Orpheum Theatre facade at dusk with glowing marquee lights on Broadway in downtown Los Angeles

Where Was Dreamgirls Filmed?

The 2006 musical set its story in Detroit but shot almost everything in Los Angeles theaters and studios.

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The Short Answer

Dreamgirls was filmed mainly in Los Angeles, California. The 2006 musical shot at Los Angeles Center Studios and historic downtown venues including the Orpheum Theater, Palace Theater, Tower Theatre, and Alexandria Hotel. Though the story unfolds in Detroit, Miami, and New York, only second-unit footage came from those cities. Additional filming took place at the Ambassador Auditorium in Pasadena and the Sinatra House in Chatsworth.

The story of Dreamgirls follows a girl group's rise from Detroit talent shows to national fame, beginning in 1962. Yet the production barely touched Detroit. Director Bill Condon and his team built nearly the entire era on Los Angeles soundstages and in the historic theaters of downtown LA, doubling the city for everything from Harlem's Apollo Theater to Miami nightclubs.

Principal photography ran from January 6 to April 8, 2006. Production designer John Myhre spent three weeks scouting Los Angeles locations to recreate settings spanning the 1960s and 1970s, and the result is a film where one American city convincingly plays many others.

Every Location At A Glance

LocationWhereWhat was filmedAccess
Orpheum TheaterLos AngelesApollo Theater, New York interior; various performance scenesTicketed
Palace TheaterLos AngelesDetroit Theatre interior and exterior; James 'Thunder' Early performances and farewell showOutside only
Alexandria HotelLos Angeles'60s-era theater scenes with ornate columns and plasterworkOutside only
Tower TheatreLos Angeles'One Night Only' performanceOutside only
Sinatra HouseChatsworthCurtis and Deena's luxurious Hollywood mansionPrivate property
Ambassador AuditoriumPasadenaPerformance venue scenesTicketed
Los Angeles Times BuildingLos AngelesRainbow Records headquarters interiorsOutside only
Downtown Los Angeles Broadway District TheatersLos AngelesMultiple vaudeville and performance spacesOutside only

Filming Locations Map

8 locations. The map loads when it scrolls into view.

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors

Location By Location

Orpheum Theater, Los Angeles
Location 01

Orpheum Theater

California, Los Angeles Ticketed

Filmed here: Apollo Theater, New York interior; various performance scenes

The Orpheum stood in for the interior of New York's Apollo Theater and hosted several of the film's performance scenes. It remains an active, historic downtown LA venue, and access is by ticket, so travelers wanting to step inside should check the current events calendar and book a show. Even without a ticket, the restored facade on South Broadway is easy to admire from the sidewalk.

Palace Theater, Los Angeles
Location 02

Palace Theater

California, Los Angeles Outside only

Filmed here: Detroit Theatre interior and exterior; James 'Thunder' Early performances and farewell show

The Palace provided both interior and exterior shots for the film's Detroit Theatre, including James 'Thunder' Early's performances and his farewell show. Located in downtown's Broadway district, it is frequently used for events, which means the interior is not always open to casual visitors. The ornate exterior can be viewed from the street at any time and sits within walking distance of several other filming locations.

Alexandria Hotel, Los Angeles
Location 03

Alexandria Hotel

California, Los Angeles Outside only

Filmed here: '60s-era theater scenes with ornate columns and plasterwork

This historic downtown hotel supplied the film's '60s-era theater scenes, its ornate columns and plasterwork suiting the period look perfectly. The building is a private property with no public interior access, but the exterior is accessible and worth a look for fans of old Los Angeles architecture. It sits just blocks from the Palace and Tower Theaters, making it easy to fold into a downtown walking route.

Tower Theatre, Los Angeles
Location 04

Tower Theatre

California, Los Angeles Outside only

Filmed here: 'One Night Only' performance

The Tower Theatre hosted the filming of the 'One Night Only' performance, one of the film's climactic musical numbers. The building is a downtown LA historic theater, and access is exterior only, so visitors should plan on viewing the facade rather than going inside. Its location on South Broadway places it in the heart of the theater district used extensively by the production.

Sinatra House, Chatsworth
Location 05

Sinatra House

California, Chatsworth Private property

Filmed here: Curtis and Deena's luxurious Hollywood mansion

This Chatsworth residence served as the luxurious Hollywood mansion shared by Curtis and Deena in the film. It had previously been owned by Frank Sinatra and Lucille Ball, adding a second layer of Hollywood history to the property. It is a private residence with no public access, so travelers should respect the owners' privacy and enjoy the house only through the film itself or from a respectful distance.

