| The Kodak Theatre, a $94
million project, is designed with state-of-the-art technology
that optimizes the venue for the presentation, recording and
broadcast of world class live entertainment from concerts
and Broadway shows to the performing arts and award shows.
The auditorium’s seating capacity and
configuration is completely flexible to fit every performance
need and can range from 2,200 for live theatre to 3,500 for
concerts and awards shows. Three balcony levels will bring
visitors close to one of the largest theater stages in the
country 113 feet wide and 60 feet deep. In addition there
are 24 theatre boxes with four seats each.
The Kodak Theatre was designed by the internationally-renowned
Rockwell Group. Founded in 1994 by David Rockwell, New York-based
Rockwell Group is a full-service, award-winning architecture
firm of 90 staff members. The firm's best-known commissions
include the W New York and W Union Square; the Children's
Hospital at Montefiore in the Bronx; the Mohegan Sun Casino
and Project Sunburst.
The theatre interior is highlighted by a
"tiara," a striking oval chandelier that is intertwined
by smaller ovals, coated in silver leaf, that is the main
interior design element. Its models are classical and modern:
the floor pattern of Michelangelo's Campidoglio in Rome, and
the ever-expanding shapes of Busby Berkeley's dance choreography.
While the theatre was designed to draw attention
to the action on the stage, as well as to achieve the maximum
amount of intimacy between audience and performers (the balconies
are pushed as far forward as possible), the Kodak Theatre
is appointed with sumptuous details that give the space a
shimmering glow including curtains of two shades of iridescent
fabric and a fine bronze mesh that stretches to the top of
the proscenium.
The grand spiral staircase that connects four lobby levels
sparkles with thousands of glass beads adhered to the walls.
The theatre includes a unique media cockpit, that has a special
lift in the center of the orchestra seating. During live broadcasts,
it can be the technical heart of the production and can contain
television cameras and other equipment.
The complex has notable provisions for the annual Academy
Awards® Presentation, including a pressa area in the hotel
for 1,500 journalists, and staging for a gala arrival sequence
that allows celebrities to be photographed, interviewed and
welcomed. Also featured is a 40,000 square-foot Grand Ballroom,
featuring the renowned culinary wizardry of Wolfgang Puck
as caterer. |
