The Milwaukee Repertory Theater

For 51 years, the Milwaukee Repertory Theater has been dedicated to providing the highest level of professional theater to Milwaukee and Wisconsin. Its legacy began in 1954, when Milwaukee native Mary Widrig John forged a plan to create a professional theater for the city. The result was the Fred Miller Theater on Oakland Avenue, so named after the head of Miller Brewing Company and chair of the theater's fund-raising campaign who died in a plane crash before the project was completed.

The Fred Miller Theater produced a standard repertoire of Broadway's current hits. To draw initial audiences, the company espoused the star system and featured well known performers in lead roles. In the early 1960's, the company reorganized to create a resident acting company and expand its repertoire to include classics and premieres of new works. The name Milwaukee Repertory Theater was chosen in 1963 to reflect this new philosophy.