2nd Laguna Playhouse Stage Wins Final Approval

The Laguna Playhouse has cleared the last official hurdle in its bid to expand operations to a second theater and to launch professional productions for the first time in its 68-year history.

Its application to convert a downtown building in Laguna Beach into a 225-seat venue has been approved by the California Coastal Commission, paving the way for renovations expected to cost about $500,000.

The Playhouse, which produces a five-play season of community productions at the 418-seat Moulton Theatre, has long sought to establish professional credentials and would operate the second stage under an Equity contract.

“This will give us a chance to spread our wings artistically,” general manager Jody Johnston Davidson said. “We’ll be looking for shows on the cutting edge, contemporary material, new playwrights.”

Davidson said she expects the company to take possession of the building at 408 Mermaid St. on Sept. 1 and hopes the new theater will “be operational” by March of 1989. About a third of the money for the renovations already has been raised through private donations, she said.

The Playhouse, which is leasing the three-story building for 20 years with an option to buy, has an annual budget of $1.3 million. Davidson expects the subscriber base to top off at 7,600 when the Moulton season opens Sept. 8 with “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.”