The 2025 Great American Comedy Festival will feature a diverse lineup of up-and-coming, national comedians that would make the man the festival honors proud.
Five comedians will grace the Johnny Carson Theatre stage on Friday, June 13 — River Butcher, David Perdue, Amy Shanker, Adam Tiller and host Chip Chantry.

"I'm frequently amazed by the caliber of comedians who are willing and excited to come to Northeast Nebraska and be a part of our festival," said festival executive director Pat Janssen. "All of our feature acts are regular headliners in their own right, and they will really help give us what I believe will be a fantastic festival."

Butcher is a standup comic, actor and writer. His first half-hour special "A Different Kind of Dude" made its debut on Comedy Central's YouTube channel and was called "a master class in culture war commentary" by Esquire.com. The special also garnered the title of "Some of the Best Jokes of 2022 So Far." River recently wrote on the FX pilot "Belated," previously wrote for "A League of Their Own" and created/starred in/wrote the critically acclaimed TV show "Take My Wife."

Perdue has appeared on Kevin Hart Presents: "Hart of the City" on Comedy Central and "Uproarious" on Fuse. Perdue is also an actor appearing in "Love Is ..." on OWN and "Bobcat Goldthwait"s Misfits and Monsters" on truTV. He also co-hosts the sports/comedy podcast "Forth and Ten" hosted on ForthDistrict.com and is a co-producer of the Atlanta favorite “1AM Secret Show.”

Growing up with a family that her friends dubbed "The Jewish Griswolds," Shanker had no choice but to go into standup comedy. Her dry comedic style stems from her time as an inner-city high school English teacher in Chicago. She performs at clubs across the U.S. and has opened for Chad Daniels, Gary Gulman and Colin Quinn, among others. She also may be found on “Max's Pause” with Sam Jay and on Kevin Hart's LOL channel.

Tiller is a standup comedian, podcaster and writer based out of Seattle. He was a semifinalist in the 2022 Seattle International Comedy Competition. In 2025, not only will he be featured in the Great American Comedy Festival, but also the San Francisco Comedy Competition (San Francisco) and the Savage Henry Comedy Festival (Eureka, California). He has been featured on the road for comedians Dan Soder, Big Jay Oakerson, Dave Landau and Brendan Schaub. He also has opened for comedians Kevin Nealon, Jay Mohr and Ari Shaffir.
"While Adam is based in Seattle, he has family ties to the state," Janssen said. "I'm so excited to have him here because he's a fantastic performer, but I'm also excited that he gets to perform for so many people he knows."

Hosting the Friday show is Chantry, who is a standup comedian and television writer. He has written for “Crazy Talk,” a comedy/talk series for NBC Universal and the syndicated series “Whacked Out Sports.” He most recently wrote on the NatGeo series “Howie Mandel's Animals Doing Things.” Formerly a fourth grade teacher, Chantry left the classroom to pursue comedy and writing. He has opened for national headliners such as Dave Chappelle, Bob Saget and Tig Notaro.

These five comics round out what will be a night of comedy headlined by James Austin Johnson of “Saturday Night Live.”

The Great American Comedy Festival opens Thursday, June 12, with the family comedy/magic show and wraps up on Saturday, June 14, with the festival gala headlined by Yakov Smirnov. All three shows are at 7 p.m. at the Johnny Carson Theatre.

The annual festival opened in 2008 to honor the legacy of Norfolk's favorite son, Johnny Carson, who was host of NBC's "Late Night Show Starring Johnny Carson" for more than 25 years.

"I love how much our audiences love our shows each year," Janssen said. "But I also take a lot of pride and joy introducing all these wonderful comedians to our home. It's a wonderful cultural exchange, and I think everyone gets to benefit from it."

The Great American Comedy Festival is also made possible with the support of the Nebraska Arts Council and the Nebraska Cultural Endowment.

The 2025 Great American Comedy Festival will begin with a lineup of magicians that spans generations and the globe.

Gabriella Lester, Joe Monti and Mat O’Neill have been announced as the lineup for the Family Magic Show on Thursday, June 12, at the Johnny Carson Theatre in Norfolk.

“I'm never unimpressed with our lineup of magicians,” said festival executive director Pat Janssen. “We lean heavily on one of our former performers, Ben Seidman, to help curate our magic show and connect us with folks from that world. Ben has a fantastic eye for the magic show, and as one of our former performers, he knows exactly what we're looking for. This magic show is such a gem, and I'm always so glad it's part of our festival programming."

Joe Monti
Monti is a name that has resonated in the industry for over three decades. With experience as head consultant for Criss Angel's “Mindfreak,” Monti has performed for clients in 40 countries across the world, including more than 300 colleges and hundreds of Fortune 500 events. He has performed thousands of shows and was named the winner on the 10th season of Penn & Teller's hit series “Fool Us.”

Mat O'Neill
O'Neill is a Los Angeles-based mentalist and magician with a passion for blending mystery, psychology and illusion to create truly unforgettable experiences. His performances go beyond traditional magic, using a deep understanding of the human mind to read thoughts, influence decisions and leave audiences questioning the boundaries of possibility.
In February 2024, he was invited to perform in Blackpool, England, at the world’s largest and most prestigious magic convention. Although he was on the bill with the top magicians in the world, O’Neill became the talk of the conference with standing-room-only crowds. 

