Friends,
This year’s season features a wonderful mix of new voices, Next Act veterans and theatrical powerhouses. Each of the four plays we have chosen leads with heart while engaging complex issues and thought-provoking themes.
We will kick off our subscription slate with a funny and heartfelt play about two passionate teenagers navigating the trials and tribulations of finding yourself in the world, something audiences of all ages can relate to. We are also thrilled to mount a World Premiere play by Wisconsin playwright Heidi Armbruster that chronicles the rise and fall of the Ringling Brothers. This play with music is, I believe, a can’t-miss experience for Milwaukee audiences.
Additionally, I am delighted to revive a Tony Award-nominated contemporary classic that is provocative, hilarious and deeply touching. We will close out the season with a brilliant script by an up-and-coming voice in the American theatre that offers jaw-dropping performances in a play celebrating the fine art of drag.
Together, these four productions create a season that is joyful, daring, entertaining and unmistakably Next Act.
Yours,

Cody Estle

Trayf
By Lindsay Joelle | Directed by Elyse Edelman
Wisconsin Premiere
September 16 – October 4, 2026
In 1990s New York City, Orthodox Jewish teens and lifelong best friends Zalmy and Shmuel are intent on saving the world from behind the wheel of their “Mitzvah Tank” van. But when a curious outsider deepens Zalmy’s interest in the secular world of rock and roll and roller skates, Shmuel will have to do everything in his power to keep his and Zalmy’s dreams intact. This road-trip bromance is a funny and heartwarming ode to the turbulence of youth, the universal suspicion that we don’t quite fit in and the faith and friends that see us through.
Featuring A.J. Magoon and Rachael Zientek
More casting to be announced!

The Boys from Baraboo
By Heidi Armbruster | Directed by Cody Estle
World Premiere
December 2 – 20, 2026
Comedy! Songs! Entertainment! Step right up as Heidi Armbruster chronicles the rise and fall of the Ringling Brothers: five boys from Baraboo, Wisconsin. The story of their circus—the greatest show on Earth—is bookended by the brothers’ scrappy beginnings and difficult ends. THE BOYS FROM BARABOO tells the uniquely American story of a death-defying entertainment empire: music, storytelling, grit and charm create a tale that’s equal parts vaudeville revue and prestige drama.
Featuring Laura Gordon and Brian Mani
More casting to be announced!
This production is part of World Premiere Wisconsin, a statewide festival celebrating new plays and musicals running throughout 2026. To learn more visit www.worldpremierewisconsin.com.


In The Next Room or the vibrator play
By Sarah Ruhl | Directed by Laura Rook
February 17 – March 7, 2027
In a seemingly perfect, well-to-do Victorian home, proper gentleman and scientist Dr. Givings has innocently invented an extraordinary new device for treating “hysteria” in women (and occasionally men): the vibrator. Adjacent to the doctor’s laboratory, his young wife tries to tend to their newborn daughter—and wonders what exactly is going on in the next room. From Sarah Ruhl, one of the most influential playwrights of this century, comes a smart, classy and electrifying comedy about longing, intimacy and what it truly means to love someone.
Featuring Dee Dee Batteast, Maggie Cramer and Elyse Edelman
More casting to be announced!

At the Wake of a Dead Drag Queen
By Terry Guest | Directed by Dee Dee Batteast
Wisconsin Premiere
April 21 – May 9, 2027
Courtney Berringers would like to welcome you to her wake! But—make no mistake—this ain’t your grandma’s funeral. From African Gods and Goddesses to Judy Garland and Whitney Houston, AT THE WAKE OF A DEAD DRAG QUEEN uses legends, icons, camp and drama to tell the story of a pair of drag queens living (and dying) in rural Georgia in 2004. Terry Guest’s whirlwind play explores identity and illness while unapologetically celebrating Black, queer life with all of its sorrows and joys. Come party at the wake—bring your own heels!
Casting to be announced!
Season tickets are now on sale! Buy subscriptions or Flex Passes online or over the phone at (414) 278-0765.
