Creative Q&A with local comedian Sabrina Speers

WASILLA— Valley comedian Sabrina Speers recently participated in a question and answer interview to discuss her creative journey discovering how many good things come from a good laugh.

How long have you been doing comedy?

“I started standup in 2017… I was going to Anchorage for a while. I had friends of friends and people I knew who came out to see me.”

What started you down this path?

“I had a very dear friend named Theresa Collins... She was like, ‘you’re too funny, I’ve got to get you on stage.’ Then she was diagnosed with cancer. She was six months older than me and passed away on my birthday.”

What happened from there?

“It was one of those things I did just to be like, ‘I did it, T.’ Something to honor my friend. But, it got addicting. I guess I was pretty decent at it. So, I just kept going and then it turned into where people wanted to pay me, and I was like, ‘that’s insane,’” she said with a laugh.

What was it like when you walked on stage for that first performance?

“I kinda tried to picture myself putting a persona on, Sabrena Speers the Comedian. The thing that I was most scared about was whether or not they were gonna laugh… I just pretend I’m in a group with my friends telling a story.”

Did you use humor as a way to cope?

“100 percent humor is a survival skill. It is a coping mechanism. It is one of the things that give us hope; because if you can laugh about something, you can get past it… Sometimes that’s the only thing that gets you through… You can still find humor in the innate. It gives us the belief to continue if nothing else, to tell a story.”

What’s an example of that?

“I lost my daughter in 2013. This is one of the reasons Theresa wanted me to do comedy: I grew up in that generation where you don’t go Walmart in pajama pants. You put on decent clothes on before you leave the house and all that… but when I checked out of the hospital, the only place that had my medication and no drive-thru was Walmart and the only thing I had that was clean was flannel pajama pants… I look down and realize that I’m in pajama pants and I started laughing. That was a time when I never thought I would never laugh ever again in my life. Having that moment and saying, ‘never say never’ like in ‘American Tale…’ That helped me cope a lot… In my first set, I actually closed with that story… I was almost in tears, but everybody was laughing and clapping so it went okay… I feel like I’m doing something good and I’m doing some good well. It makes me both thankful and amazed that other people see that.”

What’s your take on the Valley’s pool of creative talent?

“I love the Valleys local talent. I just wish more people knew how much more fun we can have out here… People are hungry for entertainment and we have all the things they need… I started the Quarantine Playhouse as a Facebook page. I started inviting all of my friends that I knew from open mics… Every Friday during the lockdown, we did a virtual open mic… We kept it going all the way through lockdown and did a few shows as things started opening up. Now, we call it Variety Playhouse because we’re not in quarantine any more. We play at the bars… and give everybody a good three-hour rotation of genre and entertainment.”

Sabrina Speers appears on 107.1 KHITZ with Michael B. Dillon for their new radio show called The S&M Morning Show. She appears at venues such as Everette’s and Schwabenhof on a regular basis. She’s also scheduled to perform at Friday Fling Aug. 20. For more information, visit facebook.com/SabrinaSpeers.

To learn more about Variety Playhouse, visit facebook.com/AlaskanPlayhouse.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com