Featured performers will include several contest-winning and touring comedians most often seen in the Burlington area.

“We’ve got to keep laughing to handle the news, these days,” says Keith Marks, Executive Director of Next Stage Arts. “The Vermont Comedy All Stars bring the best and brightest from around the state and beyond. We’ve had a number of Vermont comedians go into New York and start careers. We’re proud to give them a space in southern Vermont to be seen.”

Event

Hillary Boone

Hillary Boone started life in a log cabin in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont where they spent their childhood waiting to escape. After traveling the country and some of the world, Hillary is back in Vermont, making people laugh. 

Hillary is a regular performer at the Vermont Comedy Club and has opened for comics such as Deanne Smith, Myq Kaplan, and Kyle Kinane. They are a host of the Moth Story Slam in Vermont and a proud member of the Vermont Comedy Divas. 

Hillary likes to think that they enjoy a sort of “local fame,” consisting primarily of warm fuzzies when other Burlingtonians quizzically ask, “do I know you from somewhere?” or when anyone comments on their cartoon blog. Their comedy has been described as quirky, likable, queer and smart, and “simply delightful” by a local comedy critic.

Vicki Ferentinos

Vicki Ferentinos started her comedy career over a decade ago at the Upright Citizens Brigade in New York City. She has been seen on Comedy Central, WOR Radio, and the Food Network. Her one-woman show “Lady Bug Warrior” was a hit at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. She was called “effervescent and captivating” by the New York Times, and most recently performed her new one-woman show “Woman of the Woods” to a sold-out audience at the Grange Theater, in Pomfret, Vermont.

Vicki was a top three finalist at the 2022 Vermont’s Funniest Comedian Contest and has performed at the Vermont Comedy Festival, The Boston Comedy Festival, and The Portland Comedy Festival. When she’s not making with the funny, Vicki is a professional chef; she was the winner of “Rocco’s Dinner Party” on Bravo TV, and writes a weekly column, “From the Mixing bowl, a mix of funny stories and recipes,” for the Vermont Standard.

Al Ghanekar

Al Ghanekar has been a stand-up comic in the New England scene for the last 6 years. After starting comedy he learned to write a bio in the 3rd person to make it look like you’re important enough that someone else wrote your bio.

I spent…I mean…he spent 8 years in Washington, DC as an actor working in different independent films that went nowhere. Since starting comedy he’s been seen at Gotham and Broadway Comedy Clubs in NYC, Funnybones, and other clubs across the US as well as abroad in places like Australia and India. He’s opened for national headliners like Lenny Clarke, Jim Gaffigan, and Jerry Seinfeld. His comedy is centered around his confusing life experiences and embarrassments, as well as very unique stories, of being a first-generation Indian American dude.

Marisa Imôn

Marisa Imôn’s comedy, often expressed through music, addresses the light-hearted nature of issues like death, mental illness, identity, and spirituality. She’s the international Amazon bestselling author of the book Super Intense, an award-winning composer, and host of the podcast, Incandescent, and her comedy screenplay recently made the shortlist at Barnstorm Fest. Marisa Imôn’s music and meditations have been listened to by millions of people between the various platforms that feature her work, even though you probably never even heard of her since she often works anonymously – like a modern-day, meditation-loving, bipolar, pacifist, Batman. Although, perhaps that makes her the opposite of Batman. What’s the opposite of a batman? A mouse woman. She’s like a mouse woman.

Liam Welsh

Liam Welsh is a Burlington-based stand-up comic. He performs regularly at the Vermont Comedy Club, has been a multiple-time finalist in Vermont’s Funniest Comedian Contest, and has featured for national headliners such as Solomon Georgio, Jay Jurden, and Janelle James. He also hosts a weekly stand-up showcase called Free Stuff, every Tuesday at Lincoln’s, in Burlington.

Gordon Clark

Gordon Clark is the producer and host of the Next Stage comedy shows, and the Director of Vermont Comedy All-Stars, a non-profit dedicated to promoting the comic arts in Vermont. He also produces and hosts two monthly shows, the “Second Wednesday” Comedy Jam at the iconic Nectar’s Lounge in Burlington, and the Third Thursday Stand Up Specials at Bent Nails Bistro in Montpelier.

Next Stage Arts

Next Stage is located at 15 Kimball Hill in downtown Putney, VT. All talks are free to attend, but donations are appreciated. Advance registration is available at nextstagearts.org. For information, call 802-387-0102.

Next Stage Arts serve southeastern Vermont as a regional cultural hub, arts producer, and instigator of meaningful cultural experiences. Founded in 2010 as a nonprofit organization, Next Stage Arts is a transformative, community-centered project dedicated to revitalizing Putney’s cultural and economic village center through excellence in arts programming valuing diversity as a springboard for nurturing community.

Please visit our Health & Safety page for our current COVID protocols.

For more information and updates please go to: nextstagearts.org