Mark Brokaw, 66 of New York City, formerly of Aledo, passed away on Sunday, June 29, 2025, at his home. The lights on Broadway were dimmed on Tuesday, September 9, in his memory. There will be a celebration of life at the Helen Hayes Theater in New York City at a later date. Speer Funeral Home, Aledo, assisted the family.
Mark was born on September 13, 1958, in Aledo, Illinois, the third of five children to Robert and Helen Lee (Peterson) Brokaw. Mark and his partner of 36 years, Andrew Farber, were married in December of 2019.
Mark grew up on a farm in Aledo and graduated from Winola High School in 1976. He studied rhetoric at the University of Illinois, where he received his undergraduate degree in 1980. In 1986 after completing his graduate work at the Yale School of Drama, he moved to New York City on a Drama League Fellowship.
Mark was an award-winning director of many Broadway, off Broadway, and regional theater productions. His Broadway work included Reckless, Cry Baby, Cinderella, and Heisenberg as well as many others. His off Broadway works included, How I Learned to Drive, As Bees in Honey Drown, and The Good Times are Killing Me. He directed at many regional theaters, including Steppenwolf Theatre, Guthrie Theater, LaJolla Playhouse, and the Kennedy Center. His work was also seen at London’s Donmar Warehouse, The Sydney Opera House, and Dublin’s Gate Theater. Mark served as the former Artistic Director of Yale Institute for Music Theater and was the past president of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation.
In addition to his husband, Mark is survived by his siblings, Sharon (Bill) Zigmont, Debby (Jeff) Brandon, Bradley (Susan) Brokaw, and Christina (Brett) Nelson, and many nieces and nephews. His parents and a nephew, Justin Warner, preceded him in death.