January 25, 2025
By Kristen Nevarez Schweizer
The Joan & Irwin Jacobs Performing Arts Center (The Joan) will officially open September 10, 2025. It will be the only freestanding live performance space within the ARTS DISTRICT Liberty Station, surrounded by a thriving artistic community of over 90 museums, galleries, music groups, dance companies, creators, distinctive dining experiences — and plentiful parking.
The Joan features The Joseph W. Clayes III Theater (a 280+-seat proscenium theater), The Dottie Studio (a 150-seat flexible studio space), a costume shop, dedicated rehearsal and orchestra spaces, two green rooms, dressing rooms, and both indoor and outdoor lobbies. This renovated Naval Building 178 retains lovely original elements while thankfully equipped with modern acoustic elements to mitigate the ‘Point Loma Pause’ (AKA waiting through loud plane flyovers, a hallmark of the Starlight Bowl.) The Joan will serve as the contemporary home to Cygnet Theatre, which will move from its Old Town location. Other nonprofits, schools, and arts organizations will be welcome to rent this space.
The Joan, nicknamed for the late philanthropist Joan Jacobs, features two performance spaces: The Joseph W. Clayes III Theater and The Dottie Studio. The Dottie is titled in gratitude to local philanthropist Dorothea Laub. (Laub is also the namesake of the Liberty Station’s Dorthea Laub Dance Place and the Balboa Park Carousel.) This project results from a nonprofit partnership between the NTC Foundation and Cygnet Theatre. The Joan is currently at 86% of its $43.5M fundraising goal – relying on philanthropic support from the community to bring it to life.
“Our move to The Joan at Liberty Station marks an exciting new chapter for Cygnet Theatre,” said Sean Murray, Artistic Director. “This state-of-the-art space allows us to bring our mission to life in new and dynamic ways, offering audiences the same exceptional, impactful, and provocative storytelling we are known for. With the support of amazing donors to build this new center for the San Diego arts, we are thrilled to create a vibrant hub for creativity and connection in the heart of the Arts District.”
Cygnet’s will open at The Joan with the launch of their twenty-first season with Follies, a glamorous and haunting musical written by the late, great Stephen Sondheim. This is on brand for Cygnet, who has historically produced Sondheim’s work. They will continue their tradition of A Christmas Carol alongside a fresh Cygnet’s A Magical Holiday: Christmas at The Joan. In Season 21, Cygnet fans can look forward to Somewhere Over The Border (a San Diego premiere by Brian Quijada), The SpongeBob Musical, Vanya And Sonya and Masha and Spike (A 2013 Tony Award-winning play by Christopher Durang), and The Lehman Trilogy (a San Diego premiere by Stefano Massini).
Cygnet Theatre also refreshed its branding. The elevated website and new logo reinforce the iconic black swan design, symbolizing the organization’s rich artistic legacy and dynamic future. Cygnet Theatre was inspired by England’s Swan Theatre, an Elizabethan competitor to William Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. In 2003, Cygnet co-founders (husbands Sean Murray and Bill Schmidt) dreamed of rivaling San Diego’s Old Globe Theatre and chose the name of a young swan. Twenty-two years later, it’s clear these well-paired leaders can lift a dream from the page to the stage.
