Dolby Theatre
.jpg) Front facade of the Dolby Theater in Hollywood |
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| Location | 6801 Hollywood Boulevard Los Angeles, California |
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| Coordinates | 34°06′09.75″N 118°20′24.5″W / 34.1027083°N 118.340139°WCoordinates: 34°06′09.75″N 118°20′24.5″W / 34.1027083°N 118.340139°W |
| Type | Indoor theatre |
| Built | 2001 |
| Opened | November 9, 2001 |
| Owner | CIM Group |
| Construction cost | $94 million[1] |
| Former name(s) | Kodak Theatre (2001-2012) Hollywood and Highland Center (2012) |
| Seating type | Reserved |
| Capacity | 3,332 [1] |
| Website | dolbytheatre.com |
The Dolby Theatre (formerly known as the Kodak Theatre, and temporarily renamed the Hollywood and Highland Center Theatre)[2] is a live-performance auditorium in the Hollywood and Highland shopping mall and entertainment complex, on Hollywood Boulevard and North Highland Avenue, in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, United States. Since its opening on November 9, 2001, the theater has hosted the Academy Awards ceremonies (the Oscars), initially held there in March 2002. It is the first permanent home for these annual awards ceremonies.
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Architecture [edit]
The theater was designed by David Rockwell of the Rockwell Group, with Theatre Projects Consultants, specifically with the Oscar ceremonies in mind.[3] Though the stage is one of the largest in the United States — roughly tied with the Edward C. Elliott Hall of Music at Purdue University — measuring 113 ft (34 m) wide and 60 ft (18 m) deep, its seating capacity is only about half the Hall of Music's [1], accommodating no more than 3,332 people.
The result of astute planning and technical design, the auditorium is particularly successful as a venue for televised theatrical performance (improving production values for American Idol and the Academy Awards). The architectural team consulted extensively with leading production personnel in Hollywood, achieving a highly functional cable infrastructure, with an underground cable bunker that crosses under the theater to truck locations on adjacent streets. Power is also substantial and accessible. And the theater has a unique, Rockwell-designed cockpit in the orchestra seating area for camera, sound, and stage management.
The hall from the front entrance to the grand stairway (leading up to the theater) is flanked by storefronts, as well as Art Deco columns displaying the names of past recipients of the Academy Award for Best Picture, with blank spaces left for future Best Picture winners, well into the 21st century. Currently the columns are set for Best Picture up to 2071. In a fashion reminiscent of Hollywood movie-making, the building is "dressed" before the Academy Awards ceremony, sometimes with a different sign on its facade, red drapery to hide its storefronts, and the famous red carpet running up its grand stairway.
History [edit]
The theater is rented to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for weeks before Oscar night. During the rest of the year, it hosts numerous live concerts, awards shows, symphony performances, and other events. But since the 7,000-seat Nokia Theatre at L.A. Live opened in 2007, it has largely replaced the Dolby Theatre as L.A.'s premier auditorium, and some of the events formerly held at the Dolby are now regularly held at the Nokia, including the American Idol finals.
The theater was sponsored, until February 2012, by the Eastman Kodak Company, which paid $75 million for naming rights to the building.[4] In early 2012, Eastman Kodak filed for bankruptcy protection, and thus ended its naming-rights deal. Then, the theater's name was temporarily changed to The Hollywood and Highland Centre, at the suggestion of the venue's landlord.[5] On May 1, 2012, it was announced that the venue would be renamed the Dolby Theatre, after Dolby Laboratories signed a 20-year naming-rights deal.[6]
Dolby updated the sound system first by installing Dolby Atmos. The company plans to continue updating the auditorium with newer technologies as they become available.[7]
Past events [edit]
The Dolby Theatre has most often hosted public cultural events, such as concerts and other performances. It has also occasionally served private purposes, such as weddings.[8]
Artists who have appeared there include Christina Aguilera, Elissa, Céline Dion, Andrea Bocelli, Dixie Chicks, Mariah Carey, Beyoncé Knowles, Alicia Keys, Elvis Costello, Vanilla Ice, Charice, Philipp Kirkorov, The Corrs, Barry Manilow, Prince, The New Power Generation, Ian Anderson, David Gilmour, Valy Hedjasi, Shohreh Solati, Leila Forouhar, Andy Madadian, and Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, Broadway. It has provided the stage for musicals, dance shows, symphony performances, and opera.
It has also been the site of ceremonies for the annual AFI Life Achievement Award, the ESPY Awards for excellence in sports performance, the BET Awards and American Idol finals. In April 2006, it was home to the 33rd Daytime Emmy Awards and hosted the 34th Daytime Emmy Awards on June 15, 2007.
On March 20, 2004, 19-year-old Adán Sánchez became the youngest headliner to perform a sell-out concert at the theater. He died in a car accident only seven days later.
In 2005, Nintendo launched a game console, the Wii, at the theater before the beginning of E3. Nintendo used the venue again in 2006 for its pre-E3 news conference. The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show was held there first in 2007, after relocating from New York.
The theatre has also hosted the Miss USA pageant twice, in 2004 and 2007.
Nintendo once again took over the venue for its 2008 E3 Press Conference, a change from its conference the previous year in Santa Monica.
In December 2008, a production of "A Christmas Carol", adapted, produced, and directed by Kevin Von Feldt and starring Christopher Lloyd, John Goodman, and Jane Leeves played 16 performances there over a two-week period.
In August 2009, the theater hosted the So You Think You Can Dance finale for the first time.
On September 15, 2009, a concert by Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, was filmed in the theater. The concert was a PBS Great Performances Christmas special of Bocelli's first ever Holiday album, My Christmas.
On January 9, 2010, the Japanese metal band X Japan made its first U.S. public appearance on top of the theater, recording four music videos for its songs "Rusty Nail", "Jade", "Endless Rain", and "I.V.".
From September 2011 until early 2013, the venue was home to the permanent Los Angeles Cirque Du Soleil show, Iris, a 90-minute, acrobatic journey through the world of cinema, featuring an original score by Danny Elfman. The show made significant changes to the theater, including adding lifts deep under the original floor. It was announced on November 29, 2012 that Iris would close on January 19, 2013 after only two seasons, due to lack of profit. After hosting the Academy Awards on February 24, 2013, the theater is expected to reopen for touring acts and headliners.
References [edit]
- ^ a b c "Profile". Kodak Theatre. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
- ^ Finke, Nikki (Tuesday, 1 May 2012). "Kodak Theatre - Oscars Keeps Home At Hollywood & Highland In Newly Named Dolby Theatre". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
- ^ John Calhoun (1 April 2002). "A Kodak Moment". Live Design Online. Retrieved February 14, 2012.
- ^ "Kodak Theatre". Kodak Theatre. Retrieved February 14, 2012.
- ^ Higgins, Kat. "Goodbye Kodak: New Name For The Home Of The Oscars". Sky News. Retrieved February 25, 2012.
- ^ "Oscars' home renamed Dolby Theatre". CBS News. Retrieved May 1, 2012.[dead link]
- ^ "Introducing the Dolby Theatre". Dolby.
- ^ "Kodak Theatre". Kodak Theatre. Retrieved February 14, 2012.
External links [edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Kodak Theatre |
| Preceded by first venue Gibson Amphitheatre |
Venues of the American Idol finale 2002 2004-2007 |
Succeeded by Gibson Amphitheatre Nokia Theatre |
| Preceded by CBS Television City |
Venues of the So You Think You Can Dance finale 2009-2012 |
Succeeded by - |
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