Digital Field Trip: Hollywood Bowl
Take a virtual trip through the Hollywood Bowl. Learn about this iconic venue’s history, its design, and the range of performers and presenters that have graced its stage over the last century.
This lesson plan includes
Exploration:
Learn about the Hollywood Bowl and its place as an iconic Los Angeles destination.
Key Objectives:
Students will:
- Learn about the Hollywood Bowl and its history
- Discover the diverse range of presenters and performers that have taken the stage over the last 100 years
- Take a tour of the stage and explore its unique design and acoustic properties
- Go behind the scenes and learn how the Hollywood Bowl’s iconic fireworks display comes to life
Questions? Contact us: learning@laphil.org
Materials written by Amy Kirkland
VIDEOS
Explore the Hollywood Bowl Building & Design Elements
Learn about the design and construction of the Hollywood Bowl, take a tour of the stage, and go behind the scenes of the iconic fireworks display.
Stage Tour
The Bowl’s Construction
The Bowl's Design
Go behind the scene for fireworks at the Bowl
Prompts
• What is something that you learned from these videos that you didn’t know before?
• How does the Hollywood Bowl balance acoustics for the performers and audience?
• Where else have you seen similar design elements (in Los Angeles or your own community)?
HISTORIC TIMELINE
Discover the Hollywood Bowl's History
Take a trip through time and explore the rich history of the Hollywood Bowl. Scroll through decades of photos and memorable moments to learn about some of the influential people, performances, and ideas that have been celebrated at this iconic venue.
Activities
1) Lead a class discussion or have students journal about their experience through this history.
- Which people or important events did you recognize in the timeline?
- The Los Angeles Philharmonic has performed at the Hollywood Bowl since 1922. What other types of performances and events have appeared on this stage?
- If you could go back in time and attend any event at the Hollywood Bowl, which one would be on your wish list?
2) Become an archivist! Choose an artist or event from the Hollywood Bowl’s history (or another of your favorite artists). Use the ⬇ My Archive Worksheet to research and document important moments and resources from this history.
Career Connection
An archivist collects, organizes, and preserves the historical records of a place or group of people. The Los Angeles Philharmonic Archives works with staff, musicians, and historians to document the history of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and its activities at the Hollywood Bowl. Archival collections are then shared with the public through either the physical exhibits at the Hollywood Bowl Museum or online. The LA Phil Archives collections include concert programs, recordings, press clippings, oral histories, architectural drawings, photographs, and posters. These materials shed light on the LA Phil's impact on 20th and 21st century music and society, the orchestra’s contributions to the culture of Los Angeles and Southern California, and its performance history at the Hollywood Bowl, at Walt Disney Concert Hall, The Ford, and in the Community.
DESIGN CHALLENGE
Create a Hollywood Bowl Advertisement
Explore the Hollywood Bowl’s history and archives to see how performances were advertised over the years. Look at examples from posters, program book covers, postcards, and banners.
- What do you notice?
- What design elements do you see? How does the design change over time?
- What important information is communicated on the advertisement?
Get inspiration from the archives
Activity
Create your own poster or concert program based on one of the iconic performances from the Hollywood Bowl’s history (or choose a new performance to highlight). What information and design will you include in your advertisement?
