Cygnet Theatre and NTC Foundation break ground on ‘The Joan’

The NTC Foundation and Cygnet Theatre broke ground on Jan. 23 at The Joan and Irwin Jacobs Performing Arts Center, nicknamed “The Joan,” while launching a public fundraising campaign for the community arts project.

Construction and renovations will now move forward to open the new center in spring 2025. Besides the Jacobs family, major individual project donors include Dorothea Laub, Molly Wagner, and Pam Hamilton Lester.

Nonprofit NTC Foundation, established to renovate 26 historic buildings at the former Naval Training Center, and Cygnet Theatre, a leading San Diego performing arts institution, are partnering in the adaptive reuse of historic Naval Building 178. That structure will be transformed, with the public’s support, into a world-class performing arts center and home for Cygnet Theatre.

The new venue will foster live performance, elevate the arts, and engage audiences with an unparalleled cultural experience for years to come. Currently, $31.6 million has been raised for the project and NTC Foundation and Cygnet Theatre will rely on philanthropic donations to raise the rest.

“We are thrilled to invite the public to join us in bringing The Joan to life,” said Lisa Johnson NTC Foundation CEO. “We are so grateful to Joan and Irwin Jacobs and other lead donors, the State of California, and the National Parks Service for their generous contributions that have propelled the project to this pivotal groundbreaking point. Our donors and the public are the backbone of our vision and we look forward to deepening our connection with the community as we move closer to finalizing this landmark project.”

“There’s no better place to bring arts and education together than at this beautiful Arts District at Liberty Station,” said Sean Murray, Cygnet Theatre’s artistic director. “We couldn’t be more proud to have been working together with the NTC Foundation on this since about 2018. We’re looking at a place that will be Cygnet Theatre’s permanent home. And we’ll be very happy to serve as hosts for other theatre groups. We’re also very excited about the possibility of working together to create a relationship with the three major dance companies here at the Arts District. This place will be a showcase for the creativity of arts in San Diego.”

“I am truly excited to be a part of this groundbreaking ceremony because it means additional investment is being made here in America’s finest City,” said San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria. “This project will further elevate Liberty Station as one of our City’s key civic attractions. This is an opportunity to restore and turn a wonderful historic building into a community hub and a performing arts venue. With The Joan, we’re enhancing our cultural landscape in San Diego as a burgeoning cultural mecca.”

Added Gloria: “Creative industries create $10.8 billion in economic impact in our region. That is a lot of impact, a lot of jobs, a lot of tax revenue. New infrastructure like this performing arts center will not just enhance our economic potential but provide new opportunities for growth and prosperity.”

“We were very excited for this project when we first saw the plans for it,” said Dr. Irwin Jacobs. “It was a great opportunity to be able to provide that level of support that could help make this project go forward. We look forward very much to coming and enjoying performances at The Joan, and we will be here often.”

THE JOAN

The Joan and Irwin Jacobs Performing Arts Center in historic Naval Building 178 will include a 289-seat proscenium theatre and a 150-seat flexible studio space, as well as state-of-the-art back-of-house support spaces such as dressing rooms, two green rooms, a costume shop, and dedicated rehearsal and orchestra spaces. The new center will also feature indoor and outdoor lobby spaces, two refreshment areas, industry-leading ADA accessibility, and a premier location at Liberty Station near some of San Diego’s foremost dining and retail destinations.

Both theatre spaces will feature elements of flexible seating to allow for a variety of productions, as well as acoustical elements for optimal sound quality and amplification. To enhance the patron experience, there will be several elements that will mitigate external noise from lobbies, the exterior, and especially plane flyover due to proximity to the San Diego International Airport, including a specially-designed roof on the proscenium theatre, noiseless door fixtures, HVAC shock absorbers and more.

Cygnet Theatre and NTC Foundation compiled a team of top-tier partners to bring this project to life including Suffolk, Fisher Dachs Associates, obr Architecture and Boretto + Merrill Consulting.