History
In 1954, Milwaukee native Mary Widrig John (Sullivan) forged a plan to create a professional theater for the city. She worked with a committee of city leaders to establish the company and renovate the Oakland Theater. The new Theater company, Drama Incorporated, was founded and the inaugural production of Sabrina Fair opened on January 25, 1955 in the Fred Miller Theater (now home to the Miramar Theatre). The theater building was named for the head of the Miller Brewing Company and chair of the theater’s fundraising campaign, Frederick C. Miller, who died in a plane crash before the project was completed.
Drama Inc. produced a standard repertoire of Broadway hits featuring well-known performers to draw initial audiences. In the early 1960s, the company re-organized by creating a resident acting company and expanding its repertoire to include classics and premieres of new works. The name Milwaukee Repertory Theater was chosen in 1963 to reflect this new philosophy.
In 1968, Milwaukee Rep moved into the 504-seat Todd Wehr Theater in the new downtown Performing Arts Center. The move spurred attendance and helped Milwaukee Rep establish a firm operating base and a large pool of subscribers. In 1974, Milwaukee Rep converted a small warehouse space into an additional 99-seat theater, the Court Street Theater, which focused on artistic exploration, the development of new work, and plays suited to an intimate setting.
Milwaukee Rep moved to its current home across from Milwaukee’s City Hall in 1987. A cleverly converted power generation plant, the Patty and Jay Baker Theater Complex housed three theaters, the Quadracci Powerhouse; the Stiemke Studio; and the Stackner Cabaret, also serving as a restaurant and bar.
As of 2025 Milwaukee Repertory Theater is now home to The Associated Bank Theater Center. Designed by EUA and theater consultants Fisher Dachs Associates (FDA), the $80.1 million complex connects Milwaukee Rep’s historic, completely renovated building with a newly built 30,000-square-foot glass structure that creates a welcoming main entrance to the Center. The transformed space allows Milwaukee Rep to push artistic boundaries with three flexible performance spaces; the Herro-Franke Studio Theater, a flexible black box seating up to 220, the Stackner Cabaret, a 182-seat cabaret space, and our flagship venue the Ellen & Joe Checota Powerhouse Theater, a transformable stage configuration and cutting-edge technology to create productions that can easily transfer to any stage in the country, including Broadway seating up to 671.
The updated Center also includes the new Herzfeld Foundation Education & Engagement Center; 100-person Lubar Lounge donor lounge and event space, three revamped rehearsal halls, prop and costume shops, and administrative spaces; and the cascading Sandra & William Haack Galleria, unifying and creating streamlined circulation across the building’s theaters and public spaces.
Highlights of Milwaukee Rep’s History
