Dolby Theatre

The Dolby Theatre (formerly known as the Kodak Theatre) is a live-performance auditorium in the Ovation Hollywood shopping mall and entertainment complex, on Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue, in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles. Since its opening on November 9, 2001, it has been the venue of the annual Academy Awards ceremony. It is adjacent to the TCL Chinese Theatre and near the El Capitan Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard.

This article is about the venue in Los Angeles. For the cinema screen concept, see Dolby Cinema. For the venue in Las Vegas, see Dolby Live.
Dolby Theatre
The front facade of the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood Shopping mall. (the actual theatre's location is at the rear of the shopping complex)
Interactive map of the Dolby Theatre's location
Former namesKodak Theatre (2001–2012)
Hollywood and Highland Center (2012)
Location6801 Hollywood Boulevard
Los Angeles, California
Coordinates34°06′10″N 118°20′25″W
Public transit Hollywood/Highland
OwnerCIM Group
TypeIndoor theatre
Seating typeReserved
Capacity3,400[1]
Construction
Broke ground1997
Built2001
OpenedNovember 9, 2001 (2001-11-09)
Construction cost$94 million[2]
General contractorMcCarthy Building Companies
Website
dolbytheatre.com

IRIS by Cirque du Soleil, Alicia Keys, Celine Dion, Prince, Elvis Costello, Barry Manilow, Stevie Wonder, Harry Connick, Jr., Melissa Etheridge, Dixie Chicks, Tyler Perry, American Ballet Theatre, and numerous touring Broadway shows have all performed at the Dolby Theatre.[3]

Home to The Oscars Dolby Theatre, has previously hosted the Latin Grammys, AFI Life Achievement Awards, Stand Up 2 Cancer, CNN Heroes, American Idol, and the Miss USA pageant. Dolby Theatre also hosted the Democratic Presidential Debates in 2008.[4]

Architecture
A 2016 photo of the Art Deco column displaying the 2012 to 2015 recipients of the Academy Award for Best Picture at the bottom, and blank spaces at the top for the then-yet-to-be-determined 2016 and 2017 winners

The theater was designed by David Rockwell of the Rockwell Group specifically with the Oscar ceremonies in mind.[5] 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,[2] accommodating 3,332 people.

The auditorium has become known as a venue for televised theatrical performance (e.g., 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. 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 at the rear of the shopping complex) 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, currently set 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 façade, red drapery to hide its storefronts, and the famous red carpet running up its grand stairway.

History

The theater was developed by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to overcome logistical issues it had with other venues in hosting the Academy Awards, such as the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and Shrine Auditorium.[6] In August 1997, AMPAS and Canadian development firm TrizecHahn went into negotiations over the development of an entertainment complex located on the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue adjacent to the Mann's Chinese Theatre.[7] Seven months later, both the Academy and TrizecHahn agreed on a twenty-year lease that allowed for the ceremony to be staged at the new venue.[8][9]

The Academy Awards were first hosted at the new theater for its 74th edition in 2002, marking the first time it was held in Hollywood since the 32nd ceremony at the Pantages Theatre in 1960.[8] It has been the venue for all Academy Awards ceremonies held since, with the only exception being the 93rd Academy Awards in 2021—which were downsized and moved to Union Station due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[10]

The theater was sponsored, until February 2012, by the Eastman Kodak Company, which paid $75 million for naming rights to the building.[11] In early 2012, Eastman Kodak filed for bankruptcy protection, thus ending its naming-rights deal. Then the theater's name was temporarily changed to the Hollywood and Highland Center[12] at the suggestion of the venue's landlord.[13]

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.[14] 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.[15]

From September 2011 until early 2013, the venue was home to the permanent Los Angeles Cirque du Soleil show Iris, an acrobatic journey through the world of cinema, featuring an original score by Danny Elfman.[16] 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.[16]

As of 2016, the theater hosts the live shows of the NBC reality competition America's Got Talent.

The Grand Staircase leading up to the Dolby Theatre

See also

Bibliography
  • Pond, Steve (2005), The Big Show: High Times and Dirty Dealings Backstage at the Academy Awards, New York, United States: Faber and Faber, ISBN 0-571-21193-3

References
  1. "About the Dolby Theatre". Dolby Theatre. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  2. "Profile". Kodak Theatre. Archived from the original on April 16, 2012. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
  3. "Dolby Theatre". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2022-04-30.
  4. "Dolby Theatre". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2022-04-30.
  5. John Calhoun (1 April 2002). "A Kodak Moment". Live Design Online. Archived from the original on 27 April 2012. Retrieved February 14, 2012.
  6. Pond 2005, p. 160
  7. Zehrq, Leonard (August 29, 1997). "TrizecHahn in talks to house the Oscars Wants ceremony in Hollywood project". The Globe and Mail.
  8. Newton, Jim (April 3, 1998). "Mayor Leads a Hurray for Hollywood". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on February 21, 2014. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
  9. Feiwell, Jill (June 7, 2001). "Oscar will have Kodak moment". Variety. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
  10. Maddus, Gene (March 15, 2021). "Oscars to Broadcast From L.A.'s Union Station and Dolby Theatre". Variety. Archived from the original on March 24, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  11. "Kodak Theatre". Kodak Theatre. Archived from the original on April 16, 2012. Retrieved February 14, 2012.
  12. Finke, Nikki (1 May 2012). "Kodak Theatre - Oscars Keeps Home At Hollywood & Highland In Newly Named Dolby Theatre". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  13. Higgins, Kat. "Goodbye Kodak: New Name For The Home Of The Oscars". Sky News. Retrieved February 25, 2012.
  14. "Oscars' home renamed Dolby Theatre". CBS News. Archived from the original on May 2, 2012. Retrieved May 1, 2012.
  15. "Introducing the Dolby Theatre". Dolby.
  16. David Ng; David Zahniser (November 30, 2012). "Cirque du Soleil's extravagant 'Iris' will close Jan. 19". Los Angeles Times.
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