It’s showtime: New performing arts center coming to Arts District Liberty Station in 2025

The landmark’s historic Naval Building 178 will become the Joan and Irwin Jacobs Performing Arts Center — the future permanent home of Cygnet Theatre.

Drapes and construction signs cover the new Joan and Irwin Jacobs Performing Arts Center in Liberty Station; signs wrapped around the site show renderings of the vision for the venue.

The new performing arts venue is set to open in 2025, with a goal of attracting 50,000 patrons each year.

A new performing arts venue is coming to Arts District Liberty Station in spring 2025: “The Joan,” whose namesake is local philanthropist Joan Jacobs.

The $43.5 million, 32,000-sqft Joan and Irwin Jacobs Performing Arts Center recently broke ground at the landmark’s Naval Building 178 at Truxtun and Roosevelt roads.

It’s a collaboration between the NTC Foundation and Cygnet Theatre — set to become the Cygnet’s permanent home.

A rendering of The Joan — a new performing arts venue in San Diego — is unveiled as a crowd attends a groundbreaking ceremony.

The venue’s groundbreaking ceremony took place on Jan. 23, 2024.

It’ll feature this razzle dazzle:

  • Two theater spaces — the 289-seat, basement-level Proscenium Theatre and the 150-seat Flexible Studio, plus rehearsal and orchestra spaces.
  • An open-air lobby, two bars, three patios, parking, and an art gallery showcasing local artists.

The organizations said The Joan will be designed to “foster live performance and elevate the arts in San Diego” with a goal to attract 50,000 theater-goers annually.
Project funding has reached 73% — or $31.6 million — and a community fundraising campaign aims to collect donations for the final stretch.

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