Gabriella Lester
Lester is a 21-year-old internationally award-winning magician from Johannesburg, South Africa. Known for her quick wit and sardonic charm, she's quickly become one of the fastest-growing names in the industry.

Lester is one of the youngest performers to ever do Houdini's daring suspended straitjacket escape (at the age of 14), she's performed on some of the biggest stages in Las Vegas and is also a frequent headliner at the World Famous Magic Castle in Hollywood, California.
Most recently, she appeared on Penn and Teller's hit show “Fool Us,” which was featured in The New York Times, and performed more than 500 shows in 2023 while solo touring in both Europe and North America. Aside from live performances, Lester worked as a magic consultant for Hallmark while filming movies such as “We Need a Little Christmas.” Last year, she became an associate producer on Penn and Teller's “Fool Us.”

“Gabriella, Mat and Joe will fit our festival perfectly and give Northeast Nebraska a heck of a show,” Janssen said. “I love this collection of performers, and I'm beyond thrilled that they'll be here this summer. The diversity of skills, backgrounds and perspectives will create a show with something everyone can love. This will be an amazing way to kick off our festival."
The magic show kicks the festival off June 12 with two nights of comedy headlined by James Austin Johnson on Friday, June 13, and Yakov Smirnov on Saturday, June 14. All three shows are at 7 p.m. at the Johnny Carson Theatre.

The annual festival opened in 2008 to honor the legacy of Norfolk’s favorite son, Johnny Carson, who was host of NBC’s “Late Night Show Starring Johnny Carson” for more than 25 years.
"Obviously, magic was super important to Johnny Carson,” Janssen said. “That was his very first medium as a performer. To honor and respect his love for the art form is really important to us as a festival and as a community."

The Great American Comedy Festival is also made possible with the support of the Nebraska Arts Council and the Nebraska Cultural Endowment.

(NORFOLK, Neb.) - The year 2025 is a banner year for comedy in America. Saturday Night Live turned 50 years old in the same year that former Tonight Show host Johnny Carson would have turned 100 - and this year’s Great American Comedy Festival is celebrating both at the same time!

Legendary comedian Yakov Smirnoff will be headlining the festival’s annual Gala on Saturday, June 14th, while current Saturday Night Live cast member James Austin Johnson will headline the Friday night Comedy Showcase on June 13th.

“Johnny Carson was a comedy legend, and certainly SNL is in that same pantheon,” Festival Executive Director Pat Janssen said. “To have a member of the current SNL cast during the same year that we recognize Johnny's 100th birthday just feels so perfect.”

After escaping communist Soviet Union in the 1977, Yakov came to the United States with nothing but a dream. Before even learning the language, Yakov humbly began working as a bartender at the famous Grossinger’s Catskill Resort in New York, where he started telling jokes to his customers each night. As his English improved, he quickly grew in popularity. He made a daring move to Hollywood where the owner of The Comedy Store, Mitzi Shore, spotted him and advised him to stay. His lovable view of life through the eyes of a poor immigrant captured the hearts of America. He soared to the top of the comedy world, performing on “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson” and countless other television programs, including as a regular character on “Night Court.” He became a star of his very own show, named after his famous catchphrase, “What a Country!” Yakov branched out to the big screen where he starred in movies with Tom Hanks, Robin Williams, Richard Pryor, Meryl Streep, and Jack Nicholson, to name a few. In 2016 and 2017 his TV special “Happily ever laughter” was voted “The best special” on PBS. He has given command performances for 4 US presidents.

“Johnny Carson made a lot of comedy careers. If Johnny Carson liked you, you had to be good. And one of Johnny's favorite and most popular guests was Yakov Smirnoff,” said Janssen. “Yakov has had nothing but incredible things to say about his time performing for Johnny.”

Living a life that is as exciting as ever, Yakov has married his sweetheart, currently has his very own 2000 seat theater in Branson, Missouri, and tours the world doing stand-up Comedy at performing arts centers.

James Austin Johnson will be making history when he takes the Johnny Carson Theatre stage. He’ll be the first active cast member of “Saturday Night Live” to perform at the Great American Comedy Festival. Johnson is originally from Nashville and a featured player on SNL. The New York Times has called him “one of SNL’s most versatile celebrity impressionists.” His spot-on impression of Pres. Donald Trump paired with his improvisational ramblings about Weird Al, Julia Louis Dreyfus, and Scooby Doo have garnered over 5 million views, with profiles on James in Vanity Fair, Slate, Mashable and VICE to name a few.

“James Austin Johnson is a comic's comic,” Janssen said. “So many comedians I've talked to, who all have credits of their own, have reached out because they want to perform with him.”

As an actor, James' TV/Film credits include “Future Man”, “Baskets”, “Robbie”, “Better Call Saul”, “The Last Tycoon” and the Coen Brothers’ feature “Hail, Caesar!”. As a stand up, James has performed on the Vice series “Flophouse”, as well as Riot LA and Just For Laughs as a New Face.

The festival kicks off Thursday, June 12th, with the traditional family Comedy Magic Show. All three shows are at 7 p.m. at the Johnny Carson Theatre.

The Great American Comedy Festival is also made possible with the support of the Nebraska Arts Council and the Nebraska Cultural Endowment. The annual festival opened in 2008 to honor the legacy of Norfolk’s favorite son, Johnny Carson, who was host of NBC’s “Late Night Show Starring Johnny Carson” for over 25 years.

