Lake Worth Playhouse

Lake Worth Playhouse is a historic theater and cultural venue at 713 Lake Avenue in Lake Worth Beach, Florida. The organization presents live theater and other stage programming, while its Stonzek Theatre provides a setting for film screenings and alternative programming. The venue is also associated with the annual L-DUB Film Festival and functions as one of the city’s most recognizable cultural institutions. The building began life as the Oakley Theatre, created by Illinois brothers Clarence and Lucien Oakley during the movie-theater expansion of the 1920s. After receiving a construction permit in April 1924, the brothers developed a theater that cost substantially more than originally expected. It opened on November 3, 1924, with a screening of the silent film Welcome Stranger. The original theater included a Wurlitzer pipe organ and a Moorish Deco facade, reflecting the ambition of early Florida entertainment architecture. The 1928 Okeechobee hurricane severely damaged the building. Its roof collapsed, and only portions of the stage and offices survived. The theater was reconstructed with reinforced steel and concrete, new seating, and a repaired organ, reopening on January 10, 1929. The rebuilt structure adopted a Streamline Moderne design and retained a prominent neon sign. It is regarded as one of the oldest surviving examples of that architectural style and as the oldest surviving Art Deco building in Palm Beach County. Sound-film equipment was installed later in 1929, allowing the venue to enter the talking-picture era with screenings of The Broadway Melody. Economic difficulties during the Great Depression weakened the Oakley brothers’ position, and Paramount’s Publix Theatres organization ultimately obtained control of the theater. Lucien Oakley died in 1931 and Clarence in 1932. The property subsequently changed ownership and names. It operated as the Capri Art Theater and later as the Playtoy, becoming associated during the late 1960s and early 1970s with adult-film exhibition. Those screenings, particularly the presentation of Deep Throat and Hot Spur, led to police raids, arrests, confiscations, and obscenity litigation. The Lake Worth Playhouse organization was established by local citizens in late 1953. For more than two decades, it presented plays in the third floor of the Old Lake Worth City Hall and occasionally used facilities at Palm Beach Junior College, now Palm Beach State College. The organization returned to the historic Lake Avenue theater after purchasing it in October 1975 for $60,000. A $15,000 Bicentennial grant, supported in part by a production of The Last of Mrs. Lincoln, helped fund renovation work. Since the 1970s, the Lake Worth Playhouse has developed into a multipurpose venue rather than a conventional single-screen cinema. Its activities encompass theatrical productions, film, community events, and alternative programming. The property forms part of the Historic Old Town Commercial District, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in September 2001. Hurricane Wilma damaged the building in 2005, including part of the roof, equipment, dressing rooms, and stage, but the venue continued its role as a local arts institution. In 2024, it marked the centennial of the original theater’s opening with a Roaring Twenties-themed celebration.

The Lake Worth Playhouse occupies a theater building whose history reaches back to the rapid expansion of motion pictures and vaudeville in 1920s Florida. Clarence and Lucien Oakley, brothers from Illinois, selected Lake Worth as the location for a large entertainment venue and acquired a 55-foot parcel on Lake Avenue. They obtained a building permit in April 1924 and constructed the theater at a cost far above their initial estimate. The Oakley Theatre opened on November 3, 1924, with the silent film Welcome Stranger. Its original design included a Moorish Deco facade and a Wurlitzer pipe organ, presenting the building as a major civic and commercial attraction rather than a modest neighborhood cinema. The theater’s first major crisis came with the Okeechobee hurricane of 1928. The storm virtually destroyed the structure: the roof collapsed, while the stage and some offices were among the few elements left standing. A reconstruction permit was issued in October 1928. The rebuilt theater reopened on January 10, 1929, as a reinforced steel-and-concrete building with new seats and a repaired organ. Its redesign in the Streamline Moderne manner made it an unusually early surviving example of that architectural approach. The building’s neon sign, installed during this period, has been identified as possibly the oldest such sign still operating in its original location in the United States. The venue adapted quickly to technological change. In October 1929, manager C. P. Malphurs announced the installation of sound-film equipment. The first sound-film presentations included The Broadway Melody, helping the theater transition from silent pictures to talking pictures. The Great Depression, however, placed the Oakley brothers in financial difficulty. Paramount Pictures, operating through its Publix Theatres organization, eventually gained full control. Lucien Oakley died in 1931 and Clarence in 1932. In 1937, Stanley C. Warrick of Palm Beach became the property owner after a foreclosure dispute involving a lien against the theater. The building went through several names and periods of deterioration. It was known as the Capri Art Theater and later the Playtoy. Meanwhile, the Lake Worth Playhouse organization was formed by local citizens in late 1953. The organization spent the next two decades staging plays primarily in the third floor of the Old Lake Worth City Hall, with occasional use of the theater department at Palm Beach Junior College. That department was led by Watson B. Duncan III, whose students included Burt Reynolds, who appeared in several productions there. The Playtoy period produced the most controversial chapter in the building’s history. From 1969 into the early 1970s, the theater screened adult films, including Deep Throat and Hot Spur. The programming attracted repeated law-enforcement action. Between 1970 and 1973, police conducted ten raids, confiscated six copies of Deep Throat, and arrested five employees. In November 1973, manager William R. Titus was convicted of misdemeanor obscenity charges associated with the screening of Deep Throat. A subsequent agreement required Titus to pay a fine, dismissed charges against four other employees, and compelled the Playtoy to close. The episode reflected the changing and contested boundaries of film exhibition under local obscenity laws. In 1974, Lake Worth city commissioner and later mayor Dennis Dorsey announced that the Lake Worth Playhouse organization was interested in acquiring the property. The purchase was completed in October 1975 for $60,000. Renovation was supported by a $15,000 Bicentennial grant obtained in connection with the production of The Last of Mrs. Lincoln. The organization thereafter consolidated its identity with the building and restored it as a venue for legitimate theater and broader cultural programming. The Lake Worth Playhouse now operates as a multipurpose arts venue. Its programming includes live theater, film presentations, alternative events, and festival activity, including the annual L-DUB Film Festival. The building is also historically significant in its own right. It is considered the oldest surviving Art Deco building in Palm Beach County and contributes to the Historic Old Town Commercial District, which entered the National Register of Historic Places in September 2001. Hurricane Wilma caused substantial damage in October 2005, affecting the roof, equipment, dressing rooms, and stage. The venue later continued its cultural operations and celebrated the original theater’s hundredth anniversary in 2024.

