage, Greenroom, Lobby
Angela Davis In Conversation
Hear from legendary activist, writer, and scholar, Angela Davis.
Through her activism and scholarship over many decades, Davis has been deeply involved in movements for social justice around the world. Her work as an educator – both at the university level and in the larger public sphere – has always emphasized the importance of building communities around economic, racial, and gender justice.
From the civil rights movement of the 1960s through to the present day, Davis has been a living witness to the historical struggles of the contemporary era.
Angela Davis presented a legendary talk at WOW London in 2017 on women, race, and class in the post-Trump era, the Apollo is delighted to welcome Davis to Harlem to continue the conversation with Jude Kelly, WOW Founder, addressing the current ‘state of the nation’ for women and girls across the world.
Participants:
Angela Davis, scholar, author, activist (interviewee)
Jude Kelly, founder, WOW Foundation (interviewer)
In Conversation: April Ryan
Along with White House correspondent, CNN political analyst, and American Urban Radio Network’s Washington, D.C. Bureau Chief, journalist and author, April Ryan can add #trolledbyPOTUS to her resume. In this up close and personal conversation, April shares her view from the WH Press Room, her membership in the sisterhood of Black women defamed by the President, and other details from her new book, Under Fire: Reporting from the Trump White House.
Participants:
April Ryan, American Urban Radio Networks and CNN
Women for Women
This panel profiles the work of several NGO (non-governmental organizations) leaders who are addressing the critical issues of US immigration policy, business micro-financing in Haiti, education for adolescent girls in Africa, and support for formerly incarcerated Aboriginal and Indigenous women and girls in Australia.
Participants:
Debbie Kilroy, Founder and CEO, Sisters Inside
Lorella Praeli, Deputy Nat’l Policy Director & Director of Immigration
Policy Campaigns, ACLU
Kesha Sutton-James
Mabel Valdivia, Executive Director, Fonkoze USA
Life Warriors From Cradle to Grave
Every being on the planet enters life through birth and leaves it through death. This panel addresses new ways to bring us closer to and more comfortable with each of these portals of existence, and the work we still need to do in between, as individuals, families, and communities.
Participant:
Alua Arthur, Going with Grace
Leadership Hacks for Women
To “leap frog” means to skip the tried and true, good ole boys’ club rules for success by identifying the gaps, taking your best shot, and not waiting to be acknowledged or rewarded. In other words, hacking your way to fulfilling your vision. Meet four women in entrepreneurship, technology, banking, and politics who did just that.
Participants:
Victoria Flores, Founder, Lux Beauty Club
Nathalie Molina Nino, Investor, coder and author of Leap Frog (moderator)
Minerva Tantoco, Former Chief Technology Officer for the City of New York
WOW Speed Mentoring
Mentors come in all ages and walks of life. First, we are all born with innate wisdom. Next, we acquire more along the way through education and life experience. You never know how what you know might be just what someone else needs to hear. Speed Mentoring is a WOW Festival favorite, where we give and receive mentoring where you might least expect
Leader:
Shirley McAlpine, specialist in leadership, individual performance, equality, diversity and inclusion (facilitator)
WOW BITE – Celebrating Shange
In 1976 Ntozake Shange penned the choreopoem, For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf, and changed the face of Broadway. Now, the star of that original cast, who won TONY, Drama Desk and Obie Awards for her performance as Lady in Red, shares her reflections on Shange, her writings, and her place in the pantheon of American literature.
Participant:
Trazana Beverley, Performer, American stage and film actress, and the first African-American actress to receive a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play.
WOW BITE – Linda Kay Klein
The author of Pure: Inside the Movement that Shamed a Generation of Young Women and How I Broke Free reveals her personal story on the impact of evangelical religious sexual shaming on a generation of young girls.
Participant:
Linda Kay Klein, storyteller, social innovator and activist
WOW BITE – Women Auto Know
In this hands-on lecture demonstration, you’ll learn car maintenance basics and practice changing windshield wipers, gauging tire pressure, and jump-starting a battery. Be better prepared for your next visit to the dealership or repair shop. No more helplessness under the hood!
