Every Brilliant Thing at The Tarlton Theatre

Greg Pragel

Greg hails from Buffalo, NY, and has been performing since he was a kid. Throughout his childhood, he performed in the choirs, musicals, and at community theaters in the area. As a junior in high school, he was awarded the local Kenny award for his performance of Andy Lee in 42nd Street. ​ His passion and love for the stage led him to Niagara University, where he was encouraged to become "a sponge" and began a life-long journey of respecting and understanding the art and craft of acting. ​ After graduating, he was cast in many national/international tours and performed in regional theatres across the U.S. ​ In 2013, while on tour as Motel in Fiddler on the Roof, he was accepted to the Stella Adler Studio in New York City where he trained and began to make a home base there cultivating and creating relationships within the community. ​ After graduating in 2016 he performed consistently in NYC, in Off-Broadway productions, and became a Resident Acting Company member with the independent Shakespeare troupe Hamlet Isn't Dead. ​ Greg currently works as an actor for both stage and screen, and as a director, fight director, intimacy director, teaching artist, voice-over actor, and anything else that keeps him driven and inspires the people around him. ​ After a decade in NYC and due to the pandemic, he relocated to Green Bay, Wisconsin with the love of his life, Elizabeth McMonagle. They perform whenever they can together and are grateful for every opportunity that comes their way. Greg is currently represented in Chicago by Dreamteam Talent, has booked numerous commercials there, and recently appeared in his first Co-Star role on CHICAGO FIRE. He's also the Lecturer in Acting at the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point.

Cody Estle

Cody became the Artistic Director at Next Act Theatre in December 2022. Previously he served as the Artistic Director at Raven Theatre in Chicago. His directing credits include The Luckiest​ (2022 Jeff Award nominee for Best Production and Best Director), Sundown, Yellow Moon, How I Learned To Drive (named by Windy City Times as the best of Chicago theatre in 2019), The Gentleman Caller (2019 Jeff Award winning new play by Philip Dawkins), The Assembled Parties, A Loss of Roses (named by Chicago Tribune honorable mention as one of the year’s best in 2016), Dividing the Estate, Vieux Carré (named by Chicago Tribune as one of the year’s best in 2014), Good Boys and True, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Boy Gets Girl and Dating Walter Dante at Raven Theatre; The Garbologists and By the Water (named by Chicago Sun-Times honorable mention as one of the top theatre productions of 2017) at Northlight Theatre; Damascus at Strawdog Theatre; Five Mile Lake at Shattered Globe Theatre; American Hero at First Floor Theatre; Scarcity at Redtwist Theatre; The Seagull and Watch on the Rhine at The Artistic Home; Don’t Go Gentle at Haven Theatre; Uncle Bob at Mary-Arrchie Theatre, and Hospitality Suite at Citadel Theatre. Cody was recently named one of NewCity’s Fifty People Who Really Perform For Chicago. He is a member of SDC and is an alumnus of Columbia College Chicago.