Tickets for the festival are on sale now! For tickets and information, visit
www.greatamericancomedyfestival.com

Despite having a population of just 25,000, Norfolk has quietly become a destination for comedians through two showcases: The Great American Comedy Festival and Comedy Nights at downtown Norfolk’s District Event Center.

Of course, comedy and Norfolk go hand in hand as the city is the hometown of comedy royalty in Johnny Carson. The community’s most famous former citizen is well-known for launching the careers of many young comedians during his 30 years as host of “The Tonight Show” on NBC from 1962 to 1992.

And just like a typical weeknight during those three decades, the Great American Comedy Festival, which is held each June at the Johnny Carson Theatre, showcases both recognizable names as well as up-and-comers.

Great American Comedy Festival
Kent Warneke, editor emeritus of the Daily News, came up with the idea for what became the Great American Comedy Festival, and it caught the attention of Eddie Brill, the booking agent for “The Late Show with David Letterman.”

Brill worked with the festival’s committee for more than a decade, starting in 2008, and booked talent such as Robert Klein, Drew Carey, Brian Regan, Martin Short, Louie Anderson and Paula Poundstone.

Brill also brought in talented young comedians to the festival, including some who would become household names, such as Tom Shillue, Pete Lee, Tom Cotter, Joe Machi and Joe DeVito.

The festival underwent changes after its 10th anniversary, with Brill no longer serving as chief booking agent and emcee.

Enter Pat Janssen.

The Auburn native started doing comedy in 2009 in the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania and has lived in New York and Los Angeles. He became involved with the comedy festival in 2021 while working at News Channel Nebraska.

Janssen said he didn’t exactly advertise his experience in the comedy industry, but he said friend and co-worker Eric McKay, a longtime veteran of the festival’s organizing committee, found out.

“It just kind of slipped in conversation, and then he suggested to Lisa Wattier, who was on the board at the time, to add me to the committee,” Janssen said.

Janssen knew a lot of comedians, so it was just natural for him to be involved in booking the performers.

“Chase Pflueger was on the board at the time; he was doing a lot of the booking,” Janssen said. “Then, he and I, for a year, kind of co-booked it. And then I took over after that.”

When it comes to booking talent, Janssen said the biggest factor is always the budget. But there are a lot of other considerations as well.

“We get one crack at it per year,” Janssen said. “You’re looking for kind of the thematic through line, and obviously ours is Johnny Carson since that’s who this festival is essentially in honor of.”

The festival features a comedy magic show that serves as family entertainment. There also are performances on Friday and Saturday evenings as well as a late-night show Friday at the District Event Center.

Janssen said everything at the Johnny Carson Theatre is meant to be what he describes as “Tonight Show”-adjacent. “You’re looking for folks who have been on the show for the headliners, or maybe someone who you feel like Johnny would have on the show,” Janssen said.

He added that the festival organizers tell performers that their material needs to be the kind of content that would be suitable for network television and “The Tonight Show.”

Working from the top down
Janssen said he works from the top down.

“You’re usually going to put your biggest name on that Saturday show, and that’s going to be your most expensive person,” Janssen said. “So, then you’re kind of figuring out what you’ve got left for your Friday headliner, who’s also probably not cheap.

“And then we offer the same amount to all of our magicians — we have three of those. And then we have eight feature acts: Four people who perform to open for the Friday night performer and four people who open for the Saturday performer.”

Janssen said he wants to make sure the show includes a variety of comedians, though he’s mindful to not book someone whose style is “way, way, way different in a kind of a way that would throw things off.”

Janssen used last year’s headliner, master impressionist Frank Caliendo, as an example. “There was someone else who I was looking to potentially book; he does a lot of impressions like Frank does,” Janssen said. “And Frank, for understandable reasons, had asked that we don’t have anybody who does impressions on the lineup.”

Janssen said he goes through agents for the headliners, and many of the featured comedians have agents, too. “But they’re a little bit closer to kind of my sphere, so I kind of reach out directly to them, either by knowing them personally, or by mutual friends,” Janssen said.

Word of Mouth
Janssen said the festival has had great word-of-mouth recommendations from other comedians. “We take good care of them,” Janssen said of the performers.

“We take them to Johnny’s house. They get a chance to shoot hoops in Johnny’s driveway. They go to the (Elkhorn Valley) museum. They’re just kind of taken care of from beginning to end. It’s not a waste of their time.”

Janssen said there’s also what he described as a folksy element to it. “They get to drive combines. It’s a kind of experience they don’t get at any other festival. So, then, other comics talk about it.”

Janssen said McKay has called it a comedians’ summer camp. “You have groups that kind of come in together. Some of them know each other, some of them not, and they just kind of bond together,” Janssen said. “It’s kind of fun to see the chemistry of each of those groups.”

Making their way to the District
While the District Event Center hosts the late Friday night portion of the comedy festival, owner and operator Andrew McCarthy has given comedians another reason to make Norfolk a destination.

It all started when McCarthy purchased a building near his restaurant, District Table & Tap. “The building, originally, was in very rough shape,” McCarthy said. “Right away, we just went with where it’s located and thought about what Norfolk needed.”

His first thought was to provide a place for families and companies to rent for events like reunions and parties. “But then, we quickly realized we were going to have to hold our own events there to make it sustainable,” McCarthy said.

McCarthy said he noticed there weren’t a lot of what he called one-off venues doing comedy. So he decided to do research around Nebraska.

“The Funny Bone (in Omaha) was doing some comedy. Major theaters were doing some comedy,” McCarthy said. “But, really, there was no other kind of just stand-alone venues, so we decided to kind of focus on comedy. Four years later, here we are.”

Learning from the ground up
McCarthy said he learned the booking process without any previous knowledge of the industry and without any real connections to agents. But he reached out to a couple of people who were booking comedians, “and they kind of got me into that world of who to contact and that sort of thing and to do it the right way.”

McCarthy said there is a lot of work that goes into each show that consumes the whole week. “With set-up and testing and then the comedians have their own kinds of themes — sometimes they have video — there’s a lot going on,” McCarthy said.

He said there were a lot of concerns dealing with people he didn’t know. The first show featured Steve Hytner, who was a regular cast member on “Seinfeld.” McCarthy said his booking agent was leery.

“Obviously, it’s Norfolk, Nebraska, so we had added challenges getting comedians here,” McCarthy said. “We also have benefits. We can say it’s the home of Johnny Carson, which resonates with a lot of comedians.”

Growth of downtown
But things were happening downtown. “I could see people coming here more often. I talked to the Norfolk Area Visitors Bureau on a regular basis,” McCarthy said. “I knew we had a chance to pull this off if done correctly.”

McCarthy said he learned early on he had to have the comedians do at least three shows. “I pushed for four. The more shows we have, the more competitive we can be with ticket prices,” McCarthy said.

McCarthy said convincing comics to come to Norfolk is a lot easier than it was four years ago. “The comedian community is a very small community,” McCarthy said. “They talk a lot. The comedians know each other.”

McCarthy said they’ve had to focus on challenges such as a two-hour drive from the airport and not being in a big city with Uber.

“We combat that with our hospitality,” McCarthy said. “We put them up in a great hotel. Right now, we’re working with the Fairfield Inn; they’re kind of one of our partners. They provide great amenities.

“And then, when they’re at the venue in the green room, they have whatever they request. We provide a meal between shows. We have to make sure when they’re here, they leave with a positive image of Norfolk.”

Super Trooper
McCarthy used Jay Chandrasekhar of “Super Troopers” as a perfect example. “Mostly, when these comedians come there, they know it’s Nebraska,” McCarthy said. “They want a good steak. Jay made a reservation for us at the Black Cow Fat Pig after the show.

“He had other comedians say, ‘We love going to the Black Cow with Andrew,’ because it’s a great meal and a great steak. It’s cool when these people from L.A. or New York name a specific location in Norfolk that they like. So, I knew we were doing something right.”

There are other examples as well. McCarthy said Hytner has been to Norfolk three times. “He gets off stage and he’s, ‘Who’s going to the Harbor for a beer?’ Bobcat Goldthwait, Chris Kattan, those guys wanted to see the Johnny Carson exhibit at the Elkhorn Valley Museum.

“A lot of them just walk around downtown. They get material. Erik Griffin from Workaholics had a blast at V’s Oddz and Endz. He walked in and bought a coat and cup of soup.

“So, they’re really all kind of different in their own way. But I think my favorite thing, now that we’re four years in, is seeing the comedians come to Norfolk and they know what they want to do when they get here,” McCarthy said.

Springboard to Downtown Norfolk
McCarthy said he knows the comedians so well, he often books directly with them. “Sometimes they’re reaching out about ‘When are you booking for the fall season?’ We like to book out early. We have our shows advertised months before the show,” McCarthy said. “We do that on purpose so we can get folks making a plan to come here.”

McCarthy said communities the size of Norfolk can’t typically pull off what those behind the District comedy nights and Great American Comedy Festival have been pulling off for years. But, he said, Norfolk is on the cutting edge of entertainment.

“We have great live music downtown. Our parks have great live music. Our bars and restaurants provide entertainment on a regular basis,” McCarthy said. “I think Norfolk’s always on the cusp of finding new things that other people are scared to take a chance on.”

Comedians who were involved in a viral web-series that became a fixture on Comedy Central for six seasons will be sharing their experiences during this year's Great American Comedy Festival in Norfolk.
Festival organizers have announced a “Drunk History” panel discussion featuring festival participants Bennie Arthur, Steve Berg and Mort Burke.
“Drunk History” began as a web series on Funny or Die created by Derek Waters. In each episode, an inebriated narrator would recount a historical event, which then would be reenacted by comedians and celebrity guest stars, lip synching the narrator’s dialogue. The series made its premiere on Comedy Central in July 2013, running for six seasons.

In addition to being three of the eight featured performers at this year’s festival, Arthur, Berg and Burke also were involved with “Drunk History” during the entirety of its six-season run on Comedy Central. The three funnymen will talk about how the show came to be, how the show was made and their feelings when the show was ended in the pandemic.
In addition to the panel discussion, the three also will take questions from the crowd.
“Our festival has been built over the past 15-plus years by several hard-working people looking to give Northeast Nebraska something unique and wonderful,” said Pat Janssen, the comedy festival’s executive director. “Our current goal is to continue to build on that legacy and make the festival something everybody can enjoy, with all sorts of different programming. We got incredibly fortunate this year, and once we realized we had a number of people who had been a part of ‘Drunk History,’ it was kind of a no-brainer to do this show. Bennie, Mort and Steve will be able to provide a unique and interesting look at the show, including some behind-the-scenes stories people wouldn’t otherwise be able to get."
The panel discussion will be Thursday, June 13, at the Elkhorn Valley Museum, which also houses the Johnny Carson exhibit. Doors will open at 9 p.m., with the show starting at 10. Drinks will be available for purchase before and during the show. Tickets for the event are available through eTix and at greatamericancomedyfestival.com.

