Place to Space- Reduced Rates Performance Space (Rolling)
Place to Space- Reduced Rates Performance Space
Deadline: Rolling
Attack Theatre, Kelly Strayhorn Theater, and PearlArts Movement & Sound are proud to share a new initiative to support local artists and their desire to make new work in our region. Place to Space is a pilot program, supported by The Heinz Endowments, that opens the door to rehearsal space for independent artists at drastically reduced rates.
Across the three neighborhoods these organizations call home – Braddock, Friendship, and Lawrenceville – artists can now book professional studio space for as little as $5 per hour on weekdays and $10 per hour on weekends.
Attack Theatre, Kelly Strayhorn Theater (KST), and PearlArts Movement & Sound have launched Place to Space, a shared initiative and pilot program offering subsidized rehearsal space to expand equitable access to professional performing artists throughout Pittsburgh.
“Our organizations have collaborated artistically for more than a decade, but this initiative provides a new opportunity to strengthen our relationships with independent artists in our communities,” shares Melanie Paglia, Co-Executive Director, Kelly Strayhorn Theater. “Place to Space is what happens when we prioritize impact over individual success. Together with PearlArts Movement & Sound and Attack Theatre, we can combine our resources and provide critical support to artists by investing in their ability to shape, share, and sustain their work.”
Inspired by the Mellon Foundation’s creation of the NYC Rehearsal Subsidy Program in 2011, Attack Theatre, KST, and PearlArts are formally aligning space access and systems to address rehearsal affordability as a collective responsibility rather than a competitive resource. Together the three organizations will support approximately 100 artists annually and provide more than a thousand hours of subsidized rehearsal access.
Operating across Braddock, Friendship, and Lawrenceville, Place to Space offers access to high-quality, wheelchair-accessible studios for artists preparing performances, commissions, auditions, and new work. The initiative responds to a growing and urgent challenge in creative communities nationwide: rehearsal space, a foundational part of artistic labor, is increasingly inaccessible.
Rehearsal is where work is shaped, refined, and made ready for audiences. Yet working artists are often expected to sustain their creative practice while navigating rising costs, fragmented infrastructure, and systems not designed with them in mind. Place to Space reframes rehearsal space as essential cultural infrastructure, not an optional expense.
“PearlArts Movement & Sound builds dynamic partnerships that expand access and opportunity for artists across the region. Place to Space addresses a primary barrier to career advancement for Pittsburgh artists,” adds Staycee Pearl, Co-Executive/Artistic Director, PearlArts Movement & Sound.
Thanks to support from The Heinz Endowment, each organization will receive a subsidy to underwrite 390–530 hours of rehearsal time per location. Through this funding, artists benefit from significantly reduced studio rates. Artists can reserve studio time at $5 per hour on weekdays and $10 per hour on weekends at the three participating locations:
• KST’s Alloy Studios (5530 Penn Avenue in Friendship) — Two 1,650-square-foot studios with sprung floors, marley, mirrors, and adaptable rehearsal configurations.
• PearlArts Movement & Sound (818 Braddock Avenue in Braddock) — Two movement-centered studios supporting both ensemble creation and intimate artistic development.
• Attack Theatre (212 45th Street in Lawrenceville) — A 2,800-square-foot sprung-floor studio and a 1,000-square-foot Creative Learning Lab designed for experimentation and rehearsal.
Artists interested in booking space can review studio specifications and follow booking instructions through the respective studio’s website.
Place to Space provides essential support for artists who are 3.6 times more likely than other workers to be self-employed. With rental costs skyrocketing, and fewer grant opportunities for individual artists, the pressures are compounding and threatening the sustainability of independent artists.
“Artists are too often asked to endure systems that weren’t designed for them. When we invest in shared infrastructure like rehearsal space, we reduce barriers and affirm that creative labor deserves stability and support,” said Andrés Franco, Executive Director, Attack Theatre. “Sustaining artists means sustaining the cultural life of our neighborhoods.”