San Diego’s latest performing arts venue nearing completion in Liberty Station

Construction works put the finishing touches on the main theater at The Joan Photo by Chris Jennewein Times of San Diego Construction crews are putting the finishing touches on The Joan and Irwin Jacobs Performing Arts Center in Liberty Station in preparation for the first theater opening on Sept The Joan as it will be known is emerging from what was Building the base exchange built in in the former Naval training center The center will be the latest world-class performance space in San Diego The project by the NTC Foundation and Cygnet Theatre has transformed the old military building with a bowling alley in the basement into two theaters seating and people plus a rehearsal space open-air lobby two bars and three landscaped patios The two theaters are fully sound-insulated to mask the noise of jetliners taking off nearby The larger Joseph Clayes III Theater is designed for mainstream productions while the smaller Dottie Studio Theater is for what Cygnet Artistic Director Sean Murray calls small edgy grownup plays The building will be the permanent home of Cygnet Theater while also providing performance space for numerous other arts organizations The fist production in The Joan will be Cygnet s biggest ever the Broadway classic Follies with music by Stephen Sondheim From the outside the new center will look much like the original Navy building down to the same official color But inside it s utterly new as is a eye-catching video sign at the street corner that will announce the latest performances The Dottie Studio Theater Photo by Chris Jennewein Times of San Diego