Playhouse Theater

Front: Built in 1917 as an opera house and theater, “The Playhouse” was considered among the finest theaters in the Pee Dee. It hosted traveling Broadway productions, musical theater, and vaudeville shows on the New York to Miami circuit. Seating capacity was 1,000 on two levels, including a balcony. The theater also featured a large stage and orchestra pit, as well as a full time orchestra, that all served to attract shows to the venue. Reverse: By the 1930s motion pictures had eclipsed live theater as popular entertainment and the Playhouse was converted to a movie theater. It continued as the Carolina Theatre or Cinema until the 1980s. In 1987, Carmike Cinemas donated this building to the Marlboro Area Arts Council. In 1995, the newly renovated theater reopened as a performing arts center, now known as the Marlboro Civic Center. The building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.