Calling on all of you dreamers out there! It’s time to spectate or participate — or both!

Bring us a dance that shakes the world awake! Sing us songs of your visions of the future! Tell us stories of the castles that overlook the hills and valleys of your brain!

We want the fantastical and the visionary. We want to know about the phantoms that walk behind your closed eyes at night. Come out and share your dreams!

Nightmares are also acceptable. (Some of our best friends are absolute nightmares.)

Join your hosts with the hocus, Hope and Marcus for an evening of creativity beyond our shared reality.

Doors Open at 6 PM | Show Starts at 7 PM
$10 to spectate
FREE to participate

You can sign up to perform here: https://forms.gle/4R65VYHQ2ch9sEk16 *Space is limited and given on a first come first served basis. Performers who have not filled out the form are not guaranteed spots, though some will be available for sign ups the night of the show.

You won’t want to miss this The Floor is Yours dream sequence!

Tonight’s Wednesday Jazz, indeed, isn’t jazz. Jack and Evan are both dedicated to free improvisation. Please don’t come expecting to hear standards. Or even melodies or grooves. But if you’re up for joining in a sonic adventure, we’ve got it for you. You know who you are.

Jack Wright (b. 1942) is a saxophone extremist, dedicated to to free playing since 1979. Described twenty years ago as an "undergrounder by design," he is a veteran improviser based mainly in Philadelphia. He has played mostly on tour through the US and Europe since the early 80s in search of interesting partners and playing situations. Now at 75 he is still the "Johnny Appleseed of Free Improvisation," as guitarist Davey Williams called him in the 80s, on the road as much as ever. He continues to inspire players outside music-school careerdom, playing sessions with visiting and resident players old and new. His partners over the years are mostly unknown to the music press, and too numerous to mention. He's said to have the widest vocabulary of any saxophonist, including leaping pitches, punchy, precise timing, sharp and intrusive multiphonics, surprising gaps of silence, and obscene animalistic sounds.

Evan Lipson (b. 1981) has lived with the incurable disease of music since early adolescence, seeking the liminal realms in which intellect and instinct, history and myth, and creative and destructive force intersect. Drawn towards aberrant perspectives at an early age, his formative activities were primarily rooted in extreme and discordant forms stemming from various traditions of “underground” and ancient musics.

Joining Jack and Evan will be Knoxville guitarist Jake Smith.

Brady Sharp and Bruce Kaplan, the B&B Strings, will open the evening.

It’s always a special evening when ace trumpeter Nathan Warner leads the band on Wednesday evening. He’ll bring Shawn Perkinson on guitar, David Schwab on bass and Matt Turnure on drums. Great band, fantastic sounds!

Since 2015, Barking Legs Theater has grown our weekly jazz program and will continue to do so with memberships and more, coming soon! Aside from the occasional touring act, we strive to support local artists and foster the talent within Chattanooga and surrounding areas. We appreciate everyone's support over the years and look forward to presenting these jazz events for many years to come. 

Weekly artist lineups, ticket prices and details are posted to our website and Facebook regularly. Please check there for the most up to date information. 

Tickets - $10 advance, $12 at the door. 

Doors open at 7:00pm. Music begins at 7:30pm.

They have become one of our audience’s most beloved events, and for good reason! Monday Nite Big Band has been playing big band jazz music in Chattanooga for over 40 years. Founded by pianist and band leader Paul Lohorn and saxophonist Ed Leamon, the group features a wide variety of more than eighteen Chattanooga area professional musicians playing on one stage, plus the the delightful Paige Denton on vocals.

All Ages welcome. 

This is a general admission event. 

Doors open at 7pm, music begins around 7:30pm with Intermission. 

A Jam Sesh of Ideas & Music hosted by Gordon Inman

Gordon Inman invites you to join an open dialogue and jam session on the state of Chattanooga's performing arts economy. What does fair pay for musicians and performance artists look like? How do we get there?

Let's band together for candid conversations about where we want the performing arts community to be in the next five years, and how we want to grow with Chattanooga. 

All are invited. Musicians, come test the acoustics. 

Friday August 1st at Barking Legs Theater at 7:30 PM. No Cover.

An open mic Drag and Burlesque night with The Seed Theatre, hosted by Dyslexia Apple.

This event is a celebration of drag and burlesque in a supportive and safe environment!!
So whether you do this on the regular or you are trying it for the first time, this is your chance to slay the stage and serve the house down!

When: Thursday July 31st
Time: 8:00 PM @ Barking Legs Theater

$10 cover at the door: All proceeds support The Seed Theatre’s work to create inclusive spaces for artists.

