PUTNEY, Vt. – Gordon Clark and his Vermont Comedy All Stars return for a night of stand-up comedy at Next Stage Arts. 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.”
Julia Colasanti is originally a Vermonter transplanted to the Midwest who moved back again. Julia has been performing stand-up comedy since she was too young to get into comedy clubs. She’s opened for notable humans including Amy Miller, Yamaneika Saunders, and Jay Larson, and performed at iconic venues including Chicago Laugh Factory and the Vermont Comedy Club, as well as numerous other shows in the Burlington area. She puts on Pop Up Stand Up, a series of comedy showcases to benefit local charities.
Julia DiFerdinando has been re-scheduled from our September 30 show. Julia is a Vermonter and comedian. After touring and teaching comedy for over 10 years with the world famous Second City in Chicago, in 2018 she returned to Vermont to be the creative director at the Vermont Comedy Club, where she developed all programming and artistic content for the groundbreaking theater. In 2019, she won the London Short Series Best Actress award for her performance in “The Coat Room,” which she also wrote and produced.
Teaching and performing comedy has taken her around the world, most notably to Birmingham, San Francisco, and Beijing. Last year, she took a job at South Burlington High School as a theatre teacher, where she brings her love of comedy to the students, and has directed and produced a wide range of performance opportunities.
A former Vermonter, Ash Diggs is now a Brooklyn-based comedian who has been featured on Means TV, Don’t Tell Comedy, and Union Hall. He has performed across the country, earning the right to open for some of his heroes such as Ilana Glazer, Tim Meadows, Joyelle Johnson, Moshe Kasher, Cameron Esposito, and more.
Alex Duval is a Burlington-based standup comedian. Originally from Kansas City, Alex began his performing career as a professional classical musician before deciding to shift into standup comedy, a lifelong dream of his. Alex has recently opened for Jamie Lee (Ted Lasso), Dana Gould (The Simpsons), and Shane Torres (Comedy Central), and was a finalist in the 2023 Vermont’s Funniest Comedian competition.
Alex also produces and hosts a monthly comedy showcase and a monthly open mic at Four Quarters Brewery in Winooski. In his free time, he can be found woodworking and hanging out with his rescue dog Nina.
Levi Silverstein is a Burlington-based comic who has performed at numerous clubs in Seattle and, more recently, the Vermont Comedy Club in Burlington. He has opened for national headliners such as Gabe Rutledge, Daniel Eachus, and Jason Cheny. He can be seen performing regularly at shows around Burlington, and was a semi-finalist in this year’s Vermont’s Funniest Comedian Contest.
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 standup 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.