Miles Playhouse

The Miles Memorial Playhouse is an historic landmark for the City of Santa Monica located at 1130 Lincoln Blvd. in Christine Emerson Reed Park. It was completed in 1929 after former City Councilman J. Euclid Miles and his wife Katherine bequeathed $25,000 upon his death for the construction of a "public recreation hall for the young men and women of the city" and dedicated it to his first wife Mary A. Miles. 

Designed by renowned local architect John Byers in his favorite Spanish Colonial revival style, the building retains its original main floor, stage, chandeliers, sconces, proscenium arch, massive wooden beams and period fireplace. The Miles Playhouse has been a unique and active host of performances and community gatherings for over 90 years. In January 1994, the Playhouse was nearly destroyed by the Northridge earthquake. In consultation with the John Ash group and the community at large, the Playhouse was completely re-built and re-dedicated to its original purpose of providing quality performing arts events by professional nonprofit organizations and regular youth programming. It was modernized and made ready for contemporary performances with the installation of a professional lighting grid, tech booth, sound system and projector. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was shuttered for five years in 2020. 

The Miles Memorial Playhouse is owned and operated by the City of Santa Monica Cultural Affairs Division and is fantastic for meetings, theatrical productions and special events, and is also available for film and photo shoots.  

DIRECTIONS & PARKING 

The Miles is wheelchair accessible and located at 1130 Lincoln Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90403 near the intersection of Wilshire and Lincoln Blvds in Christine Emerson Reed Park, just north of the tennis courts. 

From the Freeway: Santa Monica Freeway (10) West. Exit Lincoln Blvd. Turn Right (North). Cross Colorado, Broadway, Santa Monica Blvd., Arizona Ave., Wilshire Blvd. Playhouse is on the left-hand side, just past tennis courts in Christine Emerson Reed Park, marked with "1130" on facade. 

By Bus: Big Blue Bus Routes 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 18, and 41 all have stops within a 10-minute walk of Reed Park. Plan your trip at bigbluebus.com. 

Car: Limited metered parking available surrounding the park. (2 hour maximum, 9-6pm, $2.00 per hour, accepts credit cards - FREE Sundays and after 6PM at meters). Do not park in the permit-only parking areas on the other side of the street. 

Paid public parking is available at the Main Library, 601 Santa Monica Blvd., which is less than a 10-minute walk from the park. See the full list of Santa Monica parking lots here. 

RENTAL INFORMATION 

The Miles Memorial Playhouse is available to nonprofit organizations and individual artists presenting performing arts events that are open to the general public. We are also available to rent for meetings, special events, filming and photo shoots. We are currently booked through spring 2027.

Submissions will be accepted on a rolling basis. Proposals will be reviewed in the order received with priority consideration for nonprofits and individual artists. Please submit the widest range of possible dates for your proposed event.  

Venue walkthrough

Rental form & rates

Facility use guidelines

THEATER CONFIGURATION 

The Miles is generally set in a Proscenium style with semipermanent risers in 11 rows; 11 rows of 10 chairs across. Alternative configuration may be accommodated at renter's cost but must be clearly outlined in the rental proposal and discussed before booking is finalized. We may not be able to accommodate alternate configurations if we do not have the information prior to booking.

City-produced MILES EVENTS

CLASSES & CAMPS 

Visit Santa Monica's Activenet site for a list of classes. For 2026, classes for adults are on offer and the instructors include: Brazilian Dance instructor Marcello Aquino, acting and writing with Santa Monica Repertory Theater, creative reuse workshops with Rediscover Center, and dancing through Parkinsons with Invertigo Dance Theatre.