It’s a little trite, but he kids because he cares.
Corin Hughes-Skandijs, who moved from Juneau to Delaware about a year ago, is coming back to the capital city to visit, and he’ll be roasting Juneau while he’s here. Hughes-Skandijs told the Empire he wanted it to be clear his jokes come from an affectionate place and have been percolating for a while.
“I moved up [to Juneau] to go to school back when I was 21, in 2005, and I spent 13 years up there, and it became the town, where I grew up — or became an adult,” Hughes-Skandijs said. “Doing stand-up comedy the last several years, occasionally a Juneau joke or two would be thrown in, and I kind of realized the potential because they would always land.”
Leaving the city only underscored some of its quirks, said Hughes-Skandijs, who previously performed with local comedy group Club Baby Seal.
“Now, having moved out of it, obviously my brain goes back to Juneau,” he said.
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Everything from the Alaska Folk Festival to the way people drive seems to offer potential for laughs, and Hughes-Skandijs began to contemplate whether he could put together enough Juneau-centric material to fill an entire show.
He said his hand was forced, when he reached out to the Gold Town Theater and found out there was an opening on the only date he could make such a show work — Saturday, June 8.
Hughes-Skandijs said he realized he could either put a show together or get off the pot.
He said he expects his set to run about 40-55 minutes, which is longer than the time he typically fills while performing in Delaware, Maryland and New York.
“It’s going to be a challenge,” he said. “It’s going to be growth for me. It will stretch me.”
The show itself will run at least an hour, Hughes-Skandijs said because his sister, Alicia, will be his opener.
“She’s one of the funniest people I know, it just so happens that we’re related,” he said.
During the roast, don’t expect a flurry of one-liners or Jeff Foxworthy-style you-might-be-from-Juneau-if jokes, Hughes-Skandijs said. He said attendees should expect more of a conversational style and adult language at the 21-and-up show.
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“I’m heavily influenced by Colin Quinn,” Hughes-Skandijs said. “‘The New York Story’ for one and his most recent one, ‘Red State Blue State.’ It’s more in line with that.”
“There are moments where I’ll call out some individual well-known Juneau names, and I do take down the downtown bars one by one,” he added.
However, the takedowns are the sort of observations that can only come from living with and caring for something, he said.
“Roasts are all born out of love,” Hughes-Skandijs said. “You can tell someone you love that they’re doing something weird.”
Know & Go
What: The Roast of Juneau
When: 9 p.m., Saturday, June 8
Where: Gold Town Theater, 171 Shattuck Way
Admission: Tickets cost $10 and can be purchased at the door. They can also be purchased ahead of time via Venmo by sending money to Corin Hughes-Skandijs with a message including the buyer’s name and the number of tickets being requested. Tickets can also be reserved by messaging Hughes-Skandijs over Facebook and paying at the door.
• Contact arts and culture reporter Ben Hohenstatt at (907)523-2243 or bhohenstatt@juneauempire.com. Follow him on Twitter at @BenHohenstatt.
