Torkelson brings SNL star and top comedy talent to Merrill

Merrill comedy fans are in for a premier night of stand-up entertainment this month. Merrill native and Merrill High School graduate Matt Torkelson has returned to host the annual Stand Up Night at Les & Jim’s Lincoln Lanes on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026. Now in its seventh edition since launching in 2018 (after missing a couple of years during the pandemic), the showcase brings nationally recognized comedy talent directly to Merrill’s favorite bowling alley banquet room.
Seating is capped at around 225 guests to maintain an intimate, high-energy atmosphere. With past shows selling out, organizers recommend securing tickets early for what has become a signature fall tradition in town.
This year’s showcase features a stacked lineup headlined by Saturday Night Live (SNL) cast member Michael Longfellow, alongside featured comedian Harper Rose Drummond, with Torkelson as host. Torkelson will open the evening with a warm-up set before turning the stage over to Drummond for a 10- to 15-minute feature performance, followed by Torkelson’s 20-minute middle set and Longfellow’s full headlining hour. Longfellow, who joined the cast of SNL in 2022 and recently showcased his hour-long set at the prestigious Just for Laughs festival in Montreal, was eager to return to Merrill.
When Torkelson reached out to invite Longfellow to Wisconsin, Longfellow got straight to the point. ‘He literally asked first thing, “We’re doing the bowling alley again, right?”’ Torkelson said. After being assured that was the plan, “He’s like, ‘Good,’ because he said he really loved it here.”
For Torkelson, bringing his comedy inner circle home is one of the true highlights of his year. “I love putting the show together,” Torkelson said. “Selfishly, I get to hang out with my friends, and I know the show will be great and fun no matter what.”

From Dave’s County Market to the LA stage
Long before performing in comedy clubs across Southern California, Torkelson was a Merrill kid stocking shelves at his first job at Dave’s County Market. A 2006 graduate of Merrill High School who attended St. John Lutheran School from kindergarten through eighth grade, Torkelson grew up surrounded by classic Midwestern humor. His early comedic inspiration came from watching his father and uncles tell stories around the Sunday dinner table, as well as late-night TV icons like Conan O’Brien.
“My dad has always enjoyed sitting around, telling jokes, and making people laugh, and that’s where that spark started,” Torkelson said.
Torkelson initially pursued music. He spent years playing guitar and piano and singing classic rock hits at local spots like Humphrey’s and The Dugout. However, a quiet ambition for stand-up comedy hovered just beneath the surface, though he wasn’t yet confident enough to share that dream with the people around him. But that ambition did lead him to pack his bags for Los Angeles in early 2016.
“I lied to a lot of people in my life — not lie, but fibbed — saying I just wanted to go live out there for a while and maybe do music,” Torkelson said. “But in my heart, I knew I wanted to try stand-up.”

In Los Angeles, he cut his teeth performing four-minute “bringer shows” at legendary venues like the Comedy Store, which is where he first met Longfellow in 2016. Over the past decade, Torkelson’s dedication to the craft has paid off, earning him regular features at Southern California Improv clubs and opening slots for Wisconsin comedy icon Charlie Berens at the Grand Theater in Wausau.

Deep roots on Lake Alexander and a plan to return home
Despite years on the West Coast, Torkelson’s heart has never strayed far from Lincoln County. His family history runs deep in Merrill: his great-uncle Robert helped design the stained-glass windows at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, where his grandmother played the organ for decades.
His connection to his hometown grew even stronger after meeting his fiancée, Felisa, following a comedy performance in the summer of 2023. Felisa, who is completing a double master’s degree in social work and public administration, quickly fell in love with northern Wisconsin.
“She loves Merrill, Tomahawk, Horn Lake, and fishing on Lake Alexander,” Torkelson said. It was actually Felisa who proposed the idea of making Merrill their permanent home base by purchasing Torkelson’s childhood home on Lake Alexander from his father. “She was the one who said, ‘Well, what if we did go back and buy your childhood home?’ That changed all the thinking about how the next few years look,” Torkelson said.

The couple is planning for a summer 2028 wedding and ultimately settling in Merrill. In the meantime, Torkelson looks forward to performing for audiences that share his Midwestern roots and sharp sense of authenticity.
“I’m very biased because I’m from here, but I feel like Midwesterners and Wisconsin folk have an authenticity sensor,” he said. “My comedy is just about where I’m from, my family, and telling honest stories.”

Comedy gives back
While stand-up comedy can be a tough, unpredictable industry, Torkelson reflects on his career with profound gratitude. For him, comedy is not about chasing social media followers or fleeting online fame, but about the joy of the craft and the meaningful relationships built along the way.
“Putting that puzzle together — figuring out which joke goes after which and seeing it work in a room — is just so gratifying,” Torkelson said. While many people think comedy routines are just spontaneous bits that flow, he said creating an effective comedy routine actually takes a lot of work, planning and timing the routine for maximum effect. And he loves that process as much as the laughter that ensues when he hits it just right.

But beyond the reward of laughter in response to his routine and meeting some amazing friends along the way, Torkelson said comedy delivered the single greatest gift of his life: introducing him to his future wife.
“I met my future wife because of comedy,” Torkelson said. “I was doing a show the summer of 2023, and she came to me after the show.” Torkelson said he thought she was just being nice when she said she liked his comedy show. “Then the line I tell everybody that she said: She goes, ‘I bet you have a very interesting phone number.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, even I can’t screw that up. Even I can’t like not catch the signal, you know?’”
The rest, as the saying goes, is history. “So no matter what the end game of comedy is,” Torkelson said, “it’s already given me so much — how could I not be happy?”
When speaking about Felisa and their future together, Torkelson’s face visibly lights up. He speaks warmly about his family and upbringing in the Merrill area, and it is easy to see he is excited to share his future with Felisa in the place that he calls home.

Show tickets available online

Tickets for the Stand Up Night at Les & Jim’s Lincoln Lanes on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, are available online at LesAndJims.com/comedy.