First--Set The Stage

My favorite thing about Oscar night was the set design. Gone were the overgrown clunky golden Oscar statues of other years and the deep dark orchestra pit and the long walk of the winners down the aisle tripping up the stairs to claim their prizes. The whole theater was redesigned by architect and designer David Rockwell who reconfigured the entire stage and theater into a more coherent and intimate space. The orchestra was up on stage on a bandstand that moved up and down the stage and sometimes broke apart and completely disappeared at times during the night.

There was a magnificent crystal curtain that out-glittered the glitterati. Instead of one giant flat screen to show movie clips and montages, there was a grid of screens that could show several or many images at once. The stage, protruding out into the seating floor with only four steps between the presenters and audience, allowed the winners to gracefully ascend to get their prizes. The stage floor itself was a work of art with arches and triangles complimenting the curve of the stage.

The seating areas reinforced the stage itself with their gentle curves and balance. Everything worked together to make this the most beautiful Oscar theater setting I've ever seen. Really outstanding elegant design.