Festival Program
WELCOME TO THE 2025 FESTIVAL
Welcome!
You're Invited
Artists and art lovers of all ages are invited to a celebration of the arts sponsored by the Alaska World Arts Festival - offering live performances, workshops, discussions, films, and banters presented by local and worldwide artists.​​​​
Festival Program​
View all of our festival events by date below.
Festival Membership
Save with a Festival Membership! Get a FREE PASS to 20 Festival-sponsored events PLUS 1 FREE RAFFLE TICKET.​​
September 12 - 13
Friday, September 12
4-6 pm
World Arts Opening Reception
Welcome to this gathering of art lovers celebrating the beginning of the Alaska World Arts Festival. The Homer Chamber of Commerce hosts this social event. Meet some of this year's artists and enjoy live musical entertainment with Jake Schlapfer.
This year’s Reception will include an in-person live art experience as Jeffrey Dean, Cindy Nelson, Jan Peyton, Lynn Naden, and Sharlene Cline create pieces of visual art before your very eyes. These original treasures will remain on display at Homer Chamber of Commerce, up for bid through September 21. These items will be at the Alaska World Arts Entertainment Spectacle at Alice’s on September 21 for their final silent bid countdown.
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WHERE IS THIS EVENT?
Homer Chamber of Commerce
FREE EVENT / No Registration Required
Friday, September 12
6 pm
Lights, Camera, Action! 

Calling Writers, Directors, Filmmakers, and Actors! 

Join us live upstairs at Alice's for the festival's annual 48-hour Film Slam Jam Plan – meeting. We invite writers, directors, filmmakers, actors, and crew to come together for this playful idea-sharing event. Plan to use your phone, DSLR, or camcorder to film a one to seven-minute-long silent or sound film. All ages, amateurs, and professionals are welcome. Bring your own crew or connect with others who come to participate. Los Angeles film star, filmmaker Mike Selle, and filmmakers Susannah Webster and Nate Spence-Chorman will launch this event in person from Alice's upstairs lounge. Mike Selle and Susannah Webster will announce the parameters and genre for this year's films and answer any questions you have. Completed films will be due by 9 pm Sunday, Sept. 14. They will be shown to a curious and appreciative audience at the Porcupine Theater on Saturday, September 19, at 7 pm.
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WHERE IS THIS EVENT?
Upstairs at Alice's Champagne Palace
FREE EVENT / No Registration Required
Friday, September 12
7:30 and 10 pm
Elton John – The Early Years 
(TWO SHOW TIMES)
Celebrate the early music of Elton John in this tribute performance by the accomplished musician and vocalist Kenny Metcalf as he recreates the multiple Grammy-winning legend and flamboyant superstar on stage in Homer. Fans who love Elton John will adore this performance! It’s not just the sequins and the big glasses; it’s not just the smiles – when he sings, he takes the audience to a real live Elton John experience. This is a show that transports you to the early career of Elton John’s music. You’ll be rocking in your seat and singing along with reminiscent tunes from “Benny and the Jets” to “Rocket Man” to “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.”
WHERE IS THIS EVENT?
Alice's Champagne Palace
TICKETS
$35 + processing fees
Saturday, September 13
11 am
Mural Meeting of the Minds
with Chicago artist Kathleen Does-Koehl
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Bring your curious self and artistic energy to this planning pow-wow as Chicago mural artist Kathleen Does-Koehl forges the path to another remarkable Homer Mural. "Kat" and able-bodied volunteers will paint this swimming salmon mural on the container at Salmon Sisters on the Homer Spit.
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WHERE IS THIS EVENT?
Planning will take place at Homer Art & Frame
FREE EVENT / No Registration Required
Saturday, September 13
12-12:45 pm & 3-3:45 pm
Krambambuli Puppet Theatre (TWO SHOW TIMES)
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Bring the whole family for puppeteer Salila Kubitza’s fairy and wisdom tales worldwide to our enchanted stage in Homer. Her puppets bring folktales to life in exciting puppet shows for the young and young at heart. Each story explores universal themes like friendship, persistence, imagination, and generosity while creatively retelling age-old stories for modern families. ​
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WHERE IS THIS EVENT?
Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies
708 Smoky Bay Way Homer AK
SUGGESTED DONATION AT THE DOOR
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Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult
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12 pm Tickets: $15 Adult/$10 Child + processing fees
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3 pm Tickets: $15 Adult/$10 Child + processing fees
Saturday, September 13
8 pm
Storytelling — The Good Years Worldwide
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Enjoy an evening of entertaining tales by Alaskans and featured storyteller William Kennedy Hornyak, who weaves a wide web of traditional tales — from Irish myths to Russian fairytales — into spellbinding performances. Alaskan storytellers include Homer’s multitalented playwright, musician, builder, husband, father, and former KBBI reporter, David Webster, award-winning NPR commentator ​Geo Beach, and Salmonfest producer, former Grateful Dead host, and 60’s counter-culture author of Feeding the Dead Jim Stearns.​
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WHERE IS THIS EVENT?
