The Laguna Playhouse was launched in 1920 as a community theatre. Following several play readings and performances in private homes and storefronts, the company presented its first full production: Suppressed Desires, a satire on Freudian psychology by Susan Glaspel, a member of the famed Provincetown Playhouse in New York and Massachusetts.

The group’s first real home was The Playhouse on Ocean Avenue in downtown Laguna Beach. During World War II, the Playhouse offered entertainment for the troops and also hosted USO dances and other activities. After the war, the need for a larger, better-equipped venue became increasingly apparent, and in 1969, the Moulton Theatre was built on Laguna Canyon Road. The old Playhouse was razed, but a historic marker still memorializes the site where the beloved theatre once stood.

In the early 1990s, the Laguna Playhouse became a member of the League of Resident Theatres (LORT). Recent productions have included An Empty Plate in the Café du Grand Boeuf, Around the World in 80 Days, and The Sleeping Beauty. The company is known for its Youth Theater and Education programs, such as TheatreReach, which has toured two productions each year to more than 150 schools.