News Summary
The Joan and Irwin Jacobs Performing Arts Center has officially opened, enhancing the cultural landscape in San Diego. Housed in a historic building, it serves as the permanent home for Cygnet Theatre, featuring versatile performance spaces. The $43.5 million renovation preserved historical elements while integrating modern amenities. The inaugural season will include various productions, aiming to attract over 50,000 guests annually and foster community arts collaboration.
San Diego – The Joan and Irwin Jacobs Performing Arts Center officially opened on September 5, 2025, at Liberty Station in Point Loma. This venue represents a significant addition to the San Diego cultural scene, housed in the historically rich Building 178, a former Navy recreation facility from 1942. The project, which took eight years to complete, cost $43.5 million and saw collaboration between Cygnet Theatre and Arts District Liberty Station, with vital funding from the Jacobs family and other key donors.
The Joan serves as the permanent home for Cygnet Theatre, the third-largest theater company in San Diego. The facility boasts two performance spaces designed for versatility: The Joseph Clayes III Theater, with over 280 seats arranged in a proscenium-style configuration, and the more intimate Dorothea Laub Studio Theater, which seats 150 guests. Both theaters feature flexible seating arrangements to accommodate different types of productions and staging styles.
The renovation project focused on preserving the building’s historical elements while also integrating modern amenities. Architecturally significant features like enclosed colonnades and shuttered windows were maintained, along with the inclusion of advanced acoustics solutions to enhance the audience’s experience. These improvements include engineered roofs, sound-dampening panels, HVAC shock absorbers, and noiseless door fixtures to minimize disturbances from the nearby airport. The project also received an “Orchid” award for Historic Preservation from the San Diego Architectural Foundation.
The inaugural season for Cygnet Theatre will run through July 2026, commencing with “Follies,” a musical by James Goldman and Stephen Sondheim, starting on September 10, 2025. Other notable productions scheduled for the season include “A Christmas Carol,” “Somewhere Over the Border,” “The SpongeBob Musical,” “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike,” “Cygnet’s a Magical Holiday: Christmas at The Joan,” and “The Lehman Trilogy.” The facility anticipates welcoming over 50,000 guests each year, establishing itself as a vibrant cultural destination.
In addition to theatrical performances, The Joan is equipped with backstage amenities including two green rooms, spacious dressing rooms, a costume shop, and dedicated rehearsal spaces. The venue features two lobbies, one functioning as an art gallery, as well as refreshment areas and outdoor lobby space suitable for hosting events. The Joan will also be available to other arts organizations, such as Malashock Dance, San Diego Women’s Chorus, and Write Out Loud, facilitating greater collaboration within the local arts community.
The construction of The Joan reflects a commitment to balancing the building’s historical significance with the artistic innovation that Cygnet Theatre and Arts District Liberty Station aim to foster. The venue also plans to create job opportunities and training programs for college students and emerging artists, while increasing arts engagement in under-resourced communities.
Sean Murray, Cygnet’s Artistic Director, has underscored the importance of this state-of-the-art venue in enhancing the creative landscape of San Diego’s arts scene. The location of The Joan at Liberty Station also provides visitors with access to dining, shopping, and a variety of other cultural experiences, further enriching the community’s engagement with the arts.
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Additional Resources
- There’s San Diego: The Joan and Irwin Jacobs Performing Arts Center
- 10 News: $43.5M Performing Arts Center Known as The Joan Opens at Liberty Station
- San Diego Union-Tribune: The Joan is Here
- Wikipedia: Joan and Irwin Jacobs Performing Arts Center
- Google News: Joan and Irwin Jacobs Performing Arts Center
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SAN DIEGO STAFF WRITER The SAN DIEGO STAFF WRITER represents the experienced team at HERESanDiego.com, your go-to source for actionable local news and information in San Diego, San Diego County, and beyond. Specializing in "news you can use," we cover essential topics like product reviews for personal and business needs, local business directories, politics, real estate trends, neighborhood insights, and state news affecting the area—with deep expertise drawn from years of dedicated reporting and strong community input, including local press releases and business updates. We deliver top reporting on high-value events such as Comic-Con International, San Diego County Fair, and San Diego Pride Festival. Our coverage extends to key organizations like the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce and United Way of San Diego County, plus leading businesses in biotechnology, healthcare, and technology that power the local economy such as Qualcomm, Illumina, and Scripps Health. As part of the broader HERE network, including HEREAnaheim.com, HEREBeverlyHills.com, HERECostaMesa.com, HERECoronado.com, HEREHollywood.com, HEREHuntingtonBeach.com, HERELongBeach.com, HERELosAngeles.com, HEREMissionViejo.com, and HERESantaAna.com, we provide comprehensive, credible insights into California's dynamic landscape.
