YouTube Theater

YouTube Theater
Interior of YouTube Theater in 2022
YouTube Theater is located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area
YouTube Theater
YouTube Theater
Location within the Los Angeles metropolitan area
YouTube Theater is located in California
YouTube Theater
YouTube Theater
YouTube Theater (California)
YouTube Theater is located in the United States
YouTube Theater
YouTube Theater
YouTube Theater (the United States)
Address1011 Stadium Dr
LocationInglewood, California, United States
Coordinates33°57′6″N 118°20′12″W / 33.95167°N 118.33667°W / 33.95167; -118.33667
Public transit C Line K Line  Hawthorne/​Lennox (via shuttle bus)
Downtown Inglewood station
OwnerKroenke Sports & Entertainment
OperatorStadCo LA
TypeTheatre
Capacity6,000
Construction
OpenedAugust 9, 2021; 3 years ago (2021-08-09)
ArchitectHKS, Inc.
Website
Venue Website

YouTube Theater is a 6,000 seat music and theater venue in Inglewood, California, United States, located under the same structure that houses SoFi Stadium, the home of the National Football League's Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers. It is part of the Hollywood Park entertainment complex, a master planned neighborhood in development on the site of the former Hollywood Park Racetrack.

History

Plans for a 6,000-seat performance venue go back as far as 2015, when Stan Kroenke, owner of the then-named St. Louis Rams, announced his plan to build an NFL stadium and entertainment complex on the former Hollywood Park Racetrack.[1] Construction on the stadium and theater broke ground the following year in November 2016.[2]

On June 28, 2021, it was announced that Google's video-sharing platform YouTube had acquired the naming rights to the theater for 10 years.[3][4]

The venue opened on August 9, 2021, with an official ribbon-cutting ceremony. Mexican rock band Caifanes held the first event at the theater on September 4, 2021.[5][6] The venue hosted its first esports event in late March 2022, with the Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS) Winter Major, marking RLCS's first live event in two years.[7]

Design

YouTube Theater was designed by Dallas-based architectural firm HKS, Inc.[8] The 227,000 square foot, three-story venue can seat anywhere between 3,400 and 6,000 spectators. The venue also features six luxury boxes and a 3,500 square foot club with 140 premium seats. The theater is designed to be an intimate venue, with the furthest seat being situated 164 feet from the stage.[9] The venue features a sound system designed by L-Acoustics.[10]

References

  1. ^ Farmer, Sam; Vincent, Roger (5 January 2015). "Owner of St. Louis Rams plans to build NFL stadium in Inglewood". Los Angeles Times.
  2. ^ Fenno, Nathan; Farmer, Sam (10 November 2016). "Rams to break ground on Inglewood stadium next week, source says". Los Angeles Times. The 70,000-seat stadium and adjacent 6,000-seat performance venue will be covered by a sail-shaped roof that's twice as big as the structure. The roof over the playing field will be made of a transparent material that's as clear as a car windshield.
  3. ^ Wilson, Josh (28 June 2021). "YouTube Signs First Naming Rights Deal". Forbes.
  4. ^ Spangler, Todd (28 June 2021). "YouTube Nabs Naming Rights to Theater at L.A.'s Hollywood Park Complex (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.
  5. ^ "YouTube Theater officially opens for business at SoFi Stadium complex". Spectrum News. 9 August 2021.
  6. ^ Fadroski, Kelli (28 June 2021). "SoFi Stadium's adjacent music venue now has a name, YouTube Theater, and it will open this summer". Daily Breeze. Orange County Register.
  7. ^ Hitt, Kevin (March 31, 2022). "YouTube Theater hosts first esports event with Rocket League major". Sports Business Journal. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  8. ^ Crawford, Selwyn; Rajwani, Naheed (4 August 2021). "Flexibility is Key to Gold Medal Stadium Design, from Tokyo to LA". HKS Architects.
  9. ^ "Hollywood Park Venue Gets A Name: YouTube Theater". NBC Los Angeles. 28 June 2021.
  10. ^ Aaron, Rebecca (2 November 2021). "Bon Iver Gets a New Sound in Los Angeles". www.culturedmag.com. The performances were the first to use L-Acoustics's L-ISA Hyperreal Sound, a new immersive technology that takes live music to its most elevated sonic experience yet.