Line-Up | planocomedyfestival

Official 2024 Festival Line-Up

We have over 100 comics performing on this year's Plano Comedy Festival! And our talent line-up is bigger and better than ever!

What do you get when you cross an Engineer with a stand-up comedian? You get Don McMillan. This former chip designer has been doing his one-of-a-kind, PowerPoint-Driven comedy show for audiences for over 20 years. In his show packed with graphs & charts, Don will show you the funny side of your world that has been sitting right in front of you – you are just too busy working to notice.

Don graduated from Stanford University with a Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering. He then went to work at AT&T Bell Labs where he was part of the team that designed the world’s first 32-bit microprocessor. He then moved to Silicon Valley where he helped launch the start-up company, VLSI Technology. After 15 years in the tech world, Don quit his job to become a stand-up comedian. That year, he won $100,000 as the Comedy Grand Champion on “Star Search”. Don’s been seen on “The Tonight Show”, “HBO”, and the “Comedy Central”. These days, Don spends most of his time writing and performing customized corporate comedy shows for companies like Google, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Ford Motors, and Exxon/Mobil. Don has performed more than 800 corporate shows in the last 20 years and he was named the #1 Corporate Comedian by the CBS Business Network.

Learnmore Jonasi is a Zimbabwean stand-up comedian and actor. He stands at over 6 feet, his comedy is brought to life by past experiences, observations and his view (from the top) which elicit rib-tickling laughs, regardless of the crowd.

He has performed with and alongside the biggest names on the African Continent and performed across 20 countries at various Theatres, Festivals, Comedy clubs, and on TV Shows. He was the winner of the 2023 Boston Comedy Festival , and the 2023 audience choice Jersey City Comedy festival.

In 2019 he won the National Arts Merit Awards as the Outstanding Comedian of the Year, the Savanna Comic Choice Awards as the Pan African Comic of the Year, and he was the People’s Choice Award winner in Steve Harvey’s Stand Up Spotlight competition. He can be seen on America’s Got Talent starting May 2024 after receiving the Golden Buzzer and advancing directly to the live show.

With a career spanning over 37 years, comedy veteran Brad Upton is just getting started.

The former fourth grade teacher and part-time track coach is seeing a resurgence unlike anyone else. His 2019 Dry Bar comedy special, “Boomer Triggers Gen-Z Snowflakes” with 16.1 million views on YouTube, is the 2nd most viewed comedy special on the planet. The viral phenomenon sent the album to #1 on the iTunes Charts and drove his ensuing special “I’m Not Done Yet” to new heights. Collectively, the clips and full specials have garnered well over 200 million views across all platforms and continue to build momentum from newfound fans all across the country.

In a 34-year professional career there are too many highlights to name them all. He is a past winner of the Las Vegas Comedy Festival and appeared at Caesar's Palace as part of the HBO Comedy Festival. He has spent the last twelve years as the opening act for the legendary Johnny Mathis and did multiple shows all over the country with the late, great Joan Rivers.

Sarah Colonna is a standup comedian, actor and NYT Bestselling Author

Sarah became well known as the popular roundtable regular on the hit late night talk show “Chelsea Lately.” She also served as a full time writer on “Chelsea Lately,” as well as a producer, writer and star of the show’s spin-off scripted series “After Lately.” She most recently starred as “Angie” in Netflix’s hit show “Insatiable, and recurred as “Lori” in seasons 9 & 10 of “Shameless.”

Her first book, “Life as I Blow it,” debuted at number 5 on the New York Times Bestseller list, followed with a sold out book tour in several major cities in the country. It was also sold to NBC to be developed for television with producers Happy Madison two years in a row.

Her second book, “Has Anyone Seen My Pants?” was released in March 2015 to the same rave reviews and tour. Sarah continues to tour across the country headlining comedy clubs regularly. She’s appeared on several other TV shows, including “The Steve Harvey Show,” “The United States of Tara,” “Scare Tactics,” and “Monk,” and was a semi-finalist on NBC’s “Last Comic Standing.”

Paul Varghese is an American comedian and actor of Indian descent who appeared on the hit reality show Last Comic Standing. He taped his first full set for national television on March 8, 2007 for Comedy Central's Live at Gotham. Paul Varghese's act includes a number of observations about being Indian, providing outsider-looking-in and insider-looking-out commentary, while also exploring an array of topics and issues outside that realm. He was named by the Dallas Observer in 2007 as the "Best Stand-up Comic in Dallas" and then won the 2009 "Funniest Comic in Dallas" competition. Varghese has performed at the HBO Comedy Festival, the Montreal and Toronto's Just For Laughs Festivals and the TBS Comedy Festival. His TV credits include Telemundo 2's "Loco Comedy Jam", NBC's "Last Comic Standing," Comedy Central's "Live At Gotham" and he can be seen on Showtime's "Russell Peters Presents". His latest special "As I Was Saying" is out on YouTube.