• 2024

  Centennial celebration

  [1]Lake Worth Playhouseen.wikipedia.org

  The venue celebrated one hundred years since the opening of the original Oakley Theatre.

• 2005

  Hurricane Wilma causes major building damage

  [1]Lake Worth Playhouseen.wikipedia.org

  Roof, equipment, dressing rooms, and stage areas were damaged by the hurricane.

• 2001

  Historic district receives National Register listing

  [1]Lake Worth Playhouseen.wikipedia.org

  The theater became a contributing building in the Historic Old Town Commercial District.

• 1975

  Lake Worth Playhouse acquires the theater

  [1]Lake Worth Playhouseen.wikipedia.org

  The organization purchased the building and began renovations supported partly by a Bicentennial grant.

• 1969

  Playtoy begins adult-film exhibition

  [1]Lake Worth Playhouseen.wikipedia.org

  The venue, then operating as the Playtoy, presented the Palm Beach County premiere of Deep Throat.

• 1953

  Lake Worth Playhouse organization is established

  [1]Lake Worth Playhouseen.wikipedia.org

  Local citizens formed the organization that would later acquire and operate the historic theater.

• 1929

  Rebuilt theater reopens and adopts sound-film technology

  [1]Lake Worth Playhouseen.wikipedia.org

  The reconstructed steel-and-concrete venue reopened in January and began screening sound films later that year.

• 1928

  Okeechobee hurricane devastates the theater

  [1]Lake Worth Playhouseen.wikipedia.org

  The hurricane collapsed the roof and destroyed much of the original building, prompting a major reconstruction.

• 1924

  Oakley Theatre opens

  [1]Lake Worth Playhouseen.wikipedia.org

  Clarence and Lucien Oakley opened the theater on November 3 with a screening of the silent film Welcome Stranger.

A community-oriented historic theater combining live performance, cinema, festivals, and alternative programming in a landmark Art Deco and Streamline Moderne venue.

• Performing arts · 1953

  Live theater

  The Lake Worth Playhouse presents stage productions as the core expression of its identity as a community theater. Its programming developed from the local organization’s earlier productions in city and college facilities and later became associated with the restored Lake Avenue theater.

• Cinema

  Film screenings

  Film is part of the venue’s historic and contemporary programming. The Stonzek Theatre is used for film and alternative presentations, extending the venue beyond conventional stage performance.

• Film festival

  L-DUB Film Festival

  The annual L-DUB Film Festival is a recurring film event hosted by the Lake Worth Playhouse and reinforces the venue’s role in independent and community-oriented cinema.

• Events

  Community and cultural events

  The historic building hosts cultural gatherings and special events in addition to regular theater and film programming, including the Roaring Twenties-style celebration held for the theater’s 2024 centennial.

• 1973

  Playtoy closure following Deep Throat obscenity case

  Manager William R. Titus was found guilty of misdemeanor obscenity charges connected with Deep Throat. A later agreement required him to pay a fine, dismissed charges against four other employees, and forced the Playtoy to close.

  Source

• 1970

  Police raids and obscenity controversy over adult films

  While operating as the Playtoy, the theater screened adult films including Deep Throat and Hot Spur. The screenings led to ten police raids between 1970 and 1973, the confiscation of six copies of Deep Throat, and the arrest of five employees.

  Source

Read more

• 2024

  Centennial programmingOther

  Background

  The original Oakley Theatre opened in 1924, creating a centennial occasion for the current venue.

  Action taken

  The Lake Worth Playhouse held a Roaring Twenties-style centennial celebration.

  Aftermath

  The event highlighted the building’s century-long continuity as a Lake Worth entertainment venue.

  Source

• 1975

  Acquisition and restoration of the historic theaterStrategy

  Background

  After years of operating elsewhere and the closure of the Playtoy, the organization sought to secure a permanent home and rehabilitate the deteriorated building.

  Action taken

  The Lake Worth Playhouse purchased the theater and used grant-supported renovation work to return it to cultural use.

  Aftermath

  The organization became identified with the historic Lake Avenue venue and developed it as a live-performance and film facility.

  Purchase price. $60,000 (October 1975)

  Source

• 1929

  Transition from silent pictures to sound filmsOther

  Background

  The theater faced the industry-wide shift from silent cinema to synchronized sound shortly after its reconstruction.

  Action taken

  Management installed sound-film equipment and began presenting The Broadway Melody in October 1929.

  Aftermath

  The venue entered the talking-picture era and expanded its role as a modern commercial cinema.

  Source

1. 1Lake Worth Playhouseen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Lake Worth Playhouse official websitelakeworthplayhouse.org