Alice's Champagne Palace
RESERVE YOUR SPOT NOW
SUGGESTED DONATION
$20 Adult/$10 Child + processing fees
September 14 - 20
Sunday, September 14
11 am-1 pm
Family Puppet Making Workshop (parent and child)
Join international puppet maker and puppeteer Salila Kubitza for an afternoon of puppet making and bringing your puppet to life. Salila has led puppet-making workshops for young and young at heart in Australia, India, Germany, Japan, and across the United States. She provides each participant with a puppet-making kit with all the supplies you’ll need to create your own original puppet. She’ll walk you through the steps while you give your puppet its own identity and personality and bring it to life.​
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WHERE IS THIS EVENT?
Homer Art & Frame Inc
TICKETS + PUPPET-MAKING KIT
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Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult
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$20 Adult + Child ($5 ea/additional)+ processing fees
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$10 Puppet-Making Kit paid directly to workshop leader
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Limit 12
NOT INCLUDED IN FESTIVAL MEMBERSHIP
Friday, September 19
7 pm
48-Hour Film Jam Slam!
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Come fill the seats at the Porcupine Theater and witness the premier of the short films created in our 48-hour film slam. Laugh, cry, applaud, and moan as a maniacal group of professional and amateur filmmakers, writers, actors, and directors preview their accomplishments. Encouraged by the enthusiasm of the talented Los Angeles film star and filmmaker Mike Selle with filmmakers and theatre proprietors Susannah Webster and Nate Spence-Chorman, these short films promise to be an unusual assortment produced by brave creatives over a two-day period, from concept to creation.
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BEER & WINE WILL BE SERVED AT THIS EVENT
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WHERE IS THIS EVENT?
Porcupine Theater
$15 / Purchase at Porcupine Theater
Sunday, September 14
2-4 pm
Bringing Your Stories To Life

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We all have stories to tell and a unique voice and style in which to tell them. Professional storyteller William Kennedy Hornyak helps participants develop their own personal and traditional tales. He provides tools, techniques, and activities to continue the practice of storytelling. This is a welcoming, upbeat, and enjoyable workshop that is available to all levels of storytelling experience. Newcomers welcome! ​
Will has been telling stories and teaching storytelling full-time since 1994. He has performed throughout the United States and loves to pass on his passion for the storyteller’s craft.
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WHERE IS THIS EVENT?
Homer Council on the Arts
SUGGESTED DONATION
$20 + processing fees
Saturday, September 20
12 - 1 PM
Live-at-Lunch
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Relax and enjoy the remarkable sound of Homer's piano-playing Zephan Jones. Born in Homer Alaska, Zephan is a fifteen-year-old pianist who has been playing since he was eight. He began composing his music at ten and often opens for show for his big brother Silas Luke Jones.
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ALL AGES WELCOME
WHERE IS THIS EVENT?
Lands End Resort 4786 Homer Spit Rd, Homer, AK 99603
FREE EVENT / No Registration Required
Sunday, September 14
8 pm
Old-Time Radio Theater
Keister & LaTuche, PI – The Case of the Missing Thrones
Join us in the friendly confines of Alice’s Champagne Palace for Sally Oberstein and Michael McKinney’s newest adventure in comedy. This charming and clever old-time radio performance of Keister & LaTuche, PI – The Case of the Missing Thrones will be performed by Homer’s acting troupe - Life on Stage, with dialogue, sound effects, music, narration, and costumes. A small-town gumshoe solves an urgent case before he poops out, and stuff piles up excrementally.
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WHERE IS THIS EVENT?
Alice's Champagne Palace
SUGGESTED DONATION
$20 + processing fees
Wednesday, September 17
7 pm
Footloose (R-rated film)
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Enjoy a glass of wine or beer as Kevin Bacon shows off his iconic moves in this classic 80s musical drama based on a true story. Footloose tells the story of Ren McCormack, a rebellious teenager from Chicago who moves to a small town where he attempts to overturn the ban on dancing instituted by the efforts of a local minister, played by John Lithgow. Feel free to sing along to Footloose, Let’s Hear It for the Boys, Almost Paradise, and a list of other favorites in this rebellious love story based on a true story.​
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BEER & WINE WILL BE SERVED AT THIS EVENT
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WHERE IS THIS EVENT?
