For the Old Globe Theatre and the San Diego Museum of Art, it’s all about neighborliness and creativity, about being flexible and coming up with a winning solution.

The Old Globe has been undergoing a major revamp since June. The 250-seat, 40-year-old arena stage, the Cassius Carter, is being torn down, and in its place, by September 2009, will be the new theatrer-in-the round, The Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, basically the same size but with state-of-the-art lighting and technology. In addition, the new Conrad Prebys Theatre Center, which also includes the Old Globe Theatre, will offer a new cafe, more outdoor seating, a new Education Center, and Hattox Hall, a performing and teaching space. Two trees will be planted to replace the one the city had to remove for safety.

The project will last 18 months and produce 29,000 square feet of new building space for about, oh, $21.5 million. DPR Construction Inc. is the general contractor, with San Diego’s Hope Engineering serving as the structural engineer.

The Globe executives didn’t want to disappoint their faithful who loved the arena stage, so an idea grew to approach their neighbor in Balboa Park, the San Diego Museum of Art. Was it possible temporarily to use SDMA’s James S. Copley Auditorium?

The museum agreed, and a temporary theater-in-the round is being constructed inside the Copley space for use by the Globe. SDMA will continue to book its own events in other venues. For example, music performances will be held in the galleries. Madonna non papa, a women’s choir that sings early Renaissance music, will perform in Hibben Gallery. Films will be shown outdoors on the green near the Botanical Building, including “Sabrina” on Aug. 7 and “Bye Bye Birdie” on Aug. 21.

The first production in the new temporary space at SDMA is “Sight Unseen” by David Margulies through Sept. 7. Waters Cafe @ SDMA, in the space between the sculpture garden and auditorium since 2000, will be open before each production to serve theater-goers.

“Our primary reason to offer the use of the auditorium is to be a good neighbor,” says Derrick Cartwright, SDMA executive director.

The Globe, he adds, will cover losses the museum may incur because of not booking its own space. “New lighting will be installed in the 40-year-old space and that will remain as an improvement.”

Says Lou Spisto, executive producer of the Old Globe, “It makes all the sense in the world. It’s steps away. And the museum is so gracious to accommodate us, to support our needs.”

Cross-fertilization inevitably will take place. Not all theater-goers visit the art museum — and vice versa.

“The Old Globe serves 100,000 theater-goers,” says Cartwright. “It’s an opportunity to expose them to a whole new world of art.”

The Globe is now involved in a five-year fundraising campaign projected to raise $75 million by its 75th anniversary in 2010. The campaign was kicked off by a $10 million gift for facilities from Conrad Prebys, followed by a $20 million gift from Donald and Darlene Shiley for operating and endowment support. In recognition, the stage at the Old Globe will be known as the Darlene and Donald Shiley Stage. Other major donors include Sheryl and Harvey White, who added $1 million to their $5 million donation of 2000); Karen and Donald Cohn, $5 million; Kathryn Hattox, $3 million; and Dani and Kenneth Carpenter, $500,000. More than $63 million has been raised so far.

The first production, “Sight Unseen,” will be directed by Esther Emery, recently awarded the Jack O’Brien Excellence in Directing award by the San Diego Critics Circle. “Sight Unseen” tells the tale of Jonathan Waxman, a celebrated American artist who yearns for something more in life.

The other plays scheduled for the auditorium are “Back, Back, Back” by Itmar Moses; “Since Africa” by Mia McCullough; and “Opus” by Michael Hollinger.

“Without the support (of the SDMA) we wouldn’t have been able to mount these productions during construction,” says Spisto.

Even Waters Cafe @ SDMA will receive a facelift, according to Mary Kay Waters, owner and executive chef. There will be new tables and more color. A new canopy will offer a fresh look and energy. Fine lunch fare includes salads, soups, sandwiches, pizza and beverages, including wine, tea, and coffee, plus daily entree specials.

The new White arena stage will retain the engaging environment and size of the previous Carter second stage, but with electrical improvements and artistic support spaces backstage and on a separate level from audience entrance. Included are a high-tech control room, sound equipment, a new green room where actors await their entrance and new dressing rooms for both the arena stage and the Lowell Davies Festival Theatre, the great amphitheater named for the Old Globe’s founder.

The new Karen and Donald Cohn Education Center will give the Globe a space to house on-site learning programs. The 6,200-square-foot center will be situated on the second floor of the new arena theater. Here will be space for on-site performances for students, and weekend programs for young people, MFA training, adult acting classes and new play development.

The redesigned Copley Plaza serves as the collective lobby for all three theaters, as well as a space for public functions. It will include a new dining pavilion, outdoor seating throughout the plaza and will be able to accommodate pre-performance lectures, fund-raising receptions, Night at the Globe events and of course the annual December Nights and the Grinch tree-lighting ceremony.

Joshua Dachs of Fisher Dachs Associates, New York, serves as the project’s theater consultant. Project Management Advisors Inc. of Solana Beach is project manager, with Ken Richter and Ted Giesing as principal advisers. Architect for the Conrad Prebys Theatre Center is LMN Architects of Seattle, with partners Mark Reddington, George Shaw and associate John Petterson.

In addition to DPR and Hope Engineering, major contractors include RBF Consultants serving as civil engineer, Jaffe Holden Acoustics as acoustic and audio-visual consultants, TKG Consulting Engineers serving as MEP engineer and Horton Lees Brogden consulting on specialty lighting.

Landscape design comes courtesy of David Reed Landscape Architects and David Marshall of Heritage Architecture & Planning will ensure compliance with the historical requirements of Balboa Park.

— Karen Kenyon