McAnuff was artistic director of the La Jolla Playhouse, which he revived in 1983, during which time the theatre won more than 200 awards. For the Playhouse, he directed "Romeo and Juliet", "A Mad World", "My Masters", "Big River"," As You Like It", "The Sea Gull", "The Matchmaker", "A Walk in the Woods", "Two Rooms", "80 Days", "Macbeth", "A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum", "Twelfth Night", "Three Sisters", "Elmer Gantry", "Much Ado About Nothing", "The Who's Tommy" and "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying".