MadLab Theatre and Gallery has recently moved to a much larger space. To recognize the big move, the theater has decided to showcase various comedy groups throughout March and April.

“Kill ‘em With Kindness Comedy Festival” will feature six improvisational comedy groups. Each group is from the Columbus area except for “The Cody Rivers Show,” which is from Seattle and will kick off the festival.

“A year ago we started planning for the 2010 season and we knew we wanted to have Cody Rivers come back. We also knew we wanted to have a big event honoring the opening of our new location, so we decided to hold a festival with it all,” ensemble member and spokesman for MadLab Stephen Woosley said.

“The Cody Rivers Show,” will kick off the festival March 12 with two performances. The two-man show has been touring since 2006 and will be back to MadLab for its second performance.

“Having grown up in Columbus and gone on to do theater all over the world, it’s really awesome to be able to come back home to a thriving fringe-theater scene like the one that MadLab is cultivating,” Andrew Connor of “The Cