The Joan and Irwin Jacobs Performing Arts Center debuts in San Diego, CA

The Joan and Irwin Jacobs Performing Arts Center will serve as Cygnet Theatre’s new home.

SD The Joan opens Liberty Station — The Joan has arrived and she’s ready for her close-up.

Spotlight, on. A $43.5 million performing arts venue dubbed “The Joan” will debut at Liberty Station on Sept. 10, 2025. We’ve rounded up the need-to-know details — let’s pull back the curtain.

The Joan — nicknamed for late philanthropist Joan Jacobs — is housed at Liberty Station’s renovated + restored historic Naval Building 178 (2880 Roosevelt Rd.). The project first broke ground in February 2024, but it’s been in production since 2017.
The 42,000-sqft space serves as the new home of Cygnet Theatre.
The venue’s 2025-2026 season schedule kicks off with the musical “Follies” running from Wednesday, Sept. 10 to Sunday, Oct. 5. Grab tickets.

The interior of a performing arts theater space; you can see the small stage and rows of seats surrounding it. — The Joan is now home to Cygnet Theatre.

The Joan features two performance spaces: The 282-seat proscenium-style Joseph Clayes III Theater and “The Dottie,” a 150-seat “flexible studio” named after philanthropist Dorothea Laub.
Back-of-the-house amenities include two green rooms, dressing rooms, a costume shop, rehearsal space, and top tier acoustics.
Guests will also find two indoor lobbies, one of which doubles as an art gallery, and and outdoor lobby space.
The project is a collaboration between the NTC Foundation and Cygnet, but other local organizations will be welcome to use the space. Malashock Dance and San Diego Women’s Chorus are set to host events there in 2026.

A performance space inside The Joan venue in San Diego; there's an open floor in the middle of the rom and rows of light blue chairs to the left, right, and south of the performance space. — The Joan features two performance spaces.

It was funded through donations from philanthropic leaders, including its namesake Joan and Irwin Jacobs, plus state and National Parks Service funding. Donations are always welcome.
The team behind The Joan predicts the venue will attract 50,000+ guests annually, with hopes that those theater crowds will also visit shops + restaurants at Liberty Station.
Fun fact: Building 178 was built in 1942 and was used by the Navy as a gathering space that housed a basement-level bowling alley, a commissary, billiards, and dance clubs.

Check out the renderings of the project released in early 2025: