Alaskan Stand-Up Comedy Festival Begins April 1
Contributed by Ben Peterson
Here’s a fact that’s actually fun: the annual Alaska B4UDie Comedy Festival returns in April for its fourth year of far-north hilarity. With 30+ shows spanning the week of April 1-7, the festival is Alaska’s largest comedy event. This year’s fest, presented by THC Alaska, will unite more than 40 seasoned stand-up comedians from around the continental U.S. and beyond. All of them are thrilled to visit and perform in the Last Frontier “b4 they die.”
Most of the festival’s programming will be stand-up showcases, a format that gives a roundup of comics each 5-10 minutes to share some of their best material—or as also happens, their funny first impressions of Alaska. There will also be a free Local Legends Showcase at Koot’s on Tuesday, April 2, where some of the best in-state comedy talents will compete for the title of Local Legend.
Specialty shows include a clean show (the Joke Cleanse at Organic Oasis), a brunch show (Comedy Brunch at Moose A’La Mode), a live podcast recording (the popular I’m A Basshole with Doug Bass), and a live musical comedy game show (Those Aren’t the Words).
This year’s B4UDie Fest will feature a record number of headlining comedians, presenting five headliners between April 3-6. Adam Newman has appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman, released his own Comedy Central Half Hour Special, and toured with Bo Burnham. He’ll be performing at Koot’s on Wednesday, April 3 as part of a double-header show with Hayden Kristal. Hayden was a semifinalist on America’s Got Talent and voice-acted in the Adult Swim/HBO Max series Tuca & Bertie. She also appeared in the 2022 Alaska B4UDie Fest.
Another B4UDie veteran, Chad Optiz, will return to headline shows at The Broken Blender in Anchorage and Alpenglow Coffee House in Girdwood on Thursday, April 4 and Friday, April 5. Chad performs regularly in the San Francisco and Sacramento areas, is a frequent guest on the Doug Loves Movies podcast with Doug Benson and appeared in Amazon Prime’s Goliath.
Hometown hero Jessica Michelle Singleton, who grew up in Alaska, will headline four shows over the course of the festival, entertaining crowds in Anchorage, Seward, and Homer. Since moving out of state, she has become widely known for her work in Don’t Tell Comedy and Showtime’s Paid Regular at the Comedy Store, her own pair of #1 comedy albums, and her collaborations with Theo Von, Bert Kreischer, Iliza Schlesinger, and Melissa Villasenor.
The festival’s biggest show will be a headlining performance at the Bear Tooth Theatrepub by Marcella Arguello. Marcella’s many credits include 2 Dope Queens on HBO, Night Train with Wyatt Cenac on STARZ, David Spade’s Lights Out, and Sarah Cooper’s Netflix special Everything’s Fine. She released her acclaimed debut half-hour special on HBO & HBO Max last year.
Three fest events are scheduled to take place in the Mat-Su Valley. The regular Tuesday night open mic at Klondike Mike’s will be redubbed the B4UDie Palmer Invasion for April 2, offering festival comics some extra stage time to hone their jokes in progress or test some completely new material. As always, the mic welcomes anyone to sign up and perform. The event starts at 7pm and is free to attend. Entry to Klondike Mike’s is 21+.
Second, the Best of B4UDie Talkeetna showcase comes to the Sheldon Community Arts Hangar on Wednesday, April 3. Hosted by local comic Ben Peterson, the show brings some of the fest’s finest feature acts north to spread laughs and pay their respects to Mayor Denali. Later in the week, Best of B4UDie Wasilla does the same for Everett’s Restaurant in the Mat-Su Resort, hosted by Mike Lajoie on Friday, April 5. Entry to Everett’s is 21+.
Tickets and VIP passes are on sale now. Visit the festival website to buy yours: www.alaskab4udiefest.com/passes