Columbia College Chicago Theatre Department alum Cody Estle ’11, a graduate of the Theatre Department’s Theatre Directing program, has been artistic director of Next Act Theatre in Milwaukee since February of 2023. Now he is directing his first production at the theatre: The Treasurer, Max Posner’s drama about a man who reluctantly assumes oversight of his aging mother’s financial affairs. The show runs April 24 through May 19 at 255 S. Water St., Milwaukee. For tickets, click here.
Cody Estle (Photo: Joe Mazza)
“Nearly a year ago, Chicago import Cody Estle took over artistic leadership of Milwaukee’s Next Act Theatre,” notes a recent article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “He settled in by going to other groups’ shows, learning the environment, and handling all the administrivia an artistic director handles. Now we’ll finally see his work as a director on stage. . . . Estle said his hope is that seeing the production will make ‘people want to call up a family member or a friend, someone that you haven’t talked to in a while, and connect.’ ” To read the full article, click here.
As previously reported in this blog, Estle joined Next Act after serving five years as artistic director of Chicago’s Raven Theatre.
The show’s co-scenic designer is Columbia College alum Milo Bue ’16, a graduate of the Theatre Department’s BA Program in Theatre Design.
David Cromer
Mikhail Fiksel
The Treasurer was produced off-Broadway in 2017 under the direction of another Columbia-connected artist: former Theatre Department student and faculty member and Columbia College Honorary Degree recipient David Cromer HDR ’17, winner of the 2018 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical for The Band’s Visit. The sound designer for that production was Columbia College Theatre Department faculty member Mikhail Fiksel, winner of the 2022 Tony Award for Best Sound Design of a play for Dana H.
