Performink, Erin Shea Brady "Michaela Petro, as Rose, is the epitome of everything Chicago theater boasts. Her choices are bold, developed and nuanced. She attacks each moment with tremendous heart, commitment and depth, gifting the audience with a captivating performance that keeps us fully engaged."
Cymbeline, Strawdog Theatre, 2017
The Fourth Walsh, Katy Walsh "always commanding"
Picture This Post, Amy Munice "we come to relish Michaela Petro as the manservant Pisanio, making her minor role into an electric presence on the stage."
Monstrous Regiment, Lifeline Theater, 2014
Chicago Tribune, Kerry Reid "Hypnotic"
New City, Raymond Rehayem "alternately aloof and seething as Maladict"
Ecstasy, Cole Theater, 2014
Chicago Theater Beat, Lauren Whalen "hilarious and plays intoxicated with aplomb"
The Fourth Walsh, Katy Walsh "The animated Petro captivates"
Chicago Sun-Times, Hedy Weiss "a total dynamo"
Big Love- Strawdog Theatre, 2013
TimeOut Chicago, Kris Vire "fiercely committed performances all around, particularly from Petro"
Old Times- Strawdog Theatre, 2012
Chicago Tribune, “Hot New Faces of 2012,” Chris Jones "There was no more seductive performance all last season than the smoldering turn in the Strawdog Theatre Company's production of Harold Pinter's Old Times from this lively daughter of Waterbury, Conn., who came to Chicago to study fiction writing at Columbia College but found her way to the theater. Petro isn't just an ensemble member at the venerable Strawdog, but also at Wildclaw Theatre, where she can be found sinking her fangs into horror theater on a regular basis. The big houses in town, she says, have yet to come calling. Maybe they just haven't seen her when she's on fire."
TimeOut Chicago, Oliver Sava ”Seductive and predatory, Petro’s Anna captivates as she lures her hosts into her web, but the actor’s greatest strength lies in capturing Anna’s vulnerability when her prey bites back."
The Homecoming - Mary-Arrchie Theatre, 2011
Chicago Sun Times, Hedy Wiess "a young actress with genuine star quality."
Windy City Times, Mary Shen Barnidge "rapidly becoming the storefront circuit's go-to actress for velvet-gloved viragos."
Carmilla - Wildclaw Theatre, 2011
TimeOut Chicago, Zac Thompson "an ass-kicking lead performance from Petro as Carmilla."
Good Soul of Szechuan - Strawdog Theatre, 2010
Chicago Reader, Albert Williams "a showcase for a pitch-perfect performance in the title role by Michaela Petro. Petro is equally compelling as Shen Te and Shui Ta. Shen Te's crises are conveyed with total commitment by Petro, who fluidly negotiates the script's abrupt jumps between comic and serious tone."
Uncle Vanya - Strawdog Theatre, 2010
Chicago Reader, Kerry Reid "Michaela Petro's spitfire Sonya may be the most heartbreaking take I've seen on this most heartbreaking of all characters."