El Salon is San Ysidro’s first community theatre space. Inaugurated by Casa Familiar in 2020, it stands as a part of the multidisciplinary project, Living Rooms at the Border, designed by Estudio Teddy Cruz + Fonna Forman in partnership with Casa Familiar, and the support of Studio E Architects. Design and construction of Living Rooms at the Border was funded by the PARC Foundation and a grant from ArtPlace America, among other sources, and financial support from Civic San Diego, Capital Impact Partners and Citi Community Capital.
El Salon is a restoration of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, built in 1927, and is now a multi-media theatre performing space.
We host theatre & dance performances, events, and workshops by different companies throughout the year.
Our next production:
Bach Collegium Live at El Salon – February 21st, 2025
Join BCSD for an unforgettable evening of music that bridges humor and elegance, showcasing the genius of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Franz Josef Haydn.
Mozart’s Ein musikalischer Spaß (A Musical Joke) is a playful satire, brimming with unexpected wrong notes, clumsy harmonies, and whimsical musical twists—his way of poking fun at less talented composers of his time. Yet, amidst the humor, moments of beauty and brilliance shine through.
Friday, February 21, 2025
Concert at 7:00 PM | Doors open at 6:00 PM
El Salon Theatre (114 W Hall Ave, San Ysidro, CA)
Free Admission | Free Parking at 125 W Cypress Dr.
Email [email protected] for more information.
Imparted in collaboration with UCSD Center on Global Justice.
The UCSD-Casa Community Station is a partnership combining cultural, social, and economic programming co-curated between Casa Familiar, UC San Diego and the community at El Salon. Projects involve workshops, performances, & more.
El Salon extends its services as a performing arts space for collaborators. Each year, we offer residency programs to performance companies and collectives to create, & execute productions. Our space has held a wide variety of events. Including but not limited to: Concerts, art installations, exhibitions, theater performances, dance, screenings, workshops, and seminars.
Past residencies
Dialogos Danzados
We are excited to welcome Miroslava Wilson and Briseida López, professional dancers and choreographers from the border region, to El Salon Theatre for the first time. They will be doing a short dance residency and will end with a free workshop for the community.
Learn more about their community workshop here.
Camino 23 Collective
Camino23 is a bilingual, bicultural and binational latin 𝑥 theater collective.
Learn more about their upcoming play here.
Past Productions
Photo Gallery
Living Rooms at The Border was conceptualized as a parcel-size infrastructure made of cultural and social spaces, anchoring ten diverse units of affordable housing. It is a collection of small buildings: a community theater, social, immigration and health services, and an open-air civic classroom, led and managed by Casa Familiar and residents. The interface between programmed public space and social housing is essential to assure sustainability and inclusion.