One of San Diego's most acclaimed mid-size theaters is growing a size larger. Cygnet Theater, based in the College area, has just leased the Old Town Theater for 10 years! Programming will now alternate between the College Area location, which is a 157-seat theater, and the historic Old Town Theater, which seats 248. According to Cygnet's Executive Director, Bill Schmidt: "The addition of this venue will allow us to more than double our ticket sales and expand our programming beyond the limitations of the current venue."
Cygnet Artistic Director Sean Murray assures San Diegans that such growth does not mean a change in programming: "It promises to be a home for us to explore and expand on the eclectic and surprising material we've become known for."
I, for one, am excited about what this means for adventurous theater in the city. While Cygnet isn't able to mount two shows in both spaces at the same time -- yet!-- the addition will allow them to extend more popular runs because they now have another space for rehearsals and set work for successive shows.
Cygnet plans to bring the Old Town Theater up to code with new lighting and sound equipment, among other renovations, and will begin producing work there in the fall of 2008.
