Apollo Theater Kicks Off Black History Month With A Free Open House, February 1

This February, the world famous Apollo Theater will kick off Black History Month with Apollo Open House: Celebration of Cool on Saturday February 1st from 1 p.m. - 6.p.m., to celebrate and explore the rich history of the Theater as it continues the legacy of Black History.

Apollo Open House: Celebration of Cool, free and open to the public, will be hosted by Billy "Mr. Apollo" Mitchell and MetroFocus' Jenna Flanagan, with music by WBGO's host of Afternoon Jazz Keanna Faircloth. The event will include film screenings, presentations, and performances by GRAMMY award-winners Casey Benjamin and the Keyon Harrold Quartet. In addition to the mainstage performances, there will be an advanced screening of the documentary American Masters -Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool followed by a post film talkback moderated by NJTV News Anchor and WBGO-FM host Michael Hill, with director Stanley Nelson, legendary producer James Mtume, Keyon Harrold, Angeleisha Rogers and Vince Wilburn.

Additional activities include Apollo Open House: For the Cool Kids on the Theater's Soundstage -hosted by Apollo Music Café's Jodine Dorce and DJ Hard Hittin' Harry. This event, focused on school-aged children, will feature interactive activities including a screening of the new PBS KIDS special The Rhythm and Roots of Arthur presented by THIRTEEN, WBGO Kids Jazz presents I Have a Song Inside My Heart, performances from the National Jazz Museum in Harlem's Oom Bop Sh'Bam, Sugar Hill Children's Museum of Art & Storytelling's "What is Cool about Harlem," and ImageNation's screening of award-winning miniseries, Little Apple.

Admission is free with RSVP. For tickets and additional information, visit www.apollotheater.org/openhouse.