NORFOLK, Neb. -- Vicki Lawrence will conclude the 14th Great American Comedy Festival at the Festival Gala June 17.

Lawrence will be presenting her touring stage show Vicki Lawrence and Mama: A Two Woman Show and will be joined on the stage with four other national stand-up comedians: Chanel Ali, Josh Day, Amy Silverberg, and E.L. Smith.

Chanel Ali is a standup comedian, writer, and actress living in New York City. She was host of the Food Network digital series Food Debate! and a cast member on MTV's Girl Code. Chanel has been a “New Face” at the Just for Laughs festival in Montreal and appeared on Night Train with Wyatt Cenac (STARZ), Laff Mobb’s Laff Tracks (TruTV), Dash & Lily (Netflix), and on Comedy Central. Chanel’s debut album, Chanel No. 1, was featured on Bullseye with Jesse Thorn. In 2021, she filmed her first hour special in Los Angeles as part of Epix’s Unprotected Sets, which premiered in March 2022.

Josh Day has been performing stand up comedy for over 11 years. A New Hampshire native, he has produced some of New England’s longest running and most successful comedy shows at several venues. Focused on helping folks laugh away their sadness, pain and frustration for even a fleeting moment, he uses word play, self deprecation and true tales to connect the people in an absurd reality that even he isn’t sure exists. He has featured for Dave Attell, April Macie, Juston McKinney, Kyle Dunnigan, Drew Lynch, Myq Kaplan, Steve Gillespie, Chris Distefano, Gilbert Gottfried, Leah Rudick, Ben Kronberg and many more. He has appeared on the “Never Not Funny with Jimmy Pardo” podcast, “Paid or Pain” Podacast on Sirius/XM. He can be seen co-starring in the “Christmas Craig” web series on YouTube and in the Amazon Prime movie “Hedgehog”.

Amy Silverberg is a writer and comedian based in Los Angeles. Her debut novel "First Time, Long Time" is forthcoming from Grand Central Publishing in 2024. She holds a PhD in Creative Writing and Literature at the University of Southern California, where she teaches. Her work has appeared in The Paris Review, The New Yorker, The New York Times, TriQuarterly, The Southern Review, The Los Angeles Review of Books, and many other publications. Amy also writes for television, most recently "The Movie Show" on the SYFY Channel. Amy's stand-up comedy has been featured on Comedy Central, Hulu, NPR, and Amazon Prime. She was selected as a "New Face" at the prestigious Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal.

E.L. Smith can be heard on XM Satellite Radio. He can also be seen on Hulu, MTV, Netflix, Dry Bar, and Aamzon Prime. He was the Laugh Factory's 2018 fresh face winner, and a top ten nationwide finalist for NBC clean comedy search. His confidence onstage helps him ease his way through a number of diverse topics. For this reason, E.L has been a finalist and winner in many comedy competitions. Recently E.L. can be seen on The Comedy Story documentary on Showtime.

Set for Thursday through Saturday, June 15-17, at 7 p.m. at the Johnny Carson Theatre in Norfolk, the festival is presented by Nucor Steel Nebraska, Nucor Cold Finish Nebraska, Nucor Detailing Center, and Vulcraft Nebraska.

It kicks off Thursday with the family Comedy Magic Show. Friday night’s entertainment includes the Comedy Showcase with Michael Ian Black as headliner and four other national stand-up comics at the theatre. The Sparklight Adults Only, Late Night Show follows at 10:30 at The Stables in Norfolk. Saturday’s Festival Gala concludes the three-day event at the Johnny Carson Theatre.

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 over 25 years.

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