The Laguna Playhouse

The Laguna Playhouse was founded in 1920, when a group of Laguna Beach citizens met in a living room to establish a local theatre. Initially offering readings and performances in private homes and storefronts, its first fully-mounted production on record was Suppressed Desires, a satire on Freudian psychological theories written by Susan Glaspel, a member (with Eugene O'Neill) of the famed Provincetown Playhouse in New York and Massachusetts.

In 1924, at a cost of $5,000, The Playhouse, on Ocean Avenue in downtown Laguna Beach, was built. During the Great Depression, the theatre was sold to the City of Laguna Beach and leased back by the group, and during World War II, the Playhouse entertained the soldiers in this facility, which also housed USO dances and other activities.

In 1965, Harry (Harrison) Ford appeared in the Laguna Playhouse production of Stephen Vincent Benet's John Brown's Body, was "discovered" and became one of America's most celebrated screen actors.

Other distinguished "alumni" of The Laguna Playhouse include Toni Tennille and Barbara Eden.

In 1969, the beautiful Moulton Theatre opened on Laguna Canyon Road, was built through private funds on City-owned land, and the old Playhouse was razed. A historic marker is located on the site where the old theatre stood. With the rapid growth of Orange County, the Laguna Playhouse grew in audience and stature, producing work of increasing quality with primarily amateur actors.

In 1985, the Playhouse remodeled its Moulton Theatre, adding a balcony and office space, as the first phase in what was hoped would lead eventually to the creation of a second theatre space. In 1987, the Playhouse won a national amateur theatre competition for its production of the musical Quilters, which went on to win second prize in that year's international competition in Ireland.

In 1990, Richard Stein assumed the leadership of the Playhouse as executive director, joined in 1991 by Andrew Barnicle as artistic director, and the Playhouse began a period of rapid expansion on an ambitious course to transform the theatre to full professional status.

Enjoy some photos from their January 2004 California premiere production of The Last Five Years:

The Playhouse formalized an agreement with Actors' Equity Association, then became a member of the League of Resident Theatres (LORT), a prestigious body of the nation's largest non-profit professional theatres. The Playhouse is also a constituent of the Theatre Communications Group, the national organization of American professional theatre. Attendance and critical acclaim grew during this period, as well as the Playhouse budget, which now stands at over $4 million.

The Laguna Playhouse is widely noted for its Youth Theater and Education programs. In 1989, its Youth Theater was recognized as "Outstanding Children’s Theatre" by the American Alliance for Theatre and Education.

Under the direction of Joe Lauderdale since 1990, the Laguna Playhouse Youth Theater has emerged as the region’s premier theater for young audiences, offering four fully-mounted plays annually on our Moulton Theatre stage.

Since 1998, the theater’s school tour, THEATEREACH, under the direction of Donna Inglima, has experienced tremendous growth. THEATEREACH now offers three productions on tour and visits more than 100 schools annually.

Plans for a second theatre, dormant for nearly a decade, were revived with the acquisition of a building in South Laguna, on Pacific Coast Highway, in 1994. This second theatre was envisioned as a way to house the burgeoning Laguna Playhouse Youth Theatre and to complement offerings at the Moulton Theatre with a series of adventuresome and new works. In 1998, a superior site located next door to the Moulton Theatre, was identified. The South Laguna site was sold and an agreement signed to acquire 580 Broadway. Plans call for a state-of-the-art, intimate, 225-seat, thrust-stage facility, with backstage facilities, classroom spaces, sound recording studio, function room and audience amenities. It will be physically connected to the present Moulton Theatre and together will form the centerpiece of the Laguna Beach Arts District.

Today more than 110,000 theatregoers, yearly attend performances at the Laguna Playhouse. Its continued growth, expansion, artistic excellence, audience popularity and critical acclaim have helped make it one of Southern California's most important nonprofit theatre companies.

For more information, visit The Laguna Playhouse website at http://www.lagunaplayhouse.com

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