Ambassador Auditorium, Pasadena
Location 06

Ambassador Auditorium

California, Pasadena Ticketed

Filmed here: Performance venue scenes

The Ambassador Auditorium in Pasadena stood in for performance venue scenes in the film. The historic auditorium remains in use today, and access is ticketed, so the most reliable way to see the interior is to attend one of its scheduled events. Check the venue's calendar ahead of a visit. Its Pasadena location makes it a simple add-on to a trip focused on downtown Los Angeles.

Los Angeles Times Building, Los Angeles
Location 07

Los Angeles Times Building

California, Los Angeles Outside only

Filmed here: Rainbow Records headquarters interiors

The interiors of the Los Angeles Times Building were used for the Rainbow Records headquarters scenes, the label at the center of the group's story. The historic downtown building offers exterior views only today, but its stately facade fits comfortably into a walking tour of the Broadway district. It sits a short distance from the theaters that supplied most of the film's performance settings.

Downtown Los Angeles Broadway District Theaters, Los Angeles
Location 08

Downtown Los Angeles Broadway District Theaters

California, Los Angeles Outside only

Filmed here: Multiple vaudeville and performance spaces

Beyond the individual named venues, the production drew on the cluster of historic theaters in downtown's Broadway district for multiple vaudeville and performance spaces. Many exteriors are accessible, and the district rewards wandering, with restored facades and marquees evoking the same mid-century atmosphere the film sought. This is the most efficient area for visitors to cover several Dreamgirls locations in a single stroll.

Where It Is Set Versus Where It Was Filmed

The disconnect between setting and shooting is unusually wide here. The story is set primarily in Detroit, with scenes in New York, Miami, Hollywood, and various touring venues across a decade beginning in 1962. Filming, however, took place almost entirely in the Los Angeles area, with only second-unit footage captured in Detroit, Miami, and New York City. Sets for Miami's Crystal Room and a 1960s version of Caesars Palace were built on soundstages rather than shot on location.

The Studio Side

Los Angeles Center Studios served as the production's home base, hosting the purpose-built sets for the Crystal Room and the 1960s Caesars Palace. It is a working studio complex and not open for casual public visits, so travelers hoping for an inside look at where those sets stood should instead consider a studio tour elsewhere in the city that includes historic soundstages.

Tours That Visit These Locations

No walking tour covers the Dreamgirls locations directly, since most sit on public streets in downtown LA. The closest bookable experience connects to the film's studio side: a studio tour that includes stops tied to classic Hollywood production history.

Studio Tour With Stage 25 Stop

Paramount Pictures Studio Tour

This Paramount Pictures studio tour takes visitors behind the gates of a working lot and includes a stop at Stage 25, giving Dreamgirls fans a sense of the soundstage environment where films like this one built their era-defining sets. With 91 reviews, it suits travelers who want production history alongside the downtown theater exteriors.

91 reviews

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Frequently Asked Questions

Was Dreamgirls filmed in Detroit?

Only partially. Second-unit filming occurred in Detroit, but the vast majority of the production shot in and around Los Angeles, including Los Angeles Center Studios and historic theaters in downtown LA.

Can you go inside the Orpheum Theater?

Yes. The Orpheum is an active venue and access is by ticket. Check its current events schedule and attend a performance to see the interior that doubled as New York's Apollo Theater.

Which theaters in downtown LA appear in Dreamgirls?

The Palace Theater, Orpheum Theater, Tower Theatre, and the Alexandria Hotel all appear, along with other venues in the Broadway theater district. Most offer exterior viewing, and several cluster within a few walkable blocks.

Where is the mansion from Dreamgirls?

Curtis and Deena's mansion is the Sinatra House in Chatsworth, previously owned by Frank Sinatra and Lucille Ball. It is a private residence with no public access.

When was Dreamgirls filmed?

Principal photography ran from January 6 to April 8, 2006, ahead of the film's 2006 release. Production designer John Myhre scouted Los Angeles locations for three weeks beforehand.

Is there a Dreamgirls filming locations tour?

Not a dedicated one. The locations are mostly public exteriors in downtown LA that visitors can explore independently, though a studio tour with a Stage 25 stop offers a related behind-the-scenes experience.

Dreamgirls rewards a self-guided approach. A morning walk through downtown's Broadway district covers the Palace, Tower, Orpheum, and Alexandria in a compact loop, with the Los Angeles Times Building a short detour away. Pair that with a ticketed event at the Orpheum or Pasadena's Ambassador Auditorium, and travelers can experience the film's world both inside and out.

Keep Exploring

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