Dolby Theatre

The Dolby Theatre (formerly known as the Kodak Theatre, and temporarily renamed the Hollywood and Highland Center theatre in 2012) is a live entertainment theatre 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 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. Since 2002, the theatre was also the home for American Idol.

The theatre was designed by David Rockwell of the Rockwell Group, and Theatre Projects Consultants specifically with the Oscars in mind. 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 feet (34 m) wide by 60 feet (18 m) deep. However, it has a seating capacity for up to 3,332 people, about half the size.

The theatre is particularly successful as a venue for a televised theatre performance (improving production values and economies in American Idol and the Academy Awards) through the planning and technical design. The architect and advisers undertook extensive consultation with many of the leading production personnel in Hollywood which led to highly functional production cable infrastructure systems including an underground cable bunker which passes below the theatre to truck locations in adjacent streets, accessible and substantial power, and a unique camera, sound and stage management cockpit designed by Rockwell in the orchestra seating area.

The hallway leading up to the Grand Staircase entrance to the theatre from the front facade 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. In a fashion reminiscent of Hollywood's movie-making process, the building is "dressed" before the ceremony, including a different sign (though not always), red drapery to hide all the storefronts, and the famous red carpet running up to the Staircase. A visitor during the rest of the year might have trouble recognizing the hallway in its undecorated form.

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 hosts numerous live concerts, award shows, symphony performances and others. However, the 7,000 seat Nokia Theatre at L.A. Live has largely replaced the Kodak Theatre as the premier auditorium in L.A. since it opened in 2007, and some events formerly held at the Kodak are now regularly held at the Nokia, including the American Idol finals.

The theatre was sponsored, until February 2012, by the Eastman Kodak Company, which paid $75 million for the naming rights to the building. In early 2012, Eastman Kodak filed for bankruptcy protection, and thus ended its naming rights deal. The theatre's name was then changed to The Hollywood and Highland Center at the suggestion of the venue's landlord. On May 1, 2012, it was announced that the theatre will be renamed the Dolby Theatre after Dolby Laboratories signed a 20-year naming rights deal.

Dolby will start its enhancement of the theatre first by installing Dolby Atmos, then continue to update the Dolby Theatre with newer technologies as they arrive.