Brokaw was raised in Aledo, Illinois, and graduated from the Yale School of Drama. He received a Drama League fellowship and was initially given directing work through Carole Rothman and Robyn Goodman, artistic heads of the Second Stage Theatre.
He has directed many off-Broadway productions, and his New York work includes premieres by Lynda Barry (The Good Times Are Killing Me), Douglas Carter Beane (As Bees in Honey Drown), Neal Bell, Eric Bogosian, Keith Bunin, Charles Busch, Kevin Elyot, Lisa Kron (2.5 Minute Ride), Lisa Loomer, Kenneth Lonergan (This Is Our Youth, Lobby Hero), Craig Lucas (Dying Gaul), Eduardo Machado, Patrick ... read more
Recent work includes: Chess (Kennedy Center), WarholCapote (ART), Michael Moore's The Terms of My Surrender (Belasco), and the world premiere of Nico Muhly's opera Marnie at London's ENO. Broadway Credits include: Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Tony Award, best musical revival, also National Tour), Spring Awakening (Tony Award/Best Musical and Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Best Director; also London, National Tour, Vienna, Tokyo, and Seoul productions); American Idiot (also co-author, Drama Desk Award for Best Director; also US, UK and Asia tours); Thoroughly Modern Millie (Tony Award/Best Musical also London and National Tour), Side Man (Tony ... read more
Broadway credits include: The Lyons, Lysistrata Jones, Grey Gardens (Tony and Drama Desk Nominations, Henry Hewes Award), Thurgood, The Little Dog Laughed, The Constant Wife, Twelve Angry Men. Off-Broadway credits include: Log Cabin (Playwrights Horizons), Giant (The Public Theater) and four seasons of Encores! (New York City Center). Extensive opera credits include Orfeo ed Euridice for the Metropolitan Opera and productions for New York City Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Canadian Opera Company, English National Opera, Welsh National Opera, Scottish Opera, Houston Grand Opera, San Francisco Opera, Washington National Opera and Opera Theater of St. Louis. Also, Romeo and Juliet; On ... read more