This event is an all ages event!!

Want to perform? Fill out this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScOhzqR8VXUGR8KjRABwY3CAfU23qSCRJhMmBH0K3zVbEvOwg/viewform

Any evening spent enjoying the drumming of Matt Turnure brings the audience into an aural adventure. His co-adventurers this evening will be guitarist Stephen Powers, who pushes himself in new directions all the time, and Atlanta bassist Tommy Sauter, whose visits to Chattanooga are always an occasion. Wow!

Since 2015, Barking Legs Theater has grown our weekly jazz program and will continue to do so with memberships and more, coming soon! Aside from the occasional touring act, we strive to support local artists and foster the talent within Chattanooga and surrounding areas. We appreciate everyone's support over the years and look forward to presenting these jazz events for many years to come. 

Weekly artist lineups, ticket prices and details are posted to our website and Facebook regularly. Please check there for the most up to date information. Tickets

Tickets - $10 advance, $12 at the door. 

Doors open at 7:00pm. Music begins at 7:30pm.

You’ve heard this before, but the whimsically named Jonathan Scales Fourchestra is really tough to describe. Veering from in-your-face, jaw dropping chops and passion, to those quiet moments when the background noise disappears and you hold your breath to take in a soundscape of solitude, the power trio of electric bass (E'Lon JD), drums (Maison Guidry), and steel pans (Jonathan Scales) combines elements of jazz, classical, and progressive rock, peppered with Latin rhythms and soulful outbursts of funk. From club and festival stages across North America and Europe, and tours of Africa, Southeast and Central Asia as a Cultural Ambassador for the US Department of State, to their NPR Tiny Desk Concert featuring Béla Fleck, the Fourchestra’s live shows make even the most jaded listeners forget where they are… even if just for a precious moment.

 This may seem an odd thing to say, but on the verge of releasing their eighth studio recording, Jonathan Scales Fourchestra is only now truly embracing their identity as a group. For many years, Jonathan’s live band was a fluid lineup of top-notch musicians, and even included an “all-star” version with bassist MonoNeon (Prince, Nas), drummer Sput Searight (Snarky Puppy, Snoop Dogg) and percussionist Weedie Braimah (Trombone Shorty, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah), as well as a number of other marquee players. Now, however, the Fourchestra is a decidedly indivisible band, and Jonathan is writing for the trio, not just the pans.

It’s always fun bringing fresh faces into Barking Legs—performers and audience—and this Wednesday will be the Wednesday Jazz premiere of pianist Eric Vaughn. Eric is high energy, whether playing the piano or singing, and the evening should be serious fun. His band features bassist Spencer Blake, and there’s a good chance of some guests on hand.

Since 2015, Barking Legs Theater has grown our weekly jazz program and will continue to do so with memberships and more, coming soon! Aside from the occasional touring act, we strive to support local artists and foster the talent within Chattanooga and surrounding areas. We appreciate everyone's support over the years and look forward to presenting these jazz events for many years to come. 

Weekly artist lineups, ticket prices and details are posted to our website and Facebook regularly. Please check there for the most up to date information. 

Tickets - $10 advance, $12 at the door. 

Doors open at 7:00pm. Music begins at 7:30pm.

Join us for the next chapter in our improvised fantasy series Cue the Dice, where the story is shaped live by the cast, the audience, and the roll of the dice! This time, we journey into a realm of whimsy and chaos with Fae & Foibles — an all-new tale set deep in the tricksy, glittering world of the Fae.

Part live theatre, part improv, part tabletop RPG, and entirely unpredictable — Cue the Dice: Fae & Foibles is where tabletop fantasy meets queer theatre magic.

Audience participation encouraged. Costumes welcome. Mischief guaranteed.

When: July 20th @ 3:00pm

Where: Barking Legs Theater - 1307 Dodds Avenue, Chattanooga TN

Tickets: https://www.zeffy.com/ticketing/cue-the-dice-fae-and-foibles

Are you ready for some fun in(doors) from the summer sun? Catch the comedic rays of Camp Improv!

Improv Chattanooga presents their summer showcase featuring hilarious comedy with an extra scoop of witty fun.

Doors Open 7:30 PM | Show Starts 8 PM

Bob Chuckrow was a brilliant musician who excelled on a variety of stringed instruments. He was a mainstay of Chattanooga’s acoustic music community from the 1980s until his untimely death last November.

