Applications Sought for Youth Activities at Playhouse

The city of Santa Monica is accepting proposals from organizations interested in youth programming at the historical Miles Memorial Playhouse, which has been closed since the 1994 Northridge earthquake.

Depending on the nature of the proposals, the city will lease the facility or continue operating it, said Barbara Stinchfield, director of the city’s Community and Cultural Services. “There are very few facilities of this size available.”

The 1929 Spanish Colonial Revival-style building was built with a $25,000 grant to the city by former Councilman J. Euclid Miles in honor of his daughter, who died as a teenager. Miles specified that his gift be used as a “recreation hall for the children and young men and women of the community.”

Over the years, the playhouse has been a venue for performance art as well as exercise and crafts classes. The facility seats 200 people and has a 24-by-49-foot stage and a 62-by-37-foot assembly hall.

Located in Christine Reed Park North of Wilshire Boulevard, the playhouse is undergoing a $1.28-million earthquake reparation project that is to be completed this fall.

A proposal workshop will be held in Joslyn Hall, located behind the playhouse, at 4 p.m. on April 1. The proposal deadline is June 8 and the outcome will be announced by July, Stinchfield said.

For information, call (310) 458-8301.