Kodak Theatre Guided Tour

The Kodak Theatre half-hour walking tour is your VIP access to the crown jewel of Hollywood & Highland and home of the Academy Award Ceremonies. Step inside and revel in the elegance of this state-of-the-art facility. See an Oscar statuette, visit the exclusive George Eastman VIP Room, view 26 Academy Award images, learn where this year's nominees sat, and gain an insider's view of the behind-the-scenes production of other popular events such as the American Idol finals, the AFI Awards, the daytime Emmies, Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, live concerts, cultural festivals, family shows and musicals.

Inspired by the elegance of a European opera house, with state-of-the-art technical capabilities, the Kodak Theatre stage has hosted the world's top performers, including Celine Dion, Prince, Dixie Chicks, American Ballet Theatre, Barry Manilow and the Moscow Stanislavsky Ballet. For the theatergoer, the Kodak Theatre experience begins on Hollywood Boulevard, where a towering portal, designed by Rockwell, serves as the grand entrance to the theatre, which is set back from the street. A two-story Awards Walk, featuring backlit glass plaques for each Best Picture Oscar® winner on a series of limestone portals, leads up a sweeping staircase with red mosaic tile to the main entrance.

The five-level theatre lobby is centered by a grand spiral staircase with cherrywood balustrades, topped by an oval, uplit silvery dome. Certain lobby design elements were inspired by Michelangelo’s Campodiglio in Rome and Busby Berkeley’s choreography. Twenty-six spectacular images of famous Oscar® winners including Grace Kelly, Jack Nicholson, Marlon Brando, Halle Berry and Julia Roberts are permanently displayed on four lobby levels as photographic transparencies on clear plexiglass hung in front of shimmering beaded “silver screen” panels. The exclusive George Eastman Room boasts the display of an actual Oscar® statuette, one of nine awarded to the Eastman Kodak Company through the years for the company’s scientific and technical achievements and contributions to the industry.

The audience chamber is highlighted by a silver-leafed “tiara”, a striking, looping oval structure that both supports and disguises an immense ceiling grid for lighting. Reflective ribs from the tiara extend down between the theatre’s box seats, creating a continuous flow from wall to ceiling. The chamber was designed to draw attention to the action on the stage, as well as to achieve the maximum intimacy between audience and performers. It is appointed with sumptuous details that give the space warmth including cherrywood finishes and deep plum upholstery, as well as a shimmering glow provided by curtains of two shades of iridescent fabric and a fine bronze mesh that stretches to the top of the proscenium, which measures some 64 feet wide by 35 feet high. The main stage area is one of the largest in the nation, at 120 feet wide and 75 feet deep.

Note: Tours are subject to availability and may be cancelled due to theater operations. Not to be combined with any other offer.