The Academy Awards stage features scattered trees and a more organic feel to create a calming space in a chaotic world.
Each year, production designers Misty Buckley and Alana Billingsley reimagine the stage at Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre. Some years it’s grandiose and bold; other years it harkens back to the golden era of Hollywood.
But it’s never been as green as it is this year. This year’s design—debuting exclusively with Vanity Fair—is especially unique. The theater has been designed to represent a calming garden courtyard, with greenery woven throughout it. It’s an ode to this year’s pointedly handmade theme—“A Human Touch”—as well as an attempt to create what feels like a relaxing space in a chaotic world. “There is an unsettled nature around the climate right now, and there’s just something very calming about being surrounded by architecture, but having this space for trees to grow,” Billingsley tells Vanity Fair. “We are exploring the contrast between the organic and the rigidly architectural, and that creates the feeling that life can exist anywhere.” The trees were handmade by artisans, and weave their way through the architectural structures. The entire area is lit to feel like “golden hour,” a film term describing the warm, glowing light that bathes the landscape just before sunset. “It’s just so divine,” says Buckley. “I think that also helps the audience feel connected and part of something, and really warm and held within the space.” The stage also has many moving components, including mechanized LED panels that can move around the stage and reveal new spaces. The aim is to create unique nooks for various awards and bits to unfold as they’re rearranged throughout the night. “It’s so elegant the way it moves, and we’re moving on camera a lot,” says Buckley. “There’s this fluidity that ties in with all the organic elements.” In past years, a lot of the materials used onstage have evoked a sense of luxury, with golden hues and sparkling accents. This year, the team focused on using stone, metal, and glass, more in line with their organic mindset. “I think that our material choice this year was very much about finding materials that had a beautiful quality that the light could pass through and less about reflective surfaces,” says Buckley. As it has for the past several years, the orchestra will also be featured onstage, sometimes in full view, and sometimes behind some of the moving architectural pieces. “I’ve always thought of them as the heartbeat of the show,” says Billingsley. “It’s what makes it feel like an elevated evening.” When the doors open on March 15, the attendees entering this hallowed space should feel like they’re entering a “sanctuary for celebration,” says Buckley. “It’s got that gorgeous sense of place and belonging.” Watch the Vanity Fair Oscar Party livestream—hosted by Quenlin Blackwell, Jake Shane, and Brittany Broski—directly after the Academy Awards at youtube.com/vanityfair on Sunday, March 15, 10:30 p.m. ET and 7:30 p.m. PT.
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