The 'Kodak Theatre' is a live theatre in the
Hollywood and Highland retail, dining, and entertainment complex on
Hollywood Boulevard and North Highland Avenue in the
Hollywood district of
Los Angeles. Since its opening on
November 9,
2001, the theatre has been the home of the annual
Academy Awards Ceremonies ("The Oscars"), which were first held there in
March 2002, and is the first permanent home for the awards.
The theatre was designed specifically with the Oscars in mind. It has a
seating capacity for up to 3,400 people and the stage is one of the largest in the
United States, measuring 113 feet wide by 60 feet deep. However, it is not the largest
theater in the U.S. - that honor goes to
Willow Creek Church's (near Chicago) 7,200 seat Worship Center. The theatre was sponsored by the
Kodak company, which paid $75 million to have its name associated with the building. It is owned by CIM Group.
The Grand Staircase entrance columns hall to the Kodak Theatre is flanked by columns displaying winners of the
Academy Awards for Best Picture since
1927-
1928, with blank spaces left for future
Best Picture winners well into the
21st century. Still, a visitor during the rest of the year might have a hard time recognizing the landmark. In a fashion reminiscent of Hollywood's moviemaking process, the building is "
dressed" before the ceremony, including a different sign, drapery to hide all the storefronts, and the famous large
red carpet.
The theatre is rented to the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for weeks before the
Oscar night. During the rest of the year, it is host to numerous other live concerts, award shows, symphony performances and others.
Past events
Artists that have appeared at the Kodak Theatre include
Armenchik,
Christina Aguilera,
Céline Dion, the
Dixie Chicks,
Elvis Costello,
Vanilla Ice,
Barry Manilow,
Prince,
Ian Anderson,
David Gilmour,
Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons,
Broadway musicals, dance shows, symphony performances and
opera.
Other events have included the
AFI Life Achievement Award to
Tom Hanks, the
ESPY Awards for excellence in sports performance yearly, the
BET Awards and ''
American Idol'' finales. In
April 2006, it was home to the
33rd Daytime Emmy Awards, and it hosted the
34th Daytime Emmy Awards on
June 15,
2007.
In
2005,
Nintendo appeared at the Kodak Theatre to promote their latest console, the
Wii, before
E3 began. It was again rented out to
Nintendo in
2006 for their pre-
E3 conference. The 2006
Victoria's Secret Fashion Show was also held at the Kodak Theatre for the first time, having been held in
New York in previous years.
External links
★
Official Website of the Kodak Theatre
★
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences venue description
★
Kodak.com