Comedians from Norfolk, Omaha bring laughter to opening night of comedy festival

A diverse lineup of comedians took the stage during a regional showcase Wednesday, delivering an evening of humor that ranged from everyday observations to stories about family, relationships and small-town experiences. District Event Center hosted the opening night of the Great American Comedy Festival on Wednesday with the debut of regional comedy night, a new showcase designed to highlight comedians from Nebraska and the surrounding region. The festival, an annual celebration honoring Norfolk native and television icon Johnny Carson, continues Thursday with a comedy magic show. Host Clem Jameson, an Omaha-based comedian, opened the evening by joking about working the same day job for 26 years and repeatedly putting off his dream of becoming a full-time comedian. “One of the biggest things that I've learned about myself is I'm just a little bit of a procrastinator,” Jameson said. He joked that he knew during his second week on the job that he wanted to quit but had “just been putting it off ever since.” Jameson also poked fun at the current job market, saying he had sent his résumé to dozens of companies, but “not one of them has faxed me back.” He followed with jokes about outdated technology, including Windows 98 and Y2K compliance. Headliner finds humor in everyday life Headliner Addy Herman’s set featured crowd interaction and stories about life in Nebraska. Herman immediately began engaging audience members, joking about Norfolk’s pronunciation and the city’s connection to Carson. “I love these little towns, man,” Herman said. “I really do enjoy this place.” The Omaha comedian also shared stories about buying a house and adjusting to life in a new neighborhood. “The reason a mortgage lasts 30 years is because that's how long it takes to unpack all your boxes,” he said. Family stories emerged as another major theme of his performance. Herman reflected on growing up in a large family, describing himself as a middle child who has to compete for attention. “I had to be (funny),” he said. “I was expendable. I had competition.” He also recalled being asked to speak at his father’s memorial service and treating the speech like a performance opportunity. “I went up and did my thing, and then (my brother) followed me with about 15 minutes of just crying,” he said. “... I remember turning to my mom in the front row, I said, ‘Next funeral, I'm closing, OK?’ ” He later reflected on death and family relationships, balancing humor with storytelling. “Death is scary,” Herman said. “The thought of endless dark — but not as terrifying as the concept of everlasting life with my family.” Herman’s performance also featured exchanges with audience members. Throughout his set, he repeatedly returned to conversations with one audience member seated near the front, turning the responses into running jokes that carried through the evening. Nebraska-based comics draw laughs Several other performers from Nebraska also were featured Wednesday evening, with many focusing on self-deprecating humor. Norfolk comedian Justin Stephens opened with a story about his son’s recent graduation that fooled an entire auditorium of parents. “I started noticing that every other girl had like a 9-month-old baby in her hand,” Stephens said. After the ceremony, Stephens said he questioned his son about what he had seen. His son said the babies were part of a coordinated prank in which classmates passed the same infant from graduate to graduate as they crossed the stage. “Can you imagine an auditorium full of parents thinking like, ‘What (kind of) program is this?’ ” Stephens said. The moment also changed Stephens’ perspective of his son, he said. “I didn't think my son would be able to survive on his own, but right in that moment, a little tear came to my eye,” he said. “I was like, ‘This little (guy) might actually survive on his own.’ ” Teryn Perez of Omaha spoke about life after divorce, drawing laughs with stories about marrying young and reentering the dating world in her 30s. Perez joked about keeping her ex-husband’s last name after their divorce. “He actually said to me, ‘Yeah, you can keep it. I hope it gives you more street cred,’ ” Perez told the audience. She reflected on marrying shortly before her 19th birthday and beginning divorce proceedings a decade later. Some of her set focused on the challenge of adapting to modern dating culture after spending most of her adult life in one relationship, including when she joined a dating app in her 30s. “I've never felt older in my life,” she said, comparing asking a younger friend for help setting up her profile to having someone create a social media account for a grandparent. Kendra Karbowski, another Omaha-based comic, spoke about growing older, including stories about having a fair complexion and dealing with years of sun exposure. Reflecting on childhood summers, she recalled using low-SPF sunscreen and tanning oil before later realizing the consequences. “I'm not peaches and cream anymore like I used to be,” Karbowski joked. “I'm now closer to a banana.” She also shared stories about her husband, a computer engineer whom she affectionately described as her “2.0 husband.” “We were both divorced and leery of getting married again, and so to decide if he was ready, he did a spreadsheet,” she said. “I got 87%.” Breanna Kalhorn’s set featured stories about her poor eyesight and the assumptions people make about her. After revealing she wears strong contact lenses, Kalhorn joked that her driving mistakes have less to do with stereotypes and more to do with her vision. “I didn't run that stop sign because of the estrogen flowing through my veins,” Kalhorn said. “I ran it because my blind (self) was texting while driving.” She shared another story from her time working in the liquor department of a grocery store, where she grew tired of repetitive customer conversations. Reflecting on customers who routinely celebrated the arrival of Friday, the Omaha comedian said, “Dude, I work retail, and you're an alcoholic, Jerry. We're both gonna be here tomorrow.” Zack Rahrs of Omaha had a set that mixed observations about current events, modern habits and life in the Midwest. Rahrs poked fun at the evolution of vape products, arguing that modern flavors have become increasingly elaborate. “I think vape flavors are getting a little ridiculous nowadays,” he said. “... Now they have flavors like hibiscus swirl and frozen surprise and new car smell.” Reflecting on performing comedy while sober, Rahrs joked that audiences seemed friendlier when his vision was blurrier.