Cygnet Theatre Company is a performing arts theatre company in San Diego, California. It was founded in 2003 by Bill Schmidt and Sean Murray. The theatre's name is a reference to the Swan Theatre, a prominent competitor to Shakespeare's Globe. One of San Diego's major theatre companies is the Old Globe Theatre.

History

Cygnet's first season included Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Bed and Sofa, and Fully Committed. Highlights in the first eight seasons include Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Little Foxes, The Invention of Love, Yellowman, Copenhagen, Fences, A Little Night Music, The History Boys, Noises Off, Sweeney Todd, The Norman Conquests, Cabaret, and the World Premiere of Stephen Metcalfe's Tragedy of the Commons. Since its founding in 2003, Cygnet Theatre has presented at the Old Town Theatre in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park. On November 16, 2022, NTC Foundation and Cygnet Theatre announced they would be partnering to create the Joan and Irwin Jacobs Performing Arts Center. The project, which costs $38.9 million, will be located in Building 178 at Liberty Station and is scheduled to open in the fall of 2024. The arts center will serve as Cygnet’s future home and a performance space for dance and other performing arts companies. Its programs include:

Awards and recognition

Cygnet was awarded the American Theatre Wing's National Theatre Company Grant in 2016.