![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/SUT-L-Cygnet-Theatre_0005.jpg\")
The Joan and Irwin Jacobs Performing Arts Center (\u201cThe Joan\u201d) at Arts District Liberty Station in Point Loma. (Ariana Drehsler \/ For The San Diego Union-Tribune)\nPopular appeal<\/p>\n
One year ago this week, Cygnet Theatre opened the doors of its new home, the $43.5 million Joan and Irwin Jacobs Performing Arts Center in Point Loma.<\/p>\n
Owned by Arts District Liberty Station with Cygnet as its permanent tenant, the 42,166-square-foot, two-theater complex was the product of eight years of planning and fundraising by the two organizations, and two years of innovative construction within the shell of a long-shuttered, 1942-era U.S. Navy recreation and retail building.<\/p>\n
The Jacobses donated $10 million toward the project, and in honor of Joan\u2019s memory \u2014 she passed away on May 6, 2024 \u2014 the building is now known as The Joan.<\/p>\n
Finding a forever home had long been a dream for Cygnet Theatre\u2019s co-founders Bill Schmidt, who serves as executive director, and Sean Murray, artistic director. Their 24-year-old theater company started out in a Rolando-area strip mall near San Diego State University. Then it spent 17 years at the Old Town Theatre.<\/p>\n
In a joint interview last week, Schmidt and Murray spoke about how things are going at The Joan, what shows have resonated most with audiences and what lies ahead.<\/p>\n
The Joan and Irwin Jacobs Performing Arts Center (\u201cThe Joan\u201d) at Arts District Liberty Station in Point Loma. (Ariana Drehsler \/ For The San Diego Union-Tribune)
\nPopular appeal<\/p>\n
Schmidt said he and Murray have been bowled over by the public\u2019s enthusiastic embrace of The Joan.<\/p>\n
Ticket sales at The Joan have nearly doubled since the move from Old Town.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s due, in part, to the increased capacity of The Joan, which houses both the 282-seat proscenium-style Joseph Clayes III Theater and the black box-style Dottie Studio Theater, which seats 130 to 155.<\/p>\n
But that\u2019s not the only reason.<\/p>\n
Schmidt said both the Clayes and Dottie theaters are selling at 80% to 85% capacity, a sales rate they never achieved in Old Town. Season subscriptions sales have also increased.<\/p>\n
Schmidt and Murray said San Diego residents are not only curious about visiting The Joan, they\u2019re proud of it.<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/SUT-L-STAGEJOAN-09-5.jpg\")
The 282-seat Joseph E. Clayes III Theater at the The Joan and Irwin Jacobs Performing Arts Center, better known as The Joan, at Arts District Liberty Station. (Ana Ramirez \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n
Point Loma residents have been especially welcoming, Schmidt said, adding, \u201cThey feel a sense of ownership about it beause it\u2019s in their back yard.\u201d<\/p>\n
The vast number of free parking spaces at Arts District Liberty Station has been a popular amenity for theatergoers. But Murray said the many other attractions in the arts district have also made it a destination for both local residents and visitors seeking culture and entertainment.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an arts hub,\u201d Murray said. \u201cThere are so many art studios here where people are making things by hand, like paintings, pottery and quilts. Theater is a hand-made art, too.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/SUT-L-STAGEJOAN-09-14.jpg\")
The Dottie Studio Theater is a flexible black-box space that can accommodate 130 to 155 audience members at The Joan and Irwin Jacobs Performing Arts Center, better known as The Joan, at Arts District Liberty Station. (Ana Ramirez \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n
Cygnet concluded its seven-show first season at the Joan in July. It began with the musical \u201cFollies,\u201d followed by the plays \u201cVanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike\u201d and \u201cA Christmas Carol,\u201d the holiday revue \u201cCygnet\u2019s A Magical Holiday,\u201d the musical \u201cSomewhere Over the Border,\u201d the play \u201cThe Lehman Trilogy,\u201d and finally \u201cThe SpongeBob Musical.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Edward](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/sut-l-stage-somewhere1.jpg\")
Edward Padilla, left, Luis Sherlinee, Vanessa Orozco and Luzma Ortiz in a scene from Cygnet Theatre\u2019s \u201cSomewhere Over the Border.\u201d (Karli Cadel)<\/p>\n
