Imani Denae will open the show July 31 at Churchill School in Baker City.

BAKER CITY — Brent Lowery is returning to Churchill School, but this time as a headliner with his stand-up comedy.

“That venue is pretty awesome,” he said.

Lowery opened for comedian Andrew Rivers in August 2023.

Then he won the Seattle International Comedy Competition in November.

He said the contest started with 32 comedians, then reduced to 10 after the first week. The number lowered to five, then one.

“You’re judged over the course of 15 nights,” Lowery said.

During that competition, he did shows around the Seattle area, and performed longer sets each week.

Until he won.

Lowery’s show at Churchill is Wednesday, July 31. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the show starts at 6:45 p.m. Tickets are $15 in advance at churchillbaker.com or $20 at the door.

LaughsPDX

Lowery’s stand-up life started when he moved to Denver, Colorado.

“I missed making people laugh in school,” he said.

He knew he was destined to do something in the performing arts.

“I always wanted to be on ‘Saturday Night Live’ and do funny things,” he said.

Denver, he said, had a “strong comedy scene” so he took a turn on stage.

That was 10 years ago. He moved to Portland in 2020 and, with the pandemic shutting down venues for live performances, he joined others to perform comedy in a parking lot where people came by car and tuned in by radio.

“Instead of laughing, you would honk,” he said. “That ended up being a useful way of getting the community back together.”

That event was called Lots of Laughs, and has now morphed into LaughsPDX.

These days Lowery has been busier than ever since the November contest and is traveling two to three weekends every month.

“Every town of 5,000 or more people, I’ve probably been there,” he said.

Before Lowery takes the stage, Imani Denae will warm up the audience at Churchill.

Her path to comedy came from a suggestion.

“A guy I was interested in said I was funny and should do stand-up,” she said. “I felt like it was a calling — it’s what I’m meant to do.”

She also performed at Lots of Laughs — in fact, that was her first foray into stand-up comedy.

“My first experience wasn’t even in front of people,” she said. “It’s hard when no one’s actually laughing.”