Video: First Look at MCNEAL at Milwaukee Repertory Theater
Milwaukee Rep opens its reimagined Herro-Franke Studio Theater with the Midwest premiere of Ayad Akhtar’s MCNEAL.
Milwaukee Repertory Theater has released a first look video at MCNEAL, the Midwest premiere of the newest play by Pulitzer Prize winner Ayad Akhtar. The production runs February 10 through March 22, 2026, and marks the grand reopening of the transformed Herro-Franke Studio Theater as part of the Associated Bank Theater Center Phase II expansion.
MCNEAL is directed by Milwaukee Rep Artistic Director Mark Clements and follows Jacob McNeal, a celebrated and charismatic novelist whose pursuit of artistic brilliance raises urgent questions about authorship, truth, and originality in the age of artificial intelligence. The production incorporates large-scale projections and special effects designed specifically for the newly reimagined studio space.
The cast includes Peter Bradbury as Jacob McNeal; Jessica Ko as Sahra; Tony nominee Jeanne Paulsen as Stephie Banic; Ty Fanning as Harlan; N’Jameh Camara as Natasha Brathwaite; Bridget Ann White as Francine Blake; and Sara Sadjadi as Dipti.
The creative team features set design by Emily Lotz, costume design by Mieka van der Ploeg, lighting design by Jason Fassl, sound design and original music by Dan Kazemi, projection design by Timothy Kelly, and stage management by Terence Orleans Alexander.
The reimagined Herro-Franke Studio Theater now offers modular platforms, flexible seating for 182 to 224 patrons, and expanded production capabilities, supporting larger casts and technically ambitious staging. MCNEAL is the first production to debut in the renovated space.
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