A Playbill for Chattanooga Performing Arts

Composed of three separate venues, this important Chattanooga foundation is the city staple for live performances of various types. The restoration and preservation of these historic buildings has been and remains a priority for the city of Chattanooga, an investment valued by our residents and visitors alike. After a roughly $75 million restoration that kept it dark since 2022, the Tivoli Theatre on Broad Street is set to reopen October 20, 2026, with Billy Strings booked for the first shows back. In the meantime events have run at Memorial Auditorium and the Walker Theatre.

These venues are known for their ability to charm and captivate audiences with their architecturally styles. Each has its own character and history that immediately adds to the performance experience.

To provide a better idea of what you might find on their event schedules here is a non exhaustive idea of types performances you can attend at one of the foundations theatres.

• Broadway shows.
• Comedy by both established and up and coming comedians.
• Intimate and unique music performances.
• Film Series.

The styles of beaux-arts elements of buildings bring an immediate positive energy to the audience and cast alike aiding the performance and leaving attendees asking themselves ‘why aren’t more buildings like this in our time’.

To find the latest event offerings and reserve your spot visit the Tivoli Chattanooga Website. You can filter by venue or browse the full calendar.

As far as reasons to get outside go, Shakespeare in the Park is a great one. Unique engaging performances in an open auditorium on a cool (unlikely) evening.

Come out to watch a group of passionate artists perform Shakespeare in the park at Greenway Farms in Hixson. The company stages two productions a year, typically in spring and fall on Friday and Saturday evenings, and admission is always free with no reservations required. Their spring 2026 run was Othello. Check for the next production on their website.

These performances are perfect for people who appreciate the heart, passion, and hard-work that goes into crafting a live production, enjoy smaller crowds for a less busy viewing experience, or you like different reasons to get outside for an evening.

It is recommended audience members bring lawn chairs, blankets, and refreshments to make the most of the evening.

Past Shakespeare productions included:

• Much Ado about Nothing
• A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• The Comedy of Errors
• Macbeth

To give you a first hand account a past audience member commented ‘Their Shakespeare in the Park performances bring classic theater to life in such a vibrant and beautiful way. I recently saw Macbeth, and it was nothing short of phenomenal, the acting was powerful, the staging was creative, and the entire production was captivating from start to finish.’.

Tickets, read along scripts and more can be found here.

Time saving note: Locating their outdoor stage has given some past attendees difficulty, so Scenic City Shakespeare provided a great aerial visual to help.

A small venue with a big energy brought to you by a variety of diverse performers and their crew members.

Located just off Dodds Avenue in Highland Park the Barking Legs Theater describes themselves as an eclectic, creative, inclusive environment for a variety of different community artists and performers.

This theater company is known for their wide range of intimate performances that have included contemporary dance, experimental jazz, poetry slams, singer-songwriters, film nights, and local storytelling. They don’t run short on novelty, making it easy to go back for a seconds or thirds.

If want to support local art, or you enjoy seeing unique high quality performances in a welcoming environment check out a show someday soon!

Events run year round, the calendar gets updated regularly based on performer availability. Most of the performances are on weekend evenings, and tickets are regularly under $20. For the most updated event info, check their website.

Past events have included:

• Jazz Tuesdays with local or touring musicians
• The Floor is Yours: Open mic poetry and storytelling
• Dance and movement showcases
• Independent film screenings
• Intimate concerts

100+ years strong as a mainstay of Chattanooga performing arts. The Chattanooga Theatre Centre is one of the oldest and largest community theatres in the US, running year round productions.

They’re located in North Shore, next to Coolidge Park, hosting a wide range of shows right next to the Tennessee River. At any one time you might find:

• Family friendly musicals
• Classic Drama
• Youth performances

They seem to put on new productions every 6-8 weeks with shows usually Thursday - Sunday, but check their event calendar for more details and to purchase tickets.

Past productions have included:

• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
• Fences
• Matilda the Musical
• A Raisin in the Sun

Helpful note: There’s free parking onsite, but it can fill up quickly on weekends. Arriving 15–20 minutes early can be a good idea.

Chattanooga’s professional orchestra has anchored the city’s classical scene for decades, pairing a full symphony with opera and pops programming across the season.

A single season might swing from Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky to Handel’s Messiah, a Cirque de la Symphonie pops night, or a film score played live to picture. Performances have been at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Auditorium during the Tivoli renovation, with a return to the Tivoli on the horizon.

Tickets run through the box office at (423) 267-8583 or online, where a small convenience fee applies. Browse the full season on their website.

For roughly half a century Chattanooga Ballet has been the city’s home for dance, a professional company and a school under one roof, based on North Market Street on the North Shore.

Their bigger productions land at UTC’s Fine Arts Center, and each December the Nutcracker fills Memorial Auditorium with more than 200 dancers. In 2027 they head back to the restored Tivoli with Curveball, a ballet about Jackie Mitchell, the Chattanooga pitcher who struck out Babe Ruth.

They also run a school for dancers age three and up. Find current productions and tickets on their website, or call (423) 265-0617.

If you haven’t found what you came here for, or are looking for something more niche, there are a handful of other passionate production companies performing around the area:

Back Alley Productions (Mars Theatre): A nonprofit production company in LaFayette, GA since 2012. They perform a full season of plays and musicals at the Historic Mars Theatre, performances typically fall–spring, but their dates shift every year. BAP has been voted the Best Live Performance Venue in North Georgia 2018-2020.

Signal Mountain Playhouse: Trek up to Signal Mountain for a summer outdoor musical each July (typically Friday–Saturday evenings on weekends) and a winter indoor show around February at the Mountain Arts Community Center. Find out more on their Facebook page.

Ensemble Theatre of Chattanooga: Ensemble runs year round new productions every ~6–8 weeks. Past seasons included short play festivals in January–February and musical concerts in summer. More information can be found here.

East Brainerd Community Theater: Based out of Christ United Methodist Church on East Brainerd Road, EBCT usually stages one play and musical per year. The summer musical tends to be a big production with a large cast. Past shows have been The Music Man, Pirates of Penzance, and Guys and Dolls. More details found at ebctchatt.com.

Bessie Smith Cultural Center: Named for Chattanooga’s own “Empress of the Blues,” this East MLK Boulevard institution pairs an African American history museum with a performance hall that hosts concerts, community events, and its annual legacy gala. Details at bessiesmithcc.org.