San Diego Welcomes The Joan: A $43.5M Transformation for the Arts

Cygnet Theatre, San Diego’s third-largest theatre company, and Arts District Liberty Station have officially unveiled the new Joan and Irwin Jacobs Performing Arts Center (The Joan). This $43.5 million project transformed a historic former Navy building into a world-class performance venue, now serving as Cygnet’s permanent home and the only free-standing live performance space in the Arts District.

The Joan is named in honor of the late Joan Jacobs, a devoted arts patron and the project's lead donor, who passed away before its completion but was "thrilled with the scope of the project," according to Lisa Johnson, Arts District Liberty Station President and CEO.

Cygnet Theatre Artistic Director Sean Murray called the opening "a transformative moment" for both the company and the city's arts landscape. “This state-of-the-art venue gives us the opportunity to dream bigger and create bolder,” Murray stated, emphasizing the success of the partnership in preserving San Diego's history while bringing The Joan to life. Cygnet will kick off the inaugural season on September 10 with a new production of Follies, and the center is set to host performances by many other arts organizations.

A Historic Venue Reimagined

The opening of The Joan is the culmination of nearly eight years of planning and construction. In 2017, a study confirmed the local need for a dedicated performing arts center, leading to the identification of Building 178 as the perfect location. Built in 1942 as a recreational center for the Naval Training Center (complete with a dance hall and bowling alley), Building 178 is one of 26 historic structures stewarded by Arts District Liberty Station.

The new center features two distinct, state-of-the-art performance areas:

• The Joseph Clayes III Theater (The Clayes): A 282-seat proscenium-style house.

  
  

• The Dorothea Laub Studio Theater (The Dottie): A 150-seat studio theater.

Both theaters offer flexible seating arrangements to accommodate diverse productions and creative staging.

Design Excellence and Community Focus

The facility was designed with both artists and audiences in mind. Back-of-house amenities include two green rooms, spacious dressing rooms, a full costume shop, and dedicated rehearsal space. The venues feature top-tier acoustics, including a specially engineered roof for the proscenium theater and high-performance sound-dampening paneling. Guests will enjoy two indoor lobbies (one of which will double as an art gallery) and an outdoor lobby space.

The project relied on an expert team, including theater planning and design by Fisher Dachs Associates (designers for The Old Globe's Conrad Prebys Theatre Center), architecture by obr Architecture, project management by the female-owned Boretto + Merrill Consulting, and general contractor Suffolk.

The Joan is intended to be a hub for the broader community. Groups like High Tech High School and Young Lions Jazz Conservatory students will use the building. Next year, the space will host performances by Malashock Dance, San Diego Women’s Chorus, and Write Out Loud, among others. Cygnet Theatre and Arts District Liberty Station also plan to expand community outreach, creating jobs and training programs for college students and emerging artists, and partnering with under-resourced groups, including military members and students across the region.