About 25 years ago, Bob recorded a CD worth of tunes—traditional and original—with the participation of Steve Mikell, Norman Blake and Pattee Wilbanks. Bob had a standing offer of a CD release show at Barking Legs, but the recordings were never released to the public… until now. That release show? Better late than never.

In addition to his skill as a musician, Bob was a luthier, a teacher and a collector of fine guitars, mandolins and banjos. We’re bringing together Bob’s musical peers, students and instruments for a very special evening.

Admission is free, but we’ll strongly encourage you to purchase a copy of Bob’s CD, being prepared just for this event. Funding for the CD comes from Steve Mikell and Joe Lawrence who have generously offered the proceeds to support Barking Legs.

Dave Potter, who is on speed-dial in the phones of Jason Marsalis, Greg Tardy, Eric Reed, Marcus Roberts and many others announces the release of his third album as a leader, Retro Groove 2... The album, finds the drummer once again leading his band through clever arrangements of '80s classics by Whitney Houston, Rush, The Isley Brothers, Toto, and more... blended with an infectious mix of swing and blues the album makes a compelling case to both the jazz purist and the casual pop fan alike!

We’ve heard Dave at Barking Legs in the bands of Greg Tardy, and he is one powerhouse jazz drummer! What he’ll do with this material is something I can’t wait to hear. Joining him will be Miguel Alvarado on sax, Angelo Versace on piano and Rob "El Tón" Linton on bass.

This Jazz Special Event will be on the main stage. Tickets will be $15 advance/$20 door (plus a modest service fee)

100BC!

Pat Bergeson and Bruce Forman celebrate 100 years of Chet Atkins and Barney Kessel

Both long-time associates of these American guitar masters, Bergeson and Forman play their prized instruments, and share stories of what is was like to work with them. Can a musical instrument possess someone's soul? Probably not. But it can tell stories, bind generations, and bring people together. So, then again...maybe it can?

To our knowledge, Barney and Chet never spent any time together...but by getting their guitars side by side, making music, we are correcting that historical oversight.

BRUCE FORMAN

"Bruce Forman is one of the great lights of our age.”

- Barney Kessel, Jazz Times

A hectic touring schedule; twenty-one recordings as a leader, countless sideman recordings including Ray Brown, Bobby Hutcherson, Roger Kellaway; soundtrack performances on three of Clint Eastwood’s distinguished films—most notably Academy Award-winning Million Dollar Baby; raconteur, arranger, acclaimed educator, in residence at USC’s Studio/Jazz Guitar Dept., when does Bruce Forman rest?

Deep immersion in American culture inspires Forman to contribute to the traditions that he draws from. Reunion! (the newest project) revisits the famed Poll Winners sessions with cohorts John Clayton and Jeff Hamilton, playing instruments owned by Barney Kessel, Ray Brown and Shelly Manne; Formanism (his trio project); original works like The Red Guitar; his high-rated podcast, GuitarWank; Cow Bop and the “road challenges” down historic byways like Route 66; JazzMasters Workshop; Junkyard Duo; GrumpsTV (a fifty episode YouTube variety show during the lockdown), the popular ‘first chorus of the day’ series on Instagram…these are only the latest answers to the endless question that underlies Bruce Forman’s creativity. His music and life reflect every step of his journey, and demonstrate the awareness of an artist who’s very much at home in the world, and at the top of his form.

PAT BERGESON

Guitarist and harmonica player Pat Bergeson has written, toured, and recorded with many of his musical heroes. Beginning at the University of Illinois in his home state, he moved on to New York City and picked up a Jazz Studies degree at William Paterson University. After playing in New York for ten years, he moved to Nashville upon the request of Chet Atkins who heard Pat on a demo tape. Chet invited him to play on his album “Sneakin’ Around” with Jerry Reed, and later featured Pat’s guitar and compositions on his 1994 release Read My Licks. They were good friends and toured together for several years.

A versatile guitarist as well as chromatic and diatonic harmonica player, Pat’s style incorporates jazz, blues, rock and finger style and he is known for his session work with a variety of artists. He has been in the studio with Lyle Lovett, Alison Krauss, Dolly Parton, Bill Frisell, Martin Taylor, Suzy Bogguss, Bill Evans, Peter Frampton, Michael McDonald and many others. He has toured with Shelby Lynne, Madeleine Peyroux, Wynonna Judd, Suzy Bogguss and then four years with Lyle Lovett and his Large Band. Pat has been a teacher and producer and has appeared on many movie soundtracks.

Ambush Improv Presents Instaprov! Improvagram! Instagram Inspired Improvisation!

