Auditions: First Look 2026-2027 season

First Look Buffalo Theatre Company will hold auditions for its 2026–27 mainstage productions on Saturday, April 11, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Compass Performing Arts Center, 545 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14222 (upstairs).

Sides will be provided. To be considered, actors should email a headshot and résumé, along with the show and role(s) they wish to read for, to FirstLookBuffalo@gmail.com. Performers may audition for both shows and for as many roles as they feel are appropriate. Questions can be directed by email or by phone at 716-771-6358. All roles are paid.

Jeff Goode, author of "Squatch"

First mainstage production:

Squatch

Written by Jeff Goode

Directed by Bernie Sheredy

Jeff Goode is the author of Fursona Non Grata, produced by First Look Buffalo in 2023, and the worldwide hit The Eight: Reindeer Monologues.

Synopsis:

A lifelong Bigfoot hunter seeks retribution against the urban legend that destroyed his childhood, if it exists at all. An amateur genealogist and his adopted daughter clash over his obsession with finding her birth parents. Their intertwined quests lead them to a remote, Sasquatch-themed roadside diner that may hold answers for none of them, and death for them all. Among the regulars is a seven-foot, hairy fellow in a hoodie and sweatpants who loves the diner’s burgers when he has enough change.

Squatch runs January 22–February 3, 2027, at the Compass Performing Arts Center in Buffalo, NY.

Please note: Squatch will undergo a full development process over the next eight months, and the cast will be asked to participate in readings and will be heavily involved in the play’s development.

Squatch – character breakdown

Note: Except for the actor playing Curly and Curly’s Mom, actors in this production should be no taller than 5'10" in their shoes.

• Stockhausen – Male, 45–50, Caucasian. A man on a mission and a dedicated Bigfoot hunter, proud of his arsenal of gear; this hunt is personal.

• Kevin – Male, 35–40, Caucasian. Dallas’s father; a bit worn down by his precocious daughter. An amateur genealogist searching for his roots; curious, patient, and long-suffering.

• Dallas – Female, 18+ to play 13–14, any ethnicity. Kevin’s adopted daughter; precocious and wisecracking. An aspiring influencer, addicted to her phone.

• Erika – Female, 35–50, any ethnicity. A national park ranger who is friendly but serious about her job; knows the park, and Bigfoot, and takes charge with ease.

• Curly – Male, 20–50, Caucasian. Enormous, at least 6'6" tall; obviously a sasquatch. Physically strong but struggling to fit in; misunderstood by everyone except his mother.

• Mavis, Curly’s mom – Played by the same actor as Curly. Fiercely protective of her son; large, strong, and a force of nature, yet capable of profound grief.

Donna Hoke, author of "The Lazarus Club"

Second mainstage production:

The Lazarus Club

Written by Donna Hoke

Directed by Dan Lendzian

Synopsis:

Charlotte has many feelings about dying alone, chief among them that she would prefer not to do it again. After a lightning strike sends her briefly to the other side, where the soundtrack is inexplicably Dolly Parton, she recruits a ragtag group of near‑death experiencers to compare notes. What follows is equal parts support group, existential crisis, and doughnut intervention in a dark comedy about the one thing nobody survives, unless they do.

The Lazarus Club runs April 2–18, 2027, at the Canterbury Woods Performing Arts Center in Williamsville, NY.

The Lazarus Club – character breakdown

• Flash – Early 40s, female, open ethnicity. An outsider with a secret who desperately seeks relief and understanding.

• Toby/Tobias – Non-binary, ages 13 and 25. A gamebot kid, or possibly God, desperate for the group to listen.

• Charlotte – Late 30s, female, open ethnicity. A large woman, painfully lonely yet inclined to push people away.

First Look Buffalo Theatre Company mission statement

First Look Buffalo Theatre Company’s sole focus is the development of new plays from creation to execution through staged readings, workshops, and mainstage productions. Working exclusively with its dedicated playwrights’ wing, both local and from across the country, the company strives to produce quality, incisive theatre as a vanguard of new play development in the United States.