$1 Million Gift Powers Milwaukee Rep’s New Play Pipeline
Herro and Franke donation doubles funding for program as Rep plans six new works, plots national distribution.
Associated Bank Theater Center. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.
Building on their $5 million gift to fund a new studio theater, philanthropists David Herro and Jay Franke have made another major investment in the future of Milwaukee Repertory Theater, committing $1 million to support the organization’s new play development work.
The gift will double the dedicated funding for the John (Jack) D. Lewis New Play Development Program to $2 million, allowing Milwaukee Rep to expand commissions, workshops and future productions of new American plays. The program supports playwrights from early concept through workshop and eventual production, with an emphasis on developing works that can live beyond their Milwaukee premieres.
The contribution follows the couple’s earlier $5 million gift to Milwaukee Rep’s $80 million Powering Milwaukee campaign, which helped fund the renovation and expansion of the Associated Bank Theater Center. The Herro-Franke Studio Theater, the final phase of the project, will open in February.
Artistic Director Mark Clements said the expanded funding will allow Milwaukee Rep to deepen its role as a national incubator for new theatrical work.
“New work is the lifeblood of our art form,” Clements said in a statement. “These commissions represent our commitment to shepherding bold ideas from first spark to full production—and ultimately out into the national landscape. We’re proud to champion artists whose voices will shape the canon for years to come.”
Since launching in 2016, the John (Jack) D. Lewis program has supported world premieres by more than a dozen playwrights, including Dael Orlandersmith, Catherine Trieschmann, Eleanor Burgess, Lloyd Suh, Gordon Gano and Andrew Bovell. Several works developed through the program have received national recognition, including Suh’s The Heart Sellers, which won the 2024 Harold and Mimi Steinberg/ATCA Award and has become one of the most frequently produced plays in the country.
Over the next two seasons, Milwaukee Rep plans to present six new plays across all three of its stages, including the Ellen & Joe Checota Powerhouse Theater, the Herro-Franke Studio and the Stackner Cabaret. Upcoming projects include a stage adaptation of American Dervish by Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright Ayad Akhtar, a Door County–set reimagining of Chekhov by Aaron Posner and a new work tracing Harry Houdini’s Wisconsin roots.
The expanded development program will also support new commissions from Akhtar, Gloria Majule and Nygel D. Robinson, whose off-Broadway play Mexodus has garnered national attention.
The announcement comes as Milwaukee Rep continues to build momentum following the completion of its long-planned facility overhaul. The main theater opened in October, and the new studio space will debut next month with the Midwest premiere of Akhtar’s McNeal. The redevelopment added flexible performance spaces, expanded lobbies, upgraded technical infrastructure and a new education center.
According to the theater, the new play development investment is intended not only to produce premieres in Milwaukee, but to help shepherd plays into wider circulation nationally.
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