The Great American Comedy Festival opened in 2008 to honor the legacy of Norfolk’s favorite son, Johnny Carson, who was host of NBC’s “The Tonight Show” for more than 25 years.

(NORFOLK, Neb.) - The 2024 Great American Comedy Festival’s Saturday Night Gala will serve as the finale of a weekend of funny!
Four national comedians will grace the stage of the Johnny Carson Theatre on June 15th, headlined by the legendary Frank Caliendo!
Joining Frank in Norfolk will be Bennie Arthur, Karen Chee, Rosco Nash, and Lucia Whalen.
Bennie Arthur was born and raised in a small town in Virginia that no one has heard of called Rustburg. He moved to Los Angeles in 2001 to pursue a career in acting and comedy.. Shortly after arriving in LA he started training at The Groundlings and performing stand-up around town. He was a regular cast member/re-enactor on Drunk History for all 6 seasons. You might also recognize him from The Ben Show with Ben Hoffman. Some of his other credits include Pickle & Peanut on Disney XD, The Mighty Ones on Hulu, and Hot Streets on Adult Swim.
Karen Chee is an Emmy and WGA award-nominated comedian and writer. She is currently a writer for Late Night with Seth Meyers. Previously, she has written for Pachinko (Apple TV) and the Golden Globes (2019, 2021), acted in HBO’s High Maintenance, and contributed regularly to The New Yorker. She’s also been published in places like The New York Times, The Washington Post, and McSweeney’s. She’s can occasionally be heard on NPR’s Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! where she is a regular panelist and occasional guest host. She was recently featured as one of Vulture’s Comedians to Know and listed on Variety’s Power of Young Hollywood. She was also included on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 in 2021.
Rosco Nash entertains audiences everywhere with his self-deprecation, sarcasm and quick wit. A former New York Sanitation worker/hot yoga instructor, Rosco shares his confusion with social norms as well what it's like to navigate relationships with his kids who seem like they might be smarter than he is and his beautiful Puerto Rican wife. His approachable style ensures that, whether you're a millennial or an octogenarian, white collar or blue collar, you will laugh ‘til it hurts and feel like you just met your new best friend.
Lucia Whalen is a Chicago-born and bred comedian, writer. Her clever, unique perspective paired with a shameless storytelling style makes her a favorite to audiences all over the country. She has opened for some of the biggest comics working today, including Dave Attell, Janeane Garofalo, and Stavros Halkias among others, and has performed at clubs and venues all over the Midwest, including Steppenwolf, Comedy on State, and Zanies. Lucia has been featured at Limestone Comedy Festival, Asheville Comedy Festival, 10,000 Laughs, Flyover Comedy Festival, and more. Lucia has contributed to The New Yorker and is a co-host of the environmental history podcast What a Waste.
"I absolutely love this list of feature performers,” says GACF Executive Director Pat Janssen. “The Great American Comedy Festival has a tremendous history of bringing in a fantastic mixture of people with already impressive credits and bright futures. So many of our past features have gone on to huge things, and it's a testament to the level of talent we're able to bring here. I think it's also a credit to all of the work out volunteer board members put in. It's almost like comedian summer camp for a lot of the performers, and they leave here yelling other comedians all about their experience in Norfolk, Nebraska. That's probably my favorite part of the festival."
Saturday’s featured performer, Frank Caliendo, is best known for his impeccable comedic timing and spot-on impressions that have been the center of fan-favorite viral video clips, TV shows, radio appearances and live shows for more than 20 years. Frank was a regular on ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown, and makes appearances on SportsCenter and other ESPN shows. He recently starred in the ad campaign for Monday Night Football with Peyton & Eli. Prior to working with ESPN, Frank spent 10 years on Fox NFL Sunday Pregame.
The festival kicks off Thursday, June 13th, with the traditional family Comedy Magic Show, and continues Friday, with four other nationally-known comedians, and headliner Preacher Lawson. All three shows are at 7 p.m. at the Johnny Carson Theatre.
The Great American Comedy Festival is also made possible with the support of the Nebraska Arts Council and the Nebraska Cultural Endowment. The annual festival opened in 2008 to honor the legacy of Norfolk’s favorite son, Johnny Carson, who was host of NBC’s “The Tonight Show” for over 25 years.

Tickets for the festival are on sale now!

(NORFOLK, Neb.) - The 2024 Great American Comedy Festival will feature two full night of side-splitting laughs, with a Friday Comedy Showcase not to be missed!
Four national comedians will grace the stage of the Johnny Carson Theatre on June 14th, headlined by the hilarious Preacher Lawson!
Joining Preacher in Norfolk will be Steve Berg, Mort Burke, Baron Vaughn, and Rachel Ware.
Steve Berg is an actor and improviser originally from Omaha, Nebraska, who just finished work on Tim Kasher’s film Who’s Watching. He can also be seen in Olivia Wilde’s recent film Don’t Worry Darling, and can currently be seen in the feature film Snack Shack, which was filmed in Nebraska City. He’s also been obsessed with UFOs, the paranormal, the occult and all things weird his entire life. Whenever he has the opportunity he lectures about Weird Nebraska at conferences and events. His credits also include recurring roles on NBC's The Good Place, ABC's The Goldbergs, Comedy Central's Idiotsitter, and BET's The Comedy Get Down.
Mort Burke was born in St. Louis and started comedy in 2001. He lived and performed in Chicago for seven years before moving to Los Angeles. His Television credits include Drunk History, Workaholics, The Mindy Project, Mythic Quest and With Bob and David. He released his first stand-up special and album, Spiritually Filthy, on all streaming platforms and YouTube last year with 800 LB Gorilla.
Baron Vaughn has a career that spans live comedy, acting, and directing. As an actor, he's best known as “Bud”, sharing the screen with Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin on the longest-running hit Netflix series, Grace & Frankie. Baron lends his voice as "Tom Servo" in the recent seasons of cult-hit, Mystery Science Theater 3000. As a stand-up comedian, Baron has been entertaining audiences for more than 20 years. He has two influential comedy recordings, Raised by Cable and Blaxistential Crisis, both available for streaming on all platforms. Baron's been showcased on Comedy Central's The Half Hour and The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail, as well as on HBO's 2 Dope Queens, Showtime's SXSW Comedy, and TBS’ Conan.
Rachel Ware has been an entertainer for more than half her life, and has spent the last decade performing comedy. She’s a regular at the Omaha Funny Bone, opening for national acts such as Big Jay Oakerson, John Paul Morgan, and Dave Attell. She won “Omaha’s best comedian” in 2016 by the Omaha Entertainment and Arts committee, and was nominated again in 2022 and 2023. She has been the voice of multiple syndicated cartoon characters, the most famous as “Angel Cake” in the remake of the cartoon Strawberry Shortcake.
"I love introducing Norfolk to comedians from other parts of the world, and I love introducing those comedians to northeast Nebraska. But at a festival where we're honoring a native Nebraskan, it makes sense to include other Nebraska natives who are doing great work,” said festival Executive Director Pat Janssen. “Rachel and Steve are two incredible performers with some amazing credits to their names, and I'm so excited that they'll be a part of the fest this year."
Friday’s featured performer, Preacher Lawson, is best known for his appearance on season 12 of NBC’s hit series, America’s Got Talent (2017) where he made it to the final round. Based off his stellar performance in season 12, Lawson was invited to compete on America’s Got Talent: The Champions (2019) and Britain’s Got Talent: The Champions (2019) where he advanced to the finale after receiving
the most fan votes. Most recently he was handpicked by Howie Mandell to participate in America’s Got Talent: Fantasy League (2024).
The festival kicks off Thursday, June 13th, with the traditional family Comedy Magic Show, and wraps up with the Saturday Gala, with four other nationally-known comedians, and headliner Frank Caliendo. All three shows are at 7 p.m. at the Johnny Carson Theatre.
The Great American Comedy Festival is also made possible with the support of the Nebraska Arts Council and the Nebraska Cultural Endowment. The annual festival opened in 2008 to honor the legacy of Norfolk’s favorite son, Johnny Carson, who was host of NBC’s “The Tonight Show” for over 25 years.
Tickets for the festival are on sale now!

(NORFOLK, NE.) – Five hilarious comedians will be taking the stage during the comedy showcase of the Great American Comedy Festival presented by Nucor Steel Nebraska, Nucor Cold Finish Nebraska, Nucor Detailing Center, and Vulcraft Nebraska.
Michael Ian Black is a multi-media talent who’s starred in numerous films and TV series, written and/or directed two films, is a prolific author and commentator, and regularly tours the country performing his ribald brand of jokes and observations. He most recently starred in TVLand's The Gaffigan Show and Comedy Central’s Another Period. He’s reprising one of his iconic film roles in the upcoming second season of the Netflix Wet Hot American Summer series. His third stand-up comedy special, Noted Expert, was released on Epix.
Marcella Ageullo is a stand-up comedian, writer, and actor whose comedy knows no bounds; she eagerly discusses any and every topic that tickles her. Marcella’s half hour comedy special on HBO & HBO Max is quickly becoming a comedy classic. Her debut album, The Woke Bully - which debuted at #3 on the Billboard Comedy Charts and was named One Of The Best Comedy Albums of 2019 by NPR program Bullseye - is a combination of Marcella’s unique perspective & honesty and captures what it’s like to experience her live. In 2023, she can be seen on Fuse TV’s second season of We Need To Talk About America, where first generation comedians dissect American-centric topics and viral videos. Her stand up can be seen on the second season of 2 Dope Queens on HBO as well as Night Train with Wyatt Cenac on STARZ.
Sean Grant has been featured on Seasons 1 & 2 of TruTV's Laff Tracks, was a 2019 Just For Laughs New Face inductee and selected as one of the 10 comics to watch in 2020 by Timeout LA. His debut comedy album reached the top of the Amazon Sales charts in its first week. His stand up sets on Comedy Central's & Don't Tell Comedy's pages have reached millions of viewers across various platforms. Sean has also performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and has made guest TV appearances on Meet the Browns on TBS , Maron on IFC and WTF Baron Davis on IFC.
Danielle Perez is a 2021 Just For Laughs New Face and Los Angeles based comedian, actor, and writer known to some as the woman in a wheelchair, with no feet, who won a treadmill on The Price Is Right. A 2019 & 2018 Stand Up NBC Semifinalist who has opened for Maria Bamford, Cristela Alonzo and Nicole Byer as well as performing at Sundance with Aida Rodriguez for Curated By Media. Danielle will soon recur in multiple episodes of Gloria Calderon Kellett’s Amazon series With Love with recent recurring roles in Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO) and Special (Netflix). Danielle is currently developing a series where she will write, star and EP with a24 and staffed on Bumper in Berlin for Peacock starring Adam Devine.
Tyler Rothrock is a stand-up comedian and writer from Nazereth, PA. His debut album, Tyler of Nazareth, opened at No. 8 on the Billboard Comedy chart. He’s appeared at the New York Comedy Festival and also opened for Michael Che, Dave Attell, fellow GACF alum Roy Wood Jr., Kyle Kinane, and more. He’s also been a co-host of the Lehigh Valley With Love Podcast.
The 14th festival is set for Thursday through Saturday, June 15-17, at 7 p.m. at the Johnny Carson Theatre in Norfolk. The festival opened in 2008 to honor the legacy of Norfolk’s favorite son, Johnny Carson, who was host of NBC’s “Late Night Show Starring Johnny Carson” for over 25 years.
The festival kicks off Thursday with the family Comedy Magic Show. Friday night’s entertainment includes the Comedy Showcase at the theatre and the Adults Only, Late Night Show at 10:00 at The Stables in Norfolk. Saturday’s Festival Gala with Vicki Lawrence as the headliner and four other comics concludes the three-day event.
The Great American Comedy Festival is also made possible with the support of the Nebraska Arts Council and the Nebraska Cultural Endowment. For tickets and information, visit www.greatamericancomedyfestival.com

