Laguna Playhouse Celebrates 100 Years With Live-Streamed Reading

Laguna Playhouse announces they will live-stream a reading of the first show produced by Laguna Playhouse 100 years ago in celebration of the Playhouse's 100th Anniversary, "Suppressed Desires," by Susan Glaspell and George Cram Cooke.

Only a few one-act plays have attained and maintained the level of acclaim of this popular and highly amusing travesty about misapplied psychology by Susan Glaspell. In this comedic satire of psychoanalysis, a woman addicted to therapy learns that a little self-delusion may not be a bad thing.

Suppressed Desires will be streamed live under Covid-19 safety protocols from the Bourbon Room in Hollywood, CA. Directed by Andrew Barnicle, the reading will star Laguna Playhouse favorites French Stewart, Vanessa Claire Stewart and Jennifer Shelton.

"100 years ago, the Laguna Beach Dramatic Club produced Suppressed Desires in a Coast Highway Tire Repair Shop, launching what would eventually become the Laguna Playhouse. It's exciting to be able to keep that memory alive," says Artistic Director Ann E. Wareham. "We can't let a global pandemic get in our way of celebrating the amazing feat of bringing live theatre to Laguna Beach and Orange County for 100 years!" states Executive Director Ellen Richard. "The show must go on, and so must our birthday celebration."

As part of the celebration, a special silent auction will be announced, which includes some one-of-a-kind items including a Magic Johnson signed and authenticated official NBA Basketball with Display Case and a one-night stay with breakfast for two at the 5 Star Montage Resort in Laguna Beach.

The celebration continues on October 22 with the presentation of the second in the series of the Keeping Live Theatre AliveCelebrity Reads. Featuring never before seen original vignettes by Charles Shaughnessy, Priscilla Lopez, Reno Wilson, Wendie Malick, Lou Diamond Phillips and Bryan Cranston. These pieces will be available free of charge on the Laguna Playhouse website. This program is the brainchild of actor Dan Lauria who called upon friends in the industry to help support local theatres. Laguna Playhouse is proud to be a part of the #theatre5alliance, a group of theatres from around the country that includes Berkshire Playwrights Lab, Durango PlayFest, New Jersey Repertory Company and Seven Angels Theatre, that are presenting these original pieces.

Tickets for Suppressed Desires are available by visiting lagunaplayhouse.com.