New York City’s historic Apollo Theater first opened its doors nearly a century ago. Since then, it’s built a well-deserved reputation as one of the greatest live venues in the world, and has become a cultural haven for Black artistry across the U.S. and beyond.
Then, in early 2020, the world stopped. But the team at the Apollo knew the music couldn’t. “When I think about the Apollo Theater, I think of it as an institution that has gone through many moons and many life cycles,” says Apollo executive producer Kamilah Forbes. “That speaks to the legacy of being representative of a resilient culture, right? African-American culture, Black culture, and American culture at large.”
There was just one thing to do: keep the show going, and do it live. To pull it off, the Apollo team turned to Vimeo to kick off their fall season with a virtual concert featuring Wyclef Jean that still holds the title as the venue’s most-viewed digital stage event. Here’s how they did it.
Translating intimate performances to digital
“In February, we had no clue of what was to come for an institution in which social distancing is the antithesis of what we do,” Kamilah tells us. “What we do is bring people together, so this was not anything on our radar.” In March of 2020, the Apollo theater was forced to halt in-person shows in light of new restrictions, but their mission to serve their local community and continue to cultivate a safe space for art was never far from their minds.
We plan, we produce, we perceive, and then we pivot. That's been our mantra this whole time because we have to stay flexible."
Go live with Vimeo
Since then, members of the Apollo team have worked to build a third, brand-new Apollo stage (“We have two in our building,” explains Kamilah) to host virtual performances. “The Apollo Digital Stage has served us well, because it’s allowed us to stay connected to the audiences and our community that we care so deeply about,” says Kamilah.
In partnership with ADCOLOR, the Apollo kicked off their all-digital Fall 2020 slate with a powerful concert featuring Wyclef Jean. The event, powered by Vimeo live streaming, was a dynamic, multi-camera live performance that drew a virtual crowd equal to 140% of the Apollo’s IRL capacity, and racked up nearly 40,000 minutes of viewing time. “I think Vimeo has always intrinsically been one of those artist-friendly, artist-driven platforms. I think us being an artist-driven institution, it really only makes sense,” says Kamilah.
High-quality resolution and streaming really helps to elevate the visual and virtual experience that I think only heightens all of that magic. We really use the Vimeo platform a great deal, especially over the last few months.”
New performance space, new possibilities
While the team at the Apollo continues to look forward to a less socially distanced future, they’ve also begun to witness something powerful: live stream events that make magic because of their digital format. “We hosted a conversation with John Legend right after the Wyclef concert,” recalls Kamilah. “And there was an immediate comfortability in this digital space. I saw a different side of him as an artist, as an activist, as a leader, as a father, as a husband. I saw different facets of him that I’ve never seen before.”
Now, the Apollo Theater utilizes their digital stage to host everything from amateur nights to major musical events. And they’re doing it all with the power of Vimeo live streaming. “Branching out into the digital space has allowed us to bring Apollo programming much farther outside of our reach for in-person programming, and reach new potential audiences,” adds Apollo’s associate director of marketing Kristen Hill.
These long-lasting institutions get stuck in doing things one way and are afraid to change. Guess what? People want something different now, so what are you going to do now? If culture evolves, institutions have got to be just as flexible to evolve as well.”
Apollo Theater's live stream tips
While Vimeo can help make live streaming easy, there’s still a learning curve to finding your groove in the digital world. Kamilah and the Apollo team have learned a lot along the way — here are their three major tips.
1. Think cinematically
“There’s an audience expectation that we’ve got to keep in mind,” says Kamilah. “We have been primed to see specialty concerts, like ‘Lemonade,’ in the world. A one-camera shoot is not always going to cut it.” Kamilah suggests considering how to create dynamism in the footage you shoot, whether that’s including multiple cameras, utilizing dollys, or otherwise breaking up the show to keep it visually compelling.
2. But consider the viewing limitations
“That’s great if they’re actually watching on a large screen television, but you know that people are either watching on a laptop or a phone,” acknowledges Kamilah. While we love the idea of optimizing your stream for a more theatrical experience, remember to consider how you can make your stream easy to watch and engaging, no matter the size of the screen. Don’t opt for too-wide shots, and consider cutting in close-ups where you can, to make the video translate across devices.
3. Then make it anyway
All that said, no matter what your capabilities look like, the best time to jump in is now. “If art is going to move, it’s going to move,” says Kamilah. “If that’s me recording on my cell phone, that’s the tool that I have. You just have to keep making work, have to find ways, because an audience will find you no matter what. And you will reach your audience no matter what, because that need for communication, that need for connectivity, will always be there.”
