There is a whole lot of laughter going on in Lethbridge this week. The yuks begin with the return of So You Think you Can Comic at the Owl acoustic lounge featuring Calgary based comedian Austin Lonneberg, Wednesday, May 18. This Game show style  comedy battle features local comics competing against each other in a battle of wits and humour.  The laughs begin at 9 p.m.  Admission is $10.

There are a lot of laughs on Thursday. The Canadian Brewhouse has a comedy night every Thursday.

 Good Times features pro-amateur night on Thursday, May 19. Professionals will be practicing new jokes and newcomers will test their stage legs as well. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.m with the laughs starting at 7 p.m. Admission is five dollars through showpass.

 This week’s hosts are Megan Windle and Nicolas Maximiliano plus  Michael Moses, who performed at Good Times on May 14 plus Brian Dawydiuk  performing feature spots.

Even the Slice is dabbling in comedy as they host the Southern Alberta Pagan Association (SAPA)  fundraiser, May 19. The fun event features local comedians Randy Webb, Lakshjit Singh Gill, Angus Fraser and Eden Rodriguez performing plus many more. Tickets are $25 in Advance, from Purple Hippo, $30 at the door.

Winnipeg based comedian  Scott Porteous returns to Good Times on Saturday, May 21 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $16.67.

 As usual there are open mics almost every night of the week. The Owl Acoustic Lounge’s open mic is tonight, May 17.

After a two year break due to Covid, the Alberta Drama Festivall Association (ADFA) One Act Play festival returns to the Sterndale Bennett Theatre, Saturday, May  14.

 Three plays have been submitted for the festival  plus there will be a reading of “the Cremation of Sam McGhee”  by Bryson  Brown and  “The Lion and Albert”  by Kate Connolly.

Playgoers of Lethbridge  artistic director Rita Peterson is just excited the festival is back.

“I'm just excited it’s back. I’m very excited,” Peterson said.

When Covid happened, we had just finished ‘Daisy.’ and were getting ready for the One Act Play Festival. But we had to cancel it because of Covid. It takes some time to build up momentum, which we haven’t been able to do over the past two years,” Peterson said.

 The main event is  Ed Bayly’s  Playgoers of Lethbridge favourite “ Priscilla Pringle‘s Predicament.”

Ian St. Arnaud best known as Edmonton musician St. Arnaud has been busy since things opened up after multiple Covid waves. 

 He just released a new CD, “Love and the Front Lawn” on April 29 and will be playing it and other songs at the Slice, May 13 as part of Slice fest.

 The first single “Loving” has already been lovingly released to the world. He has electrified a little on the new album.

“The first one was more acoustic,” he said, noting the first album “The Cost of Living” was written in honour of his friend, and North of Here cowriter, band mate Luke Jansen, who was killed by an LRT in 2017

“ I could write another album about that, but that’s not what I want to do. I prefer to be a glass half full type of person,” he said.

He worked with  producer Graham Lessard to create the new album. 

“Graham Lessard is really good. He‘s a good mentor.  He knows how to direct the music. We took a year, so we weren’t rushed,” he said, adding most of it was recorded  in September.

“Love And the Front Lawn” is an easy going, uplifting indie rock pop fuelled  listen with touches of ’70s easy listening music,  R and B, a smattering of ’80s New Wave, a touch of reggae and a whiff of punk, punctuated by plenty of trumpet.

“ A lot of it is about being in my mid-20s and  reflecting on my choices,” he summarized.