A legend in comedy will headline the closing night of the 14th Great American Comedy Festival both as herself and as her most famous character on Saturday, June 17, at Johnny Carson Theatre in Norfolk.
Vicki Lawrence will entertain at the Saturday night gala, while Michael Ian Black will headline the Friday night comedy showcase on June 16.
“We’re incredibly excited to bring a living legend like Vicki Lawrence to the stage at the Johnny Carson Theatre,” said Lisa Wattier, executive director. “She’s an icon and rounds out what should be another stacked weekend for comedy fans of all ages.”

Presented by Nucor Steel Nebraska, Nucor Cold Finish Nebraska, Nucor Detailing Center, and Vulcraft Nebraska, the festival kicks off Thursday, June 15, with the traditional family comedy magic show. All three shows are at 7 p.m. at the Johnny Carson Theatre except an adults-only late-night show at The Stables on Friday, June 16, at 10:30. The Stables is located at 1909 Vicki Lane in Norfolk.
Lawrence is an actress, comedian and singer known for the many characters she originated on CBS's “The Carol Burnett Show,” where she appeared from 1967 to 1978, for the entire series run. One such character, Thelma Harper/Mama, was the central character of popular television situation comedy series “Mama's Family.”
Lawrence spends much of her time on the road with her stage production “Vicki Lawrence and Mama: A Two Woman Show,” which she’ll be performing in Norfolk.
Lawrence has multiple Emmy Award nominations, winning one in 1976. She is a multiple Golden Globe nominee, all for “The Carol Burnett Show.” In 1973, Lawrence recorded the hit song "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia." It reached No. 1 in both the United States and Canada.
In the past, Lawrence hosted the game show, “Win, Lose or Draw,” her own daytime talk show, “Vicki!,” and appeared in many theater productions. She was the only talk show host since Oprah Winfrey to be nominated for a Daytime Emmy in her freshman year.
Through the years, Lawrence has made appearances on other television programs, such as “Laverne & Shirley,” “Major Dad,” “Roseanne,” “Hannah Montana” and “Yes, Dear.” Lawrence most recently co-starred in the Fox comedy series “The Cool Kids” with David Alan Grier, Martin Mull and Leslie Jordan.

Michael Ian Black has starred in numerous films and TV series, written and/or directed two films, is an author and commentator and regularly tours the country performing his ribald brand of jokes and observations. He most recently starred in TVLand's “The Gaffigan Show” and Comedy Central’s “Another Period.” He’s reprising one of his iconic film roles in the upcoming second season of the Netflix Wet Hot American Summer series. His third stand-up comedy special, “Noted Expert,” was released on Epix.
Previously, Black released two stand-up specials, “Very Famous” and “I Am A Wonderful Man.” He and Tom Cavanagh host the popular podcast, “Mike and Tom Eat Snacks.” He also writes and hosts a podcast with Michael Showalter, “Topics,” and his own interview podcast, “How To Be Amazing.”
Sketch comedy fans know Black’s work on “The State,” “Viva Variety,” “Stella” and “Michael and Michael Have Issues,” all of which he co-created, wrote and starred in. Other TV credits include quirky bowling alley manager Phil on the NBC series “Ed,” and his commentary on cable’s “I Love the ...” series. He recently starred in two hit web series that migrated to cable TV: “Burning Love” on E! and “You’re Whole” on Adult Swim.
Black’s movie roles include “Slash,” “Smosh: The Movie,” “They Came Together,” “This is 40,” “Wet Hot American Summer,” “Take Me Home Tonight,” “Reno 911!: Miami,” “The Ten” and “The Baxter.”
The Great American Comedy Festival is also made possible with the support of the Nebraska Arts Council and the Nebraska Cultural Endowment. The annual festival opened in 2008 to honor the legacy of Norfolk’s favorite son, Johnny Carson, who was host of NBC’s “Late Night Show Starring Johnny Carson” for more than 25 years.