Murray said all of the shows sold well, but he and Schmidt were particularly pleased with the success of \u201cSomewhere Over the Border\u201d and \u201cThe Lehman Trilogy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSomewhere Over the Border\u201d is a \u201cWizard of Oz\u201d-inspired musical about a group of Mexican and Latin American immigrants making a perilous journey to the United States in search of the American Dream. Murray said he and Schmidt weren\u2019t sure if audiences would be interested in the little-known musical but it ended up being one of the most popular shows of the season.<\/p>\n
The second big surprise was the success of \u201cThe Lehman Trilogy,\u201d a complex, three-hour, three-actor drama inspired by the 163-year history of The Lehman Brothers brokerage firm, whose collapse helped trigger the 2008 recession.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt showed us our audience would support these kinds of plays,\u201d Murray said.<\/p>\n
![\"Steven](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/sut-l-stage-lehmantrilogy-05.jpg\")
Steven Lone, left, Jacob Caltrider and Bruce Turk in Cygnet Theatre\u2019s production of Stefano Massini\u2019s play \u201cThe Lehman Trilogy.\u201d (Karli Cadel)
\nSeason 22<\/p>\n
Cygnet is preparing to open the second show of its 2026-27 season. Schmidt and Murray said it was a dauntin prospect to plan a second season last year when they didn\u2019t know how the first season would do. But everything is working out well.<\/p>\n
In mid-July, they opened \u201cArcadia,\u201d their third production of the Tom Stoppard play since 1999. And on Saturday, they will open the Tony-winning musical \u201cDear Evan Hansen,\u201d which Schmidt said is selling right on target with their projections.<\/p>\n
Murray previewed some of the other shows coming this season.<\/p>\n
\u201cJOB,\u201d running Oct. 7 through Nov. 1, is a psychological thriller about a social media content moderator meeting with a therapist to obtain permission to return to work. \u201cIt\u2019s not about what you think it is,\u201d Murray said. \u201cIt goes in an unexpected direction and has a huge twist at the end.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOne Man, Two Guvnors,\u201d Feb. 17 through March 14, is a modern English take on the18th-century commedia delle\u2019arte comedy \u201cThe Servant of Two Masters.\u201d Murray said the play is wacky physical farce about a man precariously balancing jobs for two bosses.<\/p>\n
\u201cJohn Proctor Is the Villain,\u201d March 17 through\u00a0 April 11, is set in a contemporary AP English classroom in rural Georgia. While studying Arthur Miller\u2019s 1953 play \u201cThe Crucible,\u201d the students re-evaluate John Proctor\u2019s depiction as the hero of Miller\u2019s Salem witch trials drama. Murray said he was thrilled to secure the local premiere rights to Kimberly Belflower\u2019s play, which was a smash on Broadway last year. Murray said the play is\u00a0 tremendously popular with female audiences.<\/p>\n
\u201cBat Boy: The Musical,\u201d May 26 through June 20, is a 1992 horror rock\/comedy musical about Edgar, a half boy\/half bat creature. Raised lovingly by a West Virginia family, Edgar encounters prejudice and suspicion from the community. Murray describes it as \u201cweird, funny, \u2018Rocky Horror\u2019 kind of musical\u201d that hasn\u2019t been produced professionally in San Diego in many years.<\/p>\n
![\"Irwin](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/SUT-L-XOL-JOAN-0906_0018.jpg\")
Irwin Jacobs (second to left) stands above \u201cThe Joan\u201d sign outside of The Irwin Jacobs Performing Arts Center at Liberty Station in Point Loma on opening day, Sept. 5, 2025. (Ariana Drehsler \/ For The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Year two<\/p>\n
Schmidt and Murray said that while they\u2019ve successfully completed their first year in The Joan, they\u2019re still learning how to staff it, how to manage load-ins, how to run two shows at a time, and how to fine-tune their budgeting.<\/p>\n
They\u2019re also building relationships with several other nonprofits who are using The Joan theaters whenever Cygnet is not in production, including Malashock Dance, The Rosin Box Project dance company and the KSDS Jazz Orchestra.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re now in the second half of our moving-in phase,\u201d Murray said. \u201cWe\u2019re still figuring things out.\u201d<\/p>\n
To manage the much larger building and its two theaters, Cygnet\u2019s staff has grown by six to eight full- and part-time positions, including the recent hiring of Katie Banville as associate artistic director.<\/p>\n
They\u2019re facing much higher air-conditioning and electrical bills in the much-larger new space than they paid in Old Town. And production expenses\u00a0 continue to rise, with the cost of scenery components alone up more than 40 percent since the pandemic.<\/p>\n