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Jeffrey Coyle: Director
Jeffrey is a multiple award-wining theater director and performer and has been working professionally since graduating with a B.F.A. from the University at Buffalo in 2006. He has worked as a performer, director, stage hand, designer, technician, and stage manager at many of WNY’s theater companies, including Irish Classical Theatre Co., Shakespeare in Delaware Park, MusicalFare Theatre, American Repertory Theatre of WNY, Subversive Theatre Collective, Kavinoky Theatre, Theatre of Youth, O’Connell & Co., Alleyway Theatre, Shea’s 710 Theatre, Road Less Traveled Productions, Buffalo Opera Unlimited, New Pheonix Theatre, Buffalo United Artists, Unique Theatre Co., Jewish Repertory Theatre, Lancaster Opera House, and Theatre In the Mist. Jeffrey is a nine-time Buffalo ARTIE Awards nominee and has won for his direction of FLOYD COLLINS, BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON, and UNINETOWN, THE MUSICAL, as well as for Supporting Actor in THE FULL MONTY. Love, as always, to mom, dad, Erin, and now William!
Mike Doben: Director
Mike is the Co-Artistic Director of Buffalo United Artists, Buffalo’s only exclusively LGBTQIA+ theater company. He is also the Executive Director of 1666 Theatrical Productions. Mike has worked at Subversive Theatre Collective where he directed FAHRENHEIT 451 and MERCURY FUR. For the latter he garnered an Artie nomination for Outstanding Direction of a Play. Mike has also worked on the Road Less Traveled production staff in the capacity of Stage Manager and Assistant Director. He is thankful to be a part of First Look Buffalo’s first full season of theater, owing special thanks to Bob Rusch and Drew McCabe for the opportunity.
Drew Fornarola - Director
Drew Fornarola is a playwright, songwriter, and occasional director from New York City, and is the artistic director of Starring Buffalo. He has written for DreamWorks’ Shrek and VeggieTales franchises, and his play STRAIGHT, a New York Times Critics’ Pick off-Broadway, is now in development as a major motion picture. Other credits include Tilly the Trickster (written with SNL’s Molly Shannon), which has been performed around the world, and Hershey’s Unwrapped, the 2019 IAAPA show of the year, which has played over 1,000 performances at Hershey Park. Next up: Tiananmen, premiering at Phoenix Theater Company in 2023. Drew has headlined concerts around the world including Lincoln Center, 54 Below, London Theater Workshop, and Broadway au Carre (Paris). Recent directing credits include Little Shop of Horrors starring Tony Award-Winner Matt Doyle, and Sunday in the Park… starring Tony Award-Nominee Josh Young. Graduate of Princeton, Fordham, and the BMI Workshop. @drew-fornarola www.drewfornarola.com
Jason Francey -Director
Jason is a remote MFA candidate at the University of Idaho in Theatre Arts with a concentration in Directing and Pedagogy. He earned his BA in Theatre from SUNY Potsdam. As a director and educator Jason believes in the power of collaboration and inviting people to the table. Everything is an invitation and never a demand. Before moving back to Buffalo in January of 2022 Jason was an adjunct lecturer in theatre at Utica University where he taught acting and select topics. As an actor he is trained in Uta Hagen. Since moving back to Buffalo Jason has worked with Alleyway Theatre, Lancaster Opera House, O’Connell & Company, Shakespeare in Delaware Park, and First Look Buffalo.
​Lara D. Haberberger -Director
Lara D. Haberberger has her MFA in directing from the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, her MBA and BA in theater from the University at Buffalo. While in DC, Lara worked as Assistant Director for THE MINEOLA TWINS at Woolly Mammoth Theater, THE DAZZLE at RepStage(winner of the Helen Hayes Award for Best Direction), and THE FAMILY REUNION at Washington Stage Guild, and also served as a Stage Management Intern for the PASSION part of the Sondheim Celebration at the Kennedy Center. Her production of LE BOUGEOUIS AVANT-GARDE won the Gilbert V. Hartke Award for Best Production and Best Direction. Recent directing projects include: DECONSTRUCTION and TEA PARTY for First Look Buffalo, INTIMATE APPAREL for Buffalo State University, HAMLET for the Brazen-Faced Varlets, and THE CHINESE ROOM for Buffalo Writers Theater. She served as the Dramaturg for WITCH at Road Less Traveled and THE EARLY GIRL for the Brazen-Faced Varlets. She is a co-founder and Executive Director of the Brazen-Faced Varlets. While in DC, Lara worked as Assistant Director for THE MINEOLA TWINS at Woolly Mammoth Theater, THE DAZZLE at RepStage(winner of the Helen Hayes Award for Best Direction), and ROSE and THE FAMILY REUNION at Washington Stage Guild, and also served as a Stage Management Intern for the PASSION part of the Sondheim Celebration at the Kennedy Center. Her production of LE BOUGEOUIS AVANT-GARDE won the Gilbert V. Hartke Award for Best Production and Best Direction. She is a two-time Artie Award nominated director (‘NIGHT MOTHER and COMEDY OF QUEERERS) and earned an Artie Nominations for the Emanuel Fried Award for New Play for SHYLOCK and for Outstanding Ensemble for ROMANA AND JULIET.
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Drew McCabe - Director
Drew (director) - an multiple Artie Award nominee for both directing and writing, over the past 13 seasons he has directed 49 productions across WNY. A 2007 graduate of the University at Buffalo where he studied Japanese and Theater, Drew is happy to be returning to First Look where he previously directed COPS AND FRIENDS OF COPS. Other favorite regional productions under his directorial eye include IT'S ONLY A PLAY, SHE KILLS MONSTERS, THE HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES, THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW, THE PRIDE, CANNIBAL! THE MUSICAL and ORGAZMO. It is widely speculated that Drew has one of the largest retro videogames collections in WNY, in fact, when he’s not directing, he is religiously practicing on his Dig-Dug arcade machine for high scores. He would like to thank his cast and crew for their hard work, his wife Jenny for her love and support, and his emotional support soccer team, the New York Red Bulls.
Richard Veronica -Director
Born and raised in Buffalo, New York, Richard has been involved in Theatre for several years
having earned his B.A. in Theatre from the University at Buffalo. After a three year stint in
NYC, Richard moved back to Buffalo to focus on life as a father, actor and theatre lover. He is
excited to be part of the only theatre in Buffalo producing original plays!