PUTNEY, Vt. – Gordon Clark and his Vermont Comedy All Stars return for a night of stand-up comedy at Next Stage Arts on Friday, June 14, at 7:30 p.m. 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.”
Donavin Andronaco is fairly new to the comedy scene, and has been performing around the state for a little over a year now. You can see Donavin at the Vermont Comedy Club in Burlington, where he’s an open mic regular – and where he was a finalist in the Vermont’s Funniest Comedian competition in 2023. When he’s not doing comedy, Donavin studies psychological science at Castleton State University, in the hopes of one day becoming a licensed child therapist. Although he has dreams of making the world a better place with his degree, in the meantime it turns out making fun of people is far more enjoyable than helping them.
Maddie Cross is a Burlington-based standup comedian. She was a finalist in the 2023 Vermont’s Funniest Comedian competition, and hosts and produces the standup showcase “Mondays Are Scary!” at the Phoenix Gallery and Music Hall in Waterbury Village. She’s opened for nationally touring headliners such as Phil Hanley, Jackie Kashian, and Laurie Kilmartin, and is a frequent player on local comedy shows around Burlington and northern Vermont. Maddie hails from Washington, D.C., and has memorized the script of “All the President’s Men.” When she’s not doing comedy, she works in higher education, and on the weekends fulfills her childhood dream of working at a bookstore. She’s also, not surprisingly, a classically trained musician.
Vicki Ferentinos is a comedian, chef, writer, and storyteller. She has been a top three finalist in the Vermont’s Funniest comedian competition, and took first in the Vermont Comedy Festival One Minute Comedy Battle. Her first one-woman show “LadyBug Warrior” earned great reviews at the prestigious Edinburgh Fringe Festival. She’s been on Comedy Central, Bravo TV, The Food Network, WOR, and performs throughout New England.
Mike Thomas is a veteran Vermont stand up. A multiple-time finalist in Vermont’s Funniest Comedian contest, he won the coveted award as Vermont’s Funniest Comedian in 2023. Mike performs regularly at the Vermont Comedy Club and around the state, and has opened for national headliners including Wyatt Cenac, Kyle Finane and Sam Jay.
Liam Welsh is currently a Brooklyn-based stand-up comic, but he was born and grew up – and cut his comedy teeth – in the fine State of Vermont. Before moving to pursue comedy in New York City, he was a regularly featured performer at the Vermont Comedy Club in Burlington, where he was First Runner Up in the Vermont’s Funniest Comedian Contest of 2019, and has opened for national headliners such as Janelle James, Michael Rapaport, and Jenny Yang to name a few. He has also performed in NYC Sketchfest, and makes videos on Instagram that his mom has called “pretty funny.”
Host Gordon Clark is proof that you can teach an old dog new tricks. A lifelong organizer and activist, he took up comedy when he was nearing 60, and never looked back. Mostly because it hurts his neck when he turns that way. Gordon is the director of the nonprofit Vermont Comedy All Stars, through which he produces and hosts monthly stand-up comedy showcase specials in Burlington (at the iconic Nectar’s) and Montpelier (Bent Nails Bistro), as well as the quarterly showcase here at the Next Stage Arts Theater in Putney. He lives in Burlington with his wife, dog, and cat.
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 www.nextstagearts.org. For information, call 802-387-0102.