Content area
Full Text
The Apollo Theater Foundation is nearing a deal that could transform the venerable Harlem venue into a major performing arts center, one that may someday rival the Brooklyn Academy of Music.
The key to that rebirth is the leasing of the neighboring Victoria Theater and the linking of the two buildings to create a single complex. Real estate and other sources say that the foundation will sign a lease with New York state, the owner of the Victoria, by August.
At the same time, the Apollo's management is also said to be in talks with celebrity magazine editor Tina Brown, former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin and American Express Chairman Kenneth Chenault to get them to join the board of directors. That trio could give the theater a major boost in profile, prestige and-crucially-clout with potential donors.
"It's monumental, what's happening at the Apollo," says Terry Lane, president of the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone.
The moves come after years of turmoil and inaction. In 1998 the state attorney general's office sued the foundation for failing to manage the theater's finances responsibly, leading to the ouster of six board members, including foundation Chairman Charles Rangel, a Manhattan congressman.
Now, AOL Time Warner Co-Chief Operating Officer Richard Parsons-recently named the board chairman-along with new board members such as Beverly Sills and Quincy Jones, are spearheading the big expansion drive. The project has been in the works since last September.
Just last month, the board brought in a new president, Derek Johnson, a Harlem resident, lawyer...