Audience members will be invited to submit their Instagram handles for a chance to be interviewed onstage as social media scene inspiration. Get ready for insta laughs & entertainment! 

Admission: $10 Online in Advance | $15 at Door

What's something you've never told anyone? What's that hot goss you've been holding on to? Do you know the true story no one else has the guts to tell? Well pull up a mic and spill that tea! Come on and violate that NDA. Don't take your secrets to the grave, take them to the STAGE!

Your hosts and ringmasters Marcus and Hope are throwing a tea party and we're inviting you to pour us all a cup of something piping hot and delicious!

All art forms are welcome. The only caveat is that you have up to 8 minutes to serve up whatever you've got steeping.

Sign up to perform here: https://forms.gle/4R65VYHQ2ch9sEk16

Doors open at 6 PM
Show starts at 7 PM
$10 to spectate
FREE to participate

Kamran Alan Shikoh, classical guitar

Named one of three finalists for Acoustic Guitarist of the Year in 2019 by Guitarist Magazine,

After his first three years of classical training, he was selected as a performer on the NPR radio show From The Top, the preeminent showcase for America’s best young musicians. He went on to receive a Master of Arts degree in guitar performance.

As well as an adept and engaging performer, Shikoh is a published composer and arranger, winning 1st Prize in the Roland Dyens International Arranging Competition and consecutive 2nd and 3rd Prizes in the first two editions of the Portugal International Guitar Composition Competition.

Beyond his classical background, he has also played acoustic and electric guitars for a wide range of diverse projects including jazz, progressive rock, church music, theater, film scoring, and has appeared on many studio albums as well as live concerts in the United States, Canada, Italy, and The Caribbean.

As a teacher, Alan serves on the adjunct faculty at Lee University, Southern Adventist University, and Covenant College.

“Shikoh’s dynamic guitar work oozes class. Mastery of his instrument is glaringly evident. Texture and mood are added seemingly effortlessly, and there is a wonderful fluidity to his playing.”

“Beautiful and nuanced, showcasing incredible poise and technique.”

“Shikoh has matured into an astonishingly inventive guitarist.”

Since 2015, Barking Legs Theater has grown our weekly jazz program and will continue to do so with memberships and more, coming soon! Aside from the occasional touring act, we strive to support local artists and foster the talent within Chattanooga and surrounding areas. We appreciate everyone's support over the years and look forward to presenting these jazz events for many years to come. 

Weekly artist lineups, ticket prices and details are posted to our website and Facebook regularly. Please check there for the most up to date information. 

New for 2025: Ticket prices- $10 advance, $12 at the door. 

DOORS OPEN at 7:00pm

An evening with the Alan Wyatt Quartet is two hours spent experiencing some of the finest jazz you’ll hear anywhere. Alan’s exquisite saxophone playing is beautifully complemented by Shawn Perkinson on guitar, David Schwab on bass and Stephen Humphries on drums. The Quartet has made First Wednesdays a Barking Legs institution. NYC level musicianship right on Dodds Avenue.

Since 2015, Barking Legs Theater has grown our weekly jazz program and will continue to do so with memberships and more, coming soon! Aside from the occasional touring act, we strive to support local artists and foster the talent within Chattanooga and surrounding areas. We appreciate everyone's support over the years and look forward to presenting these jazz events for many years to come. 

Weekly artist lineups, ticket prices and details are posted to our website and Facebook regularly. Please check there for the most up to date information. 

Tickets - $10 advance, $12 at the door. 

Doors open at 7:00pm. Music begins at 7:30pm.

Monthly Jazz Jam, last Sunday of every month! The first hour, beginning at 1:00pm, will be for players with basic-to-intermediate skills on their instrument who are relatively new to jazz improvisation.

From 2:00-4:00, more experienced players will jam with a designated band leader. There is no fee or payment for participation, this event is for fun, networking, learning, teaching, listening and the love of jazz!

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DRAG

An open mic Drag and Burlesque night with The Seed Theatre, hosted by Dyslexia Apple

This event is a celebration of drag and burlesque in a supportive and safe environment!!

So whether you do this on the regular or you are trying it for the first time, this is your chance to slay the stage and serve the house down!

When: Friday June 27th!

Time: 8:00pm!

$10 cover at the door, All proceeds support The Seed Theatre’s work to create inclusive spaces for artists.

This event is an all ages event!!

The Play Reading Workshop is back…and this time bi-monthly!

Come join the fun as a reader or listener!

Would you like to hear your work read aloud at Barking Legs Theater? Submit your original staged play here.

Future workshops will occur on the 4th Tuesday of every other month.