Built in 1917 as an opera house and theatre, the Playhouse was considered among the finest theatres in the Pee Dee. It hosted traveling Broadway productions, musical theatre, and vaudeville shows on the New York to Miami circuit. It seated 1,000 people on two levels, including a balcony, and featured a large stage, an orchestra pit, and a full time orchestra that helped attract shows. By the 1930s, motion pictures had eclipsed live theatre as popular entertainment, and the Playhouse was converted to a movie theatre. It continued as the Carolina Theatre or Cinema until the 1980s. In 1987, Carmike Cinemas donated the building to the Marlboro Area Arts Council. In 1995, after renovation, it reopened as a performing arts center known as the Marlboro Civic Center. The building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.