Regional News
Ayad Akhtar and Maya Moverman Penning Stage Adaptation of Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City
Milwaukee Repertory Theater has commissioned the adaptation of Matthew Desmond's Pulitzer-winning book.
March 05, 2026 By Andrew Gans
Milwaukee Repertory Theater has commissioned Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Ayad Akhtar and Maya Moverman to pen Evicted, a stage adaptation based on Matthew Desmond’s Pulitzer–winning book, Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City.
Desmond's book follows eight Milwaukee families navigating housing insecurity, exposing the human cost of eviction and the systemic forces that perpetuate poverty in America.
“Evicted is a story born in Milwaukee, and it belongs on a Milwaukee stage,” said Artistic Director Mark Clements in a statement. “Developing this piece with longtime friend and collaborator Ayad Akhtar and Maya Moverman, ensures that the humanity of this work remains rooted in the community that inspired it. It shows Milwaukee Rep’s dedication to championing new and important work that speaks directly to our city while contributing meaningfully to the national conversation.”
“I was originally drawn to Matthew Desmond’s Evicted not only as a playwright, but as someone shaped by Milwaukee,” added Milwaukee native Akhtar. “The book captures, with extraordinary clarity and compassion, the human stories behind forces that continue to define American life. Working on Evicted is both a return to my hometown and a continuation of my exploration of American identity, inequity, and the forces that shape civic life.”
Akhtar's plays include McNeal, Junk, the Pulitzer-winning Disgraced, The Who & The What, and The Invisible Hand.
Moverman is a New York-based writer, who received her MFA in Creative Writing from The New School in 2023. She previously assisted Akhtar on his play McNeal, and is currently working on her first novel.
In addition to Evicted, over the next two years Milwaukee Rep will produce the world premiere of Tami Workentin’s George & Gracie: A Love Story; Aaron Posner’s The Cherry Tortured; Matt Zembrowski’s MKE MVP; Katie Bender’s Instructions for a Séance; and a new American premiere by Andrew Bovell. The company has also commissioned new works from Gloria Majule and Nygel D. Robinson.
Visit MilwaukeeRep.com/NewPlays.
More latest news
-
-
Jesa Extends Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway News -
-
What Shows Are Newly Available For Licensing?
Industry News -
-
World Premiere of Bughouse Extends Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway News