(NORFOLK, NE.) – “It doesn’t take a village, but close,” is how Lisa Wattier describes the effort to stage the Great American Comedy Festival every year.
Wattier, executive director of the 13th festival this Thursday through Saturday, June 16th-18th, at the Johnny Carson Theatre in Norfolk, says the “to-do list” for the three-day event is nearly endless and it takes dozens of volunteers to stage the festival.
The festival has been presented by Nucor Steel Nebraska, Nucor Cold Finish Nebraska, Nucor Detailing Center, and Vulcraft Nebraska for several years. Dozens of Norfolk area businesses also provide financial support to stage the three-day event. “Without those sponsors, we have no festival,” Wattier said. “We absolutely could not do it without them. I hope they know how much they are appreciated.”
The 2022 Great American Comedy Festival includes the family Comedy Magic Show Thursday, the Comedy Showcase Friday with David Koechner as headliner and four other comics, and the Festival Gala Saturday night with headliners The Smothers Brothers and four other stand-ups. Friday night’s entertainment includes the /Sparklight Adults Only, Late Night Show at 10:30 at The Stables in Norfolk.
“The responsibilities of our planning committee are many and we pull in many volunteers from the community to present the festival,” she said.
After a two-year Covid hiatus, planning for the 2022 festival began early last winter. One of the
key challenges is finding headliners for the Friday Comedy Showcase and Saturday Gala. The committee works with a talent agency in Omaha to find those headliners. Magician Ben Seidman, who performed at the Comedy Magic Show here in 2018 and 2019, assists with finding magicians for the Thursday magic show.
This year’s magician line-up includes Matt Marcy, Alexander Boyce and Andrew Goldenhersh.
Then the work turns to finding four other comedians for the Comedy Showcase and Festival Gala. “This year, we have had great, great help from our Friday and Saturday night host, Pat Janssen,” Austen Hagood, comedy festival Board of Directors president, said. “He has worked in the entertainment industry and knows many in the entertainment realm.”
Janssen is a Nebraska native and has appeared in several commercials and TV shows. He also appeared on an album cover and music video for the Grammy-nominated indie band, Glass Animals.
He was named New England's Best Bar Comic by Jack Daniels.

Janssen assisted in booking comedians Cat Alvarado, Sophie Buddle, Chris Lewis, and Glen Tickle for the Friday Comedy Showcase and Emmy Blotnick, Eric Owusu, Taylor
Williamson, and Adam Yenser for the Saturday Festival Gala.
Once all the entertainers are secured, other aspects of festival planning continue. One Great American Comedy Festival committee member works with a local travel agency to book flights to and from Omaha and provide ground transportation from Omaha to Norfolk.
“Because Norfolk does not have a major airport, we go out of our way to welcome and accommodate all guest needs and wishes,” Hagood said. “That includes transportation from the Omaha airport and chauffeur services by volunteers for all activities in Norfolk.”
“The arrival schedule to pick up all entertainers at the Omaha airport over four days is mind boggling,” Wattier said. “The magicians come in on Wednesday and some Gala entertainers don’t arrive til Saturday. There are lots of trips by volunteers back and forth to Eppley Airfield.” A chartered mini-bus takes most back to the Omaha airport on Sunday.
“Many of our airport drivers have very interesting rides back to Norfolk with their comedians/passengers,” Wattier said. “For example, three live doves will travel with one of the magicians this year. The driver for the magicians and doves hopes the birds travel well.”
Hagood said many drivers and comedians remain friends for years. “We have comedians from past festivals who still keep in touch with their Norfolk friends,” he said.
The festival committee also schedules special activities to entertain their guests while in Norfolk. This year, a Runza luncheon is planned at the Elkhorn Valley Museum so the comedians can enjoy the Johnny Carson exhibit there. “And, of course, a visit to the Johnny Carson mural downtown and his
childhood home on 13th Street is a must. Homeowner and festival director Jim McKenzie makes many trips to the house over the four days to give tours of Johnny’s home,” Hagood added.
“We keep the magicians and comedians busy while they are in Norfolk,” Wattier said. “They are all so appreciative and have such fun in northeast Nebraska. In all the years I have worked on the festival, I can honestly say we have only had one difficult, unhappy comedian.”
One comedian who appeared at the 2014 festival, Michael Somerville, was asked when departing Norfolk if he had had a good comedy festival experience. “Oh, if only every weekend I spend on the road could be as much fun as this weekend was.” Many comedians include their participation in the Great American Comedy Festival on their website bios.
Other committee members and volunteers are needed for fundraising, marketing/publicity, stage and technical crews, program design, ticket sales and scanners, green room furniture/food for the entertainers, and picnic food for the magicians and comedians. The list goes on and on,” Wattier said.
The Great American Comedy Festival opened in 2008 to honor the legacy of Norfolk’s favorite son, Johnny Carson, who was host of NBC’s “Late Night Show Starring Johnny Carson” for 30 years.
The Great American Comedy Festival is also made possible with the support of the Nebraska Arts Council and the Nebraska Cultural Endowment. For tickets and information, visit www.greatamericancomedyfestival.com