Novato Theater Company
Comedy Festival October 2026
NTC proudly presents the next in our wildly popular series of Comedy Festivals, featuring the best of the Bay Area stand-up talent right here on our stage.
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​​Friday October 16, 2026, 8:00pm
Saturday October 17, 2026, 8:00pm
Novato Theater Company, 5420 Nave Dr #C, Novato, CA 94949
$25 per night!
$40 for both nights!
Tickets at the door, or on-line in advance below
Organized and MC'd by John Griffin
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Friday, October 16, 8:00pm
Dan "Gonzo" Machanik
Holly Shaw
Marcus Howard
Cody Smit
Steve Ausburne
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Saturday, October 17, 8:00pm
Franco Tevini
Matt Gubser
Jonny Stein
Sophia Garrow
Jon Lehre
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​​​Line-up subject to change. Photos and Bios in no particular order.​
WINE AND BEER WILL BE AVAILABLE! BEER COURTESY OF...​​
Dan "Gonzo" Machanik
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Bay Area Comedy Legend Dan "Gonzo" Machanik has performed on Stages from Taiwan to New York and everywhere in between. In 2025 he headlined Jimmy Kimmel's Comedy Club on the Las Vegas Strip Ten Times, headlined Aspen's Winterskol Comedy Festival as well as The Humboldt Comedy Festival. He's been the preferred opening act for Comedians including Gary Shandling, Tommy Chong, Mark Curry and Co-headlined six shows with Adam Carolla. His shows have been described as a Wild Party you don't want to miss and has a cult-like Fan Base known as "The Gonzo Comedy Nation." www.gonzocomedynation.com
Holly Shaw
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Holly Shaw has been featured on stand-up comedy showcases all over the Bay Area and Northern CA including Cobbs Comedy Club, Alameda Comedy Club, Sacramento Punchline and the Oakland Comedy Festival. A lifetime of an entertainer includes such credits as starring in an ABC Afterschool Special and hosting the UK TV show, the Edinburgh Revue. She is the author of two bestselling books, The Creative Formula and Making Art in the Middle of Madness. To learn more, please visit www.HollyShawComedy.com
Marcus Howard
Born and raised in Oakland, Marcus Howard is a comedian who's been making audiences laugh for years. With a sharp wit and a unique perspective on life, Marcus has become a regular on the Bay Area comedy scene. He's performs regulary at the SF Punchline, Cobbs Comedy Club, and Rooster T Feathers. His comedy touches on everything from kids to race to relationships. Marcus is known for his ability to turn everyday situations into hilarious stories, and he's not afraid to tackle tough topics with humor and heart. Whether he's riffing on the absurdities of being a liberal or sharing his thoughts on the state of the world, Marcus is always entertaining, insightful, and funny.
Cody Smit
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Before doing stand-up comedy, Santa Rosa native Cody Smit started out as a rapper under the stage name, C-Smitty. After realizing he was tone-deaf and possessed no rhythm, he gave up on his dreams of becoming a white rapper and took to stand-up comedy. His first gig was at a slam poetry open mic and consisted of him jotting down jokes about an ex-girlfriend on a bar napkin. His would-be set quickly escalated into a dreary tirade about her infidelity. Before he knew it, Smit was producing and hosting comedy shows throughout Sonoma County. At 22 years old, Smit learned the art of what it truly means to “bomb” on stage in the preliminary rounds of the San Francisco Comedy Competition. Now he does so with class and dignity.
Steve Ausburne
Steve Ausburne is a Northern California based comedian but started his comedy career by getting a lifetime ban from a church Grant’s Pass Oregon. Buoyed by that taste of success, he has since embraced the stage as a place to present a spoken word memoir of all the embarrassing life moments that lurk in a place that only stand up or therapy sessions can reveal. Steve is a regular at the San Francisco Punch Line and Cobb’s Comedy Club as well as a cohost of multiple mildly popular podcasts. He is also allergic to cats.
Franco Tevini
A former stage actor and improvisor from a young age, Franco Tevini’s character work and knack for storytelling have endeared his stand-up to audiences for over a decade. Franco performs digestible bits of surreal, elevated slice-of-life comedy. He has featured on shows at Cobb’s Comedy Club, Sacramento Comedy Spot, The New York Comedy Club, and many other venues across the country.
Matt Gubser
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Matt Gubser is a San Francisco Bay Area comic who performs across the country (and even internationally every once in a while). Touching on topics ranging from parenting, dating, sex, politics, & religion, he intermingles personal anecdotes and biting social commentary, all couched in a comfortable, relaxed delivery. Matt was has been part of SF Weekly's "Best of the Bay" and was named “Comedian’s Comedian” in the Bay Area Stand Up Comedy Awards. His first special, "Daddy Issues" can be seen on Next Up Comedy. His most recent album, “Before He Was Famous,” reached #2 on Amazon Music's comedy chart.
Jonny Stein
Jonny Stein is a stand-up comic based out of Oakland, CA. He has been featured in Don't Tell Comedy and Sirius XM. He was a finalist in the US Comedy Contest in 2020 and has gotten the opportunity to open for some of his favorite comics including Ryan O'Flanagan, Eddie Ifft, and Scott Capurro.
Sophia Garrow
Since moving to San Francisco in 2022, Sophia has been featured in SF Sketchfest, Limestone Comedy Festival, Vail Comedy Festival, Cheaper Than Therapy, the Palace of Fine Arts, the SF Standard and many more. Her comedy has been described as “are you sure you want to tell strangers about that?” by her mom and “but you’re still an accountant, right?” by her dad. With a mix of personal anecdotes, a dash of self deprecation, and an eerie similarity to Rosie the Riveter, Sophia will make you feel like you’ve been best friends all along..
Jon Lehre
Jon Lehre is a comedian and storyteller who has performed all over California including at The Punch Line and Cobb’s Comedy Club, participated in the Savage Henry Comedy Festival, the Sacramento Comedy Competition and the San Diego Comedy Competition. He has been featured on the Moth storytelling radio program and runs a popular monthly comedy open mic in Sebastopol. A married father of two, his mid-life crisis is going better than expected. He can be found on all the social things and at jonlehre.com.
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