After a successful run overseas, internationally acclaimed comedian and SUNY Buffalo State alumnus Peter Michael Marino will return to Buffalo for two nights for his show, “Late With Lance.”

The show first debuted at the 2015 Edinburgh Festival Fringe and received outstanding reviews. The first Buffalo show will be Friday, Dec. 4 at 8 p.m. in the Donald Savage Theater at Buffalo State. The second show will be on Sunday, Dec. 6 at 7 p.m. at Allen Street Hardware, 245 Allen St. Both shows are pay what you can.

Marino attended Buffalo State in the “crazy ‘80s.”

“I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to major in. I liked the diversity in the arts and theater departments and Buffalo State had a good reputation in both areas,” Marino said. Marino eventually decided to major in theater arts and was heavily involved with the campus cast and call program.

“It was a student-run organization where we really got a first hand experience with programming shows, and working with a budget and press. It was very valuable and helped us prepare for the real world,” Marino said.

After graduation, Marino continued to work in theater as an actor and writer.

“I picked the hardest profession I could ever pick, but I liked not knowing what was coming next. It’s just the perfect place to express myself,” Marino said.

In the start of his career, Marino focused on directing and acting, but is currently focusing on producing and writing. Marino has acted in dozens of off-Broadway productions and has produced several shows, such as “Desperately Seeking Susan.” Marino is also the co-founder of SOLOCOM, a solo comedy festival that brings new solo comedies to the spotlight.

“Late with Lance” is a fairly new show for Marino that he has performed internationally for a year. His character, Lance, was originally created during an improv show in the early ‘90s.

“That show became popular and then Lance became popular,” Marino said.

Early shows featuring Lance were spoofs of cabaret shows.

As for “Late with Lance,” “It’s going to be nothing like they’ve ever seen. It’s pretty out there,” Marino said. “It’s a spoof of solo shows, show biz, talk shows and what it means to be a celebrity. Lance is a pretty unique character but everyone knows someone like him. This show is going to have tons of improvisation which the audience can take part in.”

As for any future shows in Buffalo, Marino said, “We’ll see how well this one goes. I love Buffalo and audiences here are really open to new ideas. There’s such a huge theater community with so many theaters and so many different shows. Buffalo has a huge appreciation for the arts.”

Marino will be hosting workshops through the theater department at Buffalo State. These workshops will be focusing on creating solo shows. Students will be able to create short monologues and characters that they can use in the future for longer shows.

“It’s perfect for those who write but want to perform and perfect for those who perform but want to write,” Marino said. “Students have talents that they might not be aware of. So much of theater curriculum is based on plays that have already been published. Most actors are more creative than they know and are just waiting for the right roles to come to them.”

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