Born and raised in Illinois, Mr. Brokaw was a graduate of Yale School of Drama, later becoming a Drama League fellow. Beginning his career Off-Broadway, he directed premieres from such playwrights as Douglas Carter Beane, Paula Vogel, Eric Bogosian, Wendy Wasserstein, Charles Busch, Lisa Kron, Lisa Loomer, Kenneth Lonergan, Craig Lucas, Patrick Marber, and Robert Schenkkan, among many others. He staged productions at Second Stage Theater, Playwrights Horizons, The New Group, Vineyard Theatre, Lincoln Center, The Public Theater, Manhattan Theatre Club, and Roundabout Theatre Company. In London, he also directed at Donmar Warehouse and Menier Chocolate Factory.