The theater was designed by David Rockwell of the Rockwell Group, with Theatre Projects Consultants, specifically with the Oscar ceremonies in mind. 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 wide and deep, its seating capacity is only about half the Hall of Music's, accommodating 3,332 people. The result of astute planning and technical design, the auditorium is particularly successful as a venue for televised theatrical performance. 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 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
The theater is rented to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for weeks before Oscar night. Having hosted the awards ceremony annually since 2002, the theater is best known for this event. During the rest of the year, it hosts numerous live concerts, awards shows, symphony performances, and other events. The theater was sponsored, until February 2012, by the Eastman Kodak Company, which paid $75 million for naming rights to the building. 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 at the suggestion of the venue's landlord. 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. 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. 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. 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 reopened for touring acts and headliners. As of 2016, the theater hosts the live shows of America's Got Talent. It also hosts the America's Got Talent Holiday Spectacular that broadcasts live during the Christmas season.