His album, Paul and Oates, was recorded via Comedy Central Records and hit #1 on iTunes.

The Magic of Eric Eaton has performed all over the United States and can be seen on the hit TV Show Masters of Illusion. Eric has won a Merlin Award (Oscar’s of Magic) for Outstanding Comedy and Magic. Eric has had the opportunity amaze celebrities such as; George Lopez, Lou Ferrigno, Russell Peters, Desiigner, and many more in which you can find on his social media platforms; @themagicofericeaton. Eric puts on a great show that earns him high praise with his unique blend of magic, charm and comedic wit. People referred to his amazing comedic tendencies and his ability with magic to being the perfect combination for a compelling and entertaining show. All of Eric’s tricks include audience members. From the show’s start to the incredible finish, audience members find themselves on stage trading barbs with Eric and having the time of their lives! The interchange is classic entertainment at its best. Be prepared to sit back and laugh at the hilarious and incredible Comedy and Magic of Eric Eaton!

When you hear Linda Stogner's act on stage, you get the sense that she lives in her own little world where common sense and normalcy don't exist. But as Joel Hodgson once said, "That's OK, they know me there."

The comic and filmmaker was born into a life of absurdity. She was brought into the world by a father who got mixed up in a Chicago crime syndicate when he had an affair with the wife of a local mob boss. When her mother left her with her father and he couldn't take care of her, his partner-in-crime brought her back to Texas where his parents raised her with a set of phony adoption papers. That sounds like the perfect resume for a budding comic but it wouldn't be fair to just call Stogner that. She's also a gifted and heartfelt storyteller.

Her storytelling skills and unique point of view have earned her comedy honors such as Funniest Comic in Texas as well as several Emmys and a Gold Hugo award for short films and documentaries she's made for KERA and the PBS series Life 360.

Mike Vecchione is a New York City based comedian who has been performing in NYC clubs and across the country for more than 20 years.

A former special education teacher, Mike got his start in Philadelphia, before moving to The Big Apple where he has gained the respect of the industry, comedy clubs and his fellow comedians.

Mike has multiple appearances on The Tonight Show, as well as on Netflix, Comedy Central and Hulu. Mike was also in the movie The King of Staten Island, starring Pete Davidson and was a featured podcast guest on The Joe Rogan Experience. Mike currently has a one-hour comedy special available now on YouTube called, The Attractives, directed and produced by friend and fellow comedian, Nate Bargatze.

Born and raised in The Bronx, New York City, Cipha Sounds is, and has always been, more than your average entertainer. Cipha got his start carrying crates and opening for Funkmaster Flex at renowned New York nightclubs, the Tunnel and the Palladium, before his talent for song selection and infectious personality earned him a spot at famous New York radio station, Hot 97.

Cipha quickly moved up the ranks from Flex’s intern, getting his own show “Cipha Saturdays,” to finally hosting the coveted morning show. During his 17 years at Hot 97, and as a host on Eminem’s Sirius satellite station Shade 45, he helped launch the careers of Rihanna, Rick Ross, 50 Cent, and Sean Paul.

He performs standup comedy at clubs around the city, including the legendary Comedy Cellar, is currently touring with the likes of Dave Chappelle, Michelle Wolf, Michael Che and more, and headlining his own shows around the country

Karith Foster began her comedy career in NYC and became a national Headliner. She has been seen on The Today Show, Oprah, Howard Stern, VH1, Comedy Central and Showtime at the Apollo. Karith Foster: Straight Outta Plano" is in rotation on Sirius/XM’s Raw Dog Comedy Channel.

Karith was featured in two hit documentary films “Can We Take a Joke?” and "No Safe Spaces" which have garnered accolades in The Washington Post and TIME Magazine, as has her TEDx Talk “The Art of Defying Stereotypes: Learning to be True to Your Voice.” This best selling author of "You Can Be Perfect or You Can Be Happy" was Don Imus's co-host on his nationally syndicated radio and television show, Imus In The Morning.

KeLanna Spiller, originally hailing from Pine Bluff, AR, now calls Dallas, TX home. In just a few short years, she's graced the stages of renowned comedy venues like the Addison and Arlington Improv alongside national headliners. Her talent landed her as a finalist in the prestigious Funniest Comic in Texas competition at the Improv Comedy Club.

Spiller's dynamic storytelling and keen observational humor have earned her a cherished spot among Dallas' comedy scene favorites. However, it was her unforgettable Comedy Central television debut on Kevin Hart Presents: Hart of the City that catapulted her onto the global stage. Since then, she's been delighting audiences at clubs across the globe with her infectious energy and wit.