Sally Oberstein’s Alaska World Arts is bringing the Alaska Comedy Showcase to Homer for an evening show on Saturday, May 4 at 8 p.m. at Alice’s. The event will feature six Anchorage comedians and will be hosted by Katelyn Owens, who has been working in Alaska comedy for about two years.

“I think a really awesome thing about Alaska comedy is that it’s pretty easy to get involved in a way that’s not available in the Lower 48, so I was able to start running my own show in Homer. Our first one took place in November 2023 and we’re planning to continue performing quarterly,” Owens said.

Owens said Anchorage has an incredible comedy scene and that sometimes surprises people. In the first week of April, Anchorage held the B4UDie Comedy Festival. The festival brought up about 80 comedians from all over the country.

“Every year at the festival we have so many of the artists say, ‘Oh, my gosh! We had no idea how funny Anchorage people are. For such a small, isolated place you guys have quite a comedy scene,’” Owens said. “It’s really true and I’m excited to be able to share it with my hometown.”

Owens is originally from Homer but moved to Anchorage as child and lives there now. This is the third Alaska Comedy Showcase to take place here.

“We want to make sure that we get a wide variety of styles and at least five people for each show. Because there are so many talented comics to choose from,” Owens said.

Comedians presenting on Saturday include Jessie James Best, Justin Sands, Katelyn Owens, Kass Smiley, Rudy Ascot and Ben Peterson. Each person will present for approximately 15 minutes.

Owens’ performing arts background is in improvisation and musical theater, “but comedy is truly where I’ve settled and found a place where I belong,” she said. She has performed at the Edinburgh International Fringe Festival, a world performing arts event that began in Scotland in 1947.

This is a 21 and over event and tickets are $20. Tickets can be purchased at www.alaskaworldarts.org. Both previous shows have sold out.