Entertainment venue and associated systems/methods

Abstract

An entertainment venue can include one or more theaters, including a toroidal or other immersive display screen (which immerses the audience in a contiguous projection surface), a moving stage, and an audience area. Audience seating in the theater faces outwardly in an “inverted-theater-in-the-round” arrangement.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An entertainment venue comprising:
 a display screen;   an audience seating area surrounded by the display screen such that the display screen is on at least two opposing sides of the audience seating area; and   a performance stage surrounded by the display screen such that the display screen is on at least two opposing sides of the performance stage.   
     
     
         2 . The venue of  claim 1 , wherein the display screen is toroidal in shape. 
     
     
         3 . The venue of  claim 1 , wherein the audience seating area is moveable in a circular direction. 
     
     
         4 . The venue of  claim 1 , further comprising an external structure that is ellipsoidal in shape, and wherein the external structure encloses at least the display screen. 
     
     
         5 . The venue of  claim 1 , further comprising an external structure that is domed in shape, and wherein the external structure encloses at least the display screen. 
     
     
         6 . The venue of  claim 1 , further comprising an external structure around the display screen that is configured to provide at least a partial display of images displayed on the display screen. 
     
     
         7 . The entertainment venue of  claim 6 , further comprising display components configured to simultaneously present images on the display screen and the external structure. 
     
     
         8 . The venue of  claim 1 , further comprising an audio system comprising:
 a speaker configured to provide sound to the audience seating area, wherein the display screen is at least semi-transparent to sound; and   sound absorbing material located outside an area enclosed by the display screen.   
     
     
         9 . The venue of  claim 1 , further comprising a speaker system comprising a transparent material substantially covering the display screen, the transparent material comprising:
 first speaker sections, wired to project sound towards the audience seating area;   microphone sections wired to capture sound directed from the audience seating area; and   second speaker sections, severally disposed adjacent to the microphone sections, wherein the second speaker sections are operable to provide active noise cancellation of the captured sound from the audience seating area.   
     
     
         10 . The venue of  claim 1 , further comprising a second performance stage encircling a center point of the display screen. 
     
     
         11 . The venue of  claim 1 , wherein seating in the audience seating area faces toward a center point of the entertainment venue toward the performance stage. 
     
     
         12 . The venue of  claim 1 , wherein the display screen is spherical or hemispherical in shape. 
     
     
         13 . The venue of  claim 1 , wherein the display screen is ellipsoidal in shape. 
     
     
         14 . The venue of  claim 1 , wherein the display screen is rectangular in shape. 
     
     
         15 . The venue of  claim 1 , wherein the performance stage is fixed with respect to the audience seating area. 
     
     
         16 . The venue of  claim 1 , wherein seating in the audience seating area faces out from a center point of the entertainment venue toward the performance stage. 
     
     
         17 . A method comprising:
 presenting video images on a display screen;   providing a live performance on a performance stage disposed within the display screen; wherein:
 the audience seating area comprises seating arranged such that a portion of the performance stage is directly visible from a seat of the audience seating area at a first time, and 
 a second portion of the performance stage is directly visible from the seat of the audience seating area at a second time. 
   
     
     
         18 . An entertainment venue comprising:
 a display screen;   an audience seating area, wherein seating in the audience seating area is surrounded by the display screen and faces toward a center point of the display screen; and   a performance stage encircling the center point of the display screen.   
     
     
         19 . The venue of  claim 18 , wherein a cross-section of the display screen parallel to the performance stage is in the shape of at least one circle that surrounds the audience seating area, and each seat of the audience seating area faces a point along the at least one circle that is closest to each seat. 
     
     
         20 . The venue of  claim 18 , wherein the performance stage is fixed with respect to the audience seating area.