Participant:
Audra Fordin, Lecturer/Owner of Great Bear Auto Repair in Flushing, N.Y., founder of Women Auto Know consumer advocacy initiative, and 4th generation mechanic
Welcome Table – Part 1: Cooking with Granny
Cooking with Granny is based on the web and live events series, where an immigrant grandmother cooks a traditional dish to tell her story of family, food, culture, and tradition. We’ll meet an Ethiopian grandmother who will share the secrets for making of dabo, a bread served on special occasions. Then, we’ll meet a trio of women restaurateurs who are bringing their cultural cooking to the Harlem culinary landscape.
Participants:
Beejhy Barhany, Owner, Tsion Café Panelists (Ethiopia)
Maymuuna Birjeeb, Owner, Safari (Somalia)
Caroline Shin (moderator)
Anita Trehan, Owner, Chaiwali (India)
The Welcome Table – Part 2: In the Spirits
The Japanese national drink is sake, a wine brewed from rice. Sake sommelier and distributor Linda Noel Kawabata shares how soil, sun, water and time are used to create this traditional beverage, its many varieties and how best to enjoy them.
Participant:
Linda Noel Kawabata, Sake Distributor
The Welcome Table – Part 3: Dining Protocol
An expert on international protocol will walk us through the basics of dining etiquette, from appetizers to gratuity, with tips for making sure you leave the restaurant with your job intact.
Participant:
Cheryl Walker Robertson, Lecturer, Protocol International
Sisters of Sharqui
Belly Dancing’s origins run deep in Africa and the Middle East, and provide the foundation for several other individual and tribal group dance forms. Come learn a new way to shake what your mama gave you!
Participant:
Brandy Heyward, Lecturer/performer/founder, Sisters of Sharqui
Work, Women, and Spirituality: A Sisters’ Cypher
This open forum women’s circle utilizes the collective wisdom of the group to explore how women are being impacted intentionally, unwittingly, advantageously, and adversely by a wide-range of issues and influences: cultural, educational, historical, personal, professional, social, and spiritual.
Participant:
Baraka Sele, Facilitator, Performing arts curator, consultant, and producer
About the Apollo Theater
The legendary Apollo Theater—the soul of American culture—plays a vital role in cultivating emerging artists and launching legends. Since its founding, the Apollo has served as a center of innovation and a creative catalyst for Harlem, the city of New York, and the world.
With music at its core, the Apollo’s programming extends to dance, theater, spoken word, and more. This includes special programs such as the blockbuster concert Bruno Mars Live at the Apollo, 100: The Apollo Celebrates Ella, the annual Africa Now! Festival, and the New York premiere of the opera We Shall Not Be Moved. The Apollo is a performing arts presenting organization that also produces festivals and large-scale dance and music works organized around a set of core initiatives that celebrate and extend the Apollo’s legacy through a contemporary lens; global festivals including the WOW – Women of the World Festival and Breakin’ Convention featuring international and U.S.-based artist presentations focused on a specific theme; and Special Projects, multidisciplinary collaborations with partner organizations.
Since introducing the first Amateur Night contests in 1934, the Apollo Theater has served as a testing ground for new artists working across a variety of art forms and has ushered in the emergence of many new musical genres—including jazz, swing, bebop, R&B, gospel, blues, soul, and hip-hop. Among the countless legendary performers who launched their careers at the Apollo are D’Angelo, Lauryn Hill, Machine Gun Kelly, Miri Ben Ari, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, James Brown, Michael Jackson, Gladys Knight, Luther Vandross, and Stevie Wonder. The Apollo’s forward-looking artistic vision continues to build on this legacy.
About The WOW Foundation
WOW – Women of the World Festival is a global movement launched by Jude Kelly, CBE at Southbank Centre London in 2010. To date, The WOW Foundation has reached over 2 million people worldwide with its groundbreaking programs for change, including the WOW Festival.
The WOW Foundation produces WOW festivals across the world to celebrate women and girls, take a frank look at what prevents them from achieving their potential, and raise awareness globally of the issues they face while focusing on possible solutions. It is the biggest, most comprehensive and most significant festival dedicated to presenting work by women and promoting equality for women and girls.
WOW Festivals are presented by arrangement with Southbank Centre, London. https://www.thewowfoundation.com/