Milwaukee Repertory Theater ("Milwaukee Rep") is a theater company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded as the Fred Miller Theatre Company, the group is housed in the Associated Bank Theater Center, which includes the Ellen & Joe Checota Powerhouse Theater, the Herro-Franke Studio Theater, and the Stackner Cabaret. Milwaukee Rep produces eleven productions each year, along with an annual production of A Christmas Carol at the Pabst Theater. It serves an annual audience of over 200,000 patrons, including over 15,000 subscribers, the largest in the state of Wisconsin in terms of audiences served.
History After being established as the Fred Miller Theatre Company, the name was changed to Milwaukee Repertory Theater in the late 1950s, to reflect its growing catalogue of classic and contemporary plays, and a commitment to develop the resident acting community. In 1968, it moved from its original space—the Fred Miller Theatre, on Oakland Ave.—to the Todd Wehr Theater at the Performing Art Center in downtown Milwaukee. In 1974, a small warehouse was converted into the experimental Court Street Theater, which served as a laboratory for creative exploration and a testing ground for new playwrights. Milwaukee Repertory Theater moved to its current location in 1987 and closed its Court Street operations. The theater is now located on the east bank of the Milwaukee River in Associated Bank Theater Center at 108 E Wells St, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Milwaukee Repertory Theater is dedicated to presenting new playwrights, reliving classics, and commissioning translations of classic and contemporary foreign playwrights. Each year, Milwaukee Rep welcomes up to 275,000 people at nearly 700 performances of 15 productions ranging from compelling dramas, powerful classics, new plays and full-scale musicals in its three unique performance venues. Since 1958, Milwaukee Repertory Theater has premiered nearly 150 plays and musicals. Historically the theater has put on annual holiday productions of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol at the historic Pabst Theater since 1976. In 2012, Milwaukee Rep recorded a deficit of nearly $400,000, despite an increase in total ticket revenue of 60% from the previous season. Coming out of the recession, Milwaukee Rep refined its budget, increased ticket sales, and received a single donation of half a million dollars helping to pay down the accumulated deficit from past seasons.
After raising $80+ million through its Powering Milwaukee campaign, in fall 2025, the theater is set to complete a major renovation and open the 152,500+ square-foot Associated Bank Theater Center, which includes the Ellen & Joe Checota Powerhouse Theater, the Herro-Franke Studio Theater and the Stackner Cabaret. The Powerhouse Theater is designed for flexibility, capable of transforming between a proscenium and thrust stage to suit production needs. The renovation also improved accessibility through expanded programs and adaptive technologies, including new listening devices and upgraded walkways. Additionally, the project introduced the Herzfeld Foundation Education & Engagement Center, a new facility with event and education spaces, expected to serve more than 20,000 students annually.
Theater spaces 568 to 671-seat Ellen and Joe Checota Powerhouse Thrust/Proscenium Stage 205-seat Herro-Franke Studio 186-seat Stackner Cabaret Theater, bar, and restaurant
World Premieres Title Author(s) Year Notes The Last Days of a Young Man James Andrews 1958 Adam the Creator Ray Boyle and Sam Lawent 1960 Tartuffe Translated by Richard Wilbur from the play by Molière 1962 All Together Now Nagle Jackson, Jeffrey Tambor, and Milwaukee Repertory Theater Company 1972 An Occasional Piece Suitable to the Openings of Theaters Nagle Jackson 1973 Fighting Bob Tom Cole 1979 How I Got That Story Amlin Gray 1979 Lakeboat David Mamet 1980 The Nerd Larry Shue 1981 The Foreigner Larry Shue 1984 Work Song Eric Simonson and Jeffrey Hatcher 2000 The Bachelors Fred Alley and James Kaplan 2001 Moby Dick Adapted by Eric Simonson 2002 Winter Wonderettes Roger Bean 2003 Bach at Leipzig Itamar Moses 2004 Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure Steven Dietz 2005 Holmes and Watson: A Musical Mystery Jahnna Beecham and Malcom Hilgartner 2009 Soultime at the Apollo Kevin