Performance Space Alliance Opens Rehearsal Space

A pilot program at St. Luke's United Methodist Church gives Chattanooga performing arts groups a consistent place to rehearse.

Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Dance

Empty upper-floor rehearsal room with wooden floors, a grand piano, and music stands beside tall arched windows overlooking a green ridge. — The Performance Space Alliance opened a pilot rehearsal space on the top floor of St. Luke's United Methodist Church in Chattanooga on October 1, with more than 15 groups participating. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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The Performance Space Alliance launched its pilot program on October 1, occupying the top floor of the St. Luke's United Methodist Church building in Chattanooga. More than 15 groups are participating, paying monthly based on the rehearsal hours they need.

Why it matters

Feasibility studies sponsored by ArtsBuild and the Lyndhurst Foundation found that performing arts groups in Chattanooga had long lacked consistent, reliable rehearsal space. The space is expected to foster collaboration among performance arts groups in the city.

Feasibility studies conducted over two years found that performing arts groups lacked consistent rehearsal space, and more than 15 groups are now participating in the pilot. The source does not indicate what the program will cost beyond the monthly rates groups pay.

The players

Performance Space Alliance

The organization operating the rehearsal space pilot program in Chattanooga.

St. Luke's United Methodist Church

The Chattanooga congregation whose building houses the rehearsal space, now with a congregation of about 10 people.

ArtsBuild

A local arts organization that co-sponsored the feasibility studies preceding the pilot program.

Lyndhurst Foundation

A Chattanooga philanthropic foundation that co-sponsored the feasibility studies preceding the pilot program.

The details

Groups book rehearsal time by the hour, with different room sizes available, and participants help with routine deep cleans of the space. The organization has an agreement with the church to contribute money toward increased utility costs, though those payments do not fund church programming.

Local performing arts groups began struggling to find rehearsal space about 30 years ago.
Feasibility studies showing the shortage began two years before the pilot launched.
The pilot program launched on October 1, 2026.
Several rehearsal rooms are undergoing small renovations.

Big Picture

The pilot follows two years of feasibility studies sponsored by ArtsBuild and the Lyndhurst Foundation, which documented the rehearsal space shortage that the Performance Space Alliance is now trying to address. Its shared-use model turns those findings into a working arrangement among more than 15 Chattanooga arts groups.

Performing arts groups in Chattanooga now have a regular place to rehearse, which can make it easier for local productions to get staged. Residents interested in these groups can follow the rehearsals and performances that come out of the shared space.

The takeaway

Shared, affordable rehearsal space can ease the constraints that have held back local performing arts groups for decades. Watching how the pilot performs will show whether this model can work for other communities.