Porcupine Theater
TICKETS
$15 / Purchase at Porcupine Theater
Saturday, September 20
9 pm
Stand-up Comedy at Alice's / Storyteller Nancy Norton
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Hilarious and high energy, Nancy Norton delivers an intuitive, interactive, and sometimes dorky performance. This national headliner for clubs, festivals, and special events, Nancy draws from authentic raw material of everyday authentic experiences, from world travels, and from being a native of the Ozarks. That said, Nancy has entertained USO troupes in Europe, Asia, Iceland, and the Pacific. Nancy expands on universal truths! She is the first female to win the Boston Comedy Festival and Champion of the Seattle International Comedy Competition. Her credits also include an Evening at the Improv on A&E and Amazon Prime, Nickmom Night Out on Nickelodeon, Super Dork on Dry Bar Comedy Special, and The Yellowish-Green Girl on PBS. This night of comedy will open with the delightful and quick-witted comedian Angie Wellborn.​​
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WHERE IS THIS EVENT?
Alice's Champagne Palace
PURCHASE TICKETS
$35 + processing fees
September 21 - October 4
Sunday, September 21
2-3:30 pm
Tromedy: The Power of Humor Workshop with comedian Nancy Norton
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This workshop is aimed at parents, health care workers, social workers, restaurant workers, boat workers, teachers, politicians, and anyone who EVER encounters other human beings. Nancy Norton, RN, *CHP, is a retired 5th-generation nurse turned award-winning comedian. She hosts the Tromedy Podcast, which features peer-to-peer co-healing conversations about transmuting stresses and traumas with comedy and other artistic expressions. This standup comedian and keynote speaker employs insights gained from The Association of Applied and Therapeutic Humor with her intuitive skills for healing and energizing.
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Humor is not only a painkiller, it also boosts our immunity and our mood! If you could use a shot of uplifting inspiration, join Nancy in this hilarious, high-powered experience. Norton has performed comedy worldwide and nationally at the Boston Comedy Festival, an Evening at the Improv on A&E and Amazon Prime, on Nickelodeon, on Dry Bar Comedy Special, and on PBS.
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*CHP = Certified Humor Professional from the Association of Applied and Therapeutic Humor
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Tromedy rhymes with Comedy!
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WHERE IS THIS EVENT?
Homer Council on the Arts
TICKETS
$20 + processing fees
Sunday, September 21
8 pm
Alaska World Arts Entertainment Spectacle of Short Performances

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Join us for a SPECTACLE of 5+-minute showcase performances with LIVE MUSIC, COMEDY, POETRY, READINGS, and DANCE featuring award-winning comedian Nancy Norton, international storyteller Will Hornyak, a musical comedy appearance from The Wizard of Odds musical, a 5-minute Radio Theatre piece by Life on Stage, acoustic music by Jake Schlapfer, a performance by the Alaska Japanese Club drummers, a splash of circus with Stephanie Cortez, reading by the award-winning author Rich Chiappone, a Motivity Dance Troupe jig, and an Audience Sing-Along to feel-good tunes.~ all on stage at Alice's Champagne Palace in Homer. Join us for this memorable event that includes our 2025 RAFFLE DRAWING for two Alaska Airline tickets, two 2026 Salmonfest tickets, and a salmon gift box and cookbook from Salmon Sisters, PLUS the closing of our Performance-Art bidding event with artwork by Jeffrey Dean, Cindy Nelson, Sharlene Cline, Jan Peyton, and Lynn Naden.
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WHERE IS THIS EVENT?
Alice's Champagne Palace
SUGGESTED DONATION
$10 - DONATE IN ADVANCE
The Wizard of Odds
Friday, September 26 - 7 pm
Saturday, September 27 - 7 pm
Sunday, September 28 - 4 pm
Wednesday, October 1 - 7 pm
Friday, October 3 - 7 pm
Saturday, October 4 - 7 pm
​The Wizard of Odds
An unusual road trip from Anchorage to Homer
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This musical comedy, written by Sally Oberstein and Michael McKinney, loads the Mariner stage with a crew of fun-loving performers in this enchanting Alaskan version of the American classic.
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After an earthquake in Kansas, Dots wakes up at the Ted Stevens International Airport, where a group of travel agents deems her a hero for accidentally killing an abusive TSA agent known for tattling on people (ding dong, the snitch is dead). Some tour agents drop Dots off at a Girdwood bakery (ding dong, delicious bread) and direct her toward Homer. She immediately meets three misfits who have their own reasons for wanting to see the Wizard of Odds. These characters include a simpleton who wishes he was smarter, a super wimp who wishes he wasn’t one, and a heartless letch looking for true love. With delays due to road construction, spawning salmon (ding dong, the fish are red), and slow-moving RVs (ding dong), their 4-hour drive becomes an adventure of zany circumstances, eclectic characters, and a miscellany of music styles until they finally meet the Wizard of Odds at the Salty Dawg, where everyone’s dreams come true.
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ALL AGES WELCOME
WHERE IS THIS EVENT?
The Mariner Theater at Homer High School
TICKETS
$20 + processing fees
Sept 26 - 7 pm BUY TICKETS âžž
Sept 27 - 7 pm BUY TICKETS âžž