Ramsey 2009 Liberace! Brent Hazelton 2010 after all the terrible things I do A. Rey Pamatmat 2014 Back Home Again: On The Road with John Denver Randal Myler and Dan Wheetman 2015 Five Presidents Rick Cleveland 2015 American Song Joanna Murray-Smith 2016 Sirens of Song Kevin Ramsey 2016 A Christmas Carol Adapted by Mark Clements 2016 Mark Twain’s River of Song Randal Myler and Dan Wheetman 2018 One House Over Catherine Trieschmann 2018 Antonio’s Song / I Was Dreaming of a Son Dael Orlandersmith 2021 New Age Dael Orlandersmith 2021 The Heart Sellers Lloyd Suh 2023 Run Bambi Run Eric Simonson and Gordon Gano 2023 The Craic Mark Clements and Deanie Vallone 2025 https://milwaukeerep.com/shows/show/the-craic/ George & Gracie: A Love Story Tami Workentin 2026 https://milwaukeerep.com/shows/show/george-gracie-a-love-story/
Notable artists At Fred Miller Theater: Betty White - actress Rita Moreno - actress Ann B. Davis - actress Geraldine Page - actress Ethel Waters - actress Gloria Grahame - actress Eva Le Gallienne - actress Rosemary Harris - actress Christina Pickles - actress Olga Bielinska - actress Jeffrey Lynn - actor John Carradine - actor Will Geer - actor Edward Everett Horton - actor Frank McHugh - actor Ed Flanders - actor Richard Dysart - actor Larry Linville - actor
At Milwaukee Repertory Theater: Judith Light - member of the Rep's company Erika Slezak - member of The Rep's company Ayad Akhtar - playwright of Disgraced, The Who and The What, and McNeal Marc Alaimo - member of the Rep's Company (1967—1970) Dick Enberg - writer of McGuire, 2022–2023 Season Anthony Crivello - cast of McGuire, 2022–2023 Season Tom Hulce - cast of Romeo and Juliet, 1978–79 Season David Mamet - playwright, Lakeboat, 1980–81 Season, premiere Chris Noth - cast of The Torch 1988–89 Season Larry Shue - member of The Rep's company Jeffrey Tambor - three seasons at the Rep (1971—75) Carmen Cusack - cast of Ragtime, 2013–2024 Season Gordon Gano - composer of Run, Bambi, Run, 2023–2024 Seasonhttps://milwaukeerep.com/shows/show/run-bambi-run/ Armando Gutierrez - cast of Run, Bambi, Run, 2023-2024 Seasonhttps://milwaukeerep.com/shows/show/run-bambi-run/ Chris McCarrell - cast of Prelude to a Kiss a musical, 2024/25 Seasonhttps://www.milwaukeerep.com/shows/show/prelude-to-a-kiss-the-musical/ Karen Ziemba - cast of Prelude to a Kiss a musical, 2024/25 Seasonhttps://www.milwaukeerep.com/shows/show/prelude-to-a-kiss-the-musical/ Caitlin Houlahan - cast of Prelude to a Kiss a musical, 2024/25 Seasonhttps://www.milwaukeerep.com/shows/show/prelude-to-a-kiss-the-musical/
Community involvement Milwaukee Rep's community programs include student matinées, facility tours, residencies, and in-school workshops. It contributes complimentary tickets to Milwaukee area non-profit fund-raisers. Milwaukee Rep also sponsors adult acting classes, public lectures and discussions, pre-show "The Rep-In-Depth" presentations in the Quadracci Powerhouse and Stiemke Studio, and audience talk-backs. Additional patron features include "pay-what-you-can" performances, audio described performances, American Sign Language-interpreted performances, captioned performances and numerous special events including Opening Night and Closing Night parties. The Friends of Milwaukee Repertory Theater is its official volunteer organization.
Milwaukee Rep is also home to one of the oldest internship programs in regional theater. Each season acting, directing, and production interns join the company full-time to gain experience in professional theater. Mark Clements is the current artistic director and Chad Bauman is the current Ellen & Joe Checota executive director.
Awards and notable mentions Time Magazine Top Ten Theater of the Year, Moby Dick - 2002
New York Times 15 Shows to See on Stages Around the U.S. This Fall, Prelude to a Kiss A Musical - 2024
BroadwayWorld Milwaukee Theatre of the Year - 2019
Best Play, Things I Know to be True - 2019
Best Musical, West Side Story - 2019
Best Play, An Iliad - 2014
Theatre of the Year - 2014
Yomuri-Shinbun Award Silence - 1995
Harold and Mimi Steinberg/American Theatre Critics Association New Play Award The Heart Sellers by Lloyd Suh - 2023
References
External links Milwaukee Repertory Theater web site Milwaukee Repertory Theater Photographic History Charity Navigator: Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Mission