POINT LOMA, Calif. (KGTV) — The Joan and Irwin Jacobs Performing Arts Center had its ribbon-cutting on Friday at the Arts District Liberty Station, transforming a 1942 Navy recreation building into San Diego's newest world-class performance venue.
The $43.5 million project, known as The Joan, represents an eight-year collaboration between Arts District Liberty Station and Cygnet Theatre.
Named after late arts patron Joan Jacobs, the facility will serve as the permanent home for San Diego's third-largest theatre company.
The facility features two performance spaces -- the 280-seat Joseph Clayes III Theater and the 150-seat Dorothea Laub Studio Theater. Both offer flexible seating configurations to accommodate various productions and staging approaches.
Building 178, constructed in 1942, previously housed a Navy recreation center complete with a bowling alley and a dance hall. The renovation preserved key historical elements while incorporating modern amenities, including two green rooms, spacious dressing rooms, a costume shop, and a dedicated rehearsal space.
Cygnet Theatre had been eyeing Liberty Station for nearly two decades, but the timing wasn't right until 2018, when they finally secured the former naval base commissary building.
Cygnet Theatre's co-founder and Executive Director Bill Schmidt revealed that the theater company recognized Liberty Station as the perfect size for their vision almost 20 years ago but had to wait for the right opportunity to make their move.
When Cygnet Theatre finally acquired the old naval base commissary in 2018, they knew they had found something special -- a building with good bones that could support their theatrical vision.
"Well, the building was the right size for us to build a theater, but what's really great about this particular building is that it was the base commissary, so it was the gathering place. They had a bowling alley here, they had stores here, so it is a great legacy for this building to now become a theater which will be serving a lot of people like the base exchange did back in the day," Schmidt said.
Schmidt also added that the theatre is adding something to Liberty Station that has been missing and was long overdue.
"Our people are already here. There are art galleries, there are all of the dance companies, and the one thing missing in Liberty Station is a standalone live venue to bring it all together. It's an arts district, but it doesn't have that component, so we're bringing that and it's our gift to the community," Schmidt said.
Cygnet Theatre launches its inaugural season on Sept. 10 with "Follies" by James Goldman and Stephen Sondheim. The season runs through July 19, 2026, featuring four musicals and two plays across both performance spaces.
On Oct. 8, The Dottie will be presenting the Tony Award-winning "Vanya, Sonia, and Masha and Spike."
Emma Nossal, an actress in that play who also works for the Cygnet, said she's excited to perform in the new space. She said that while there are differences, the studio theatre will retain the same magic it captured in the Cygnet's former venue.
"Getting to see the journey from working in Old Town, which was also such a special space to be a part of, and it's a unique experience, and this new space at the Joan is the same type of experience. It's gonna be new, it's gonna be exciting, and it's really gonna feel like a family here, which is really cool," Nossal said.
Nossal said that The Dottie is going to let the cast introduce its different types of shows to the audience.
"There's gonna be a lot of variety with the types of plays that we do. A little bit more experimental versus the traditional style shows on the main stage," Nossal said.
Beyond Cygnet's productions, The Joan will host other arts organizations, including Malashock Dance, San Diego Women's Chorus, and Write Out Loud. Organizers expect the venue to attract more than 50,000 annual visitors.
The project received funding from Joan and Irwin Jacobs, Dorothea Laub, Joseph Clayes III Charitable Trust, The Conrad Prebys Foundation, and other major donors. Additional support came from the State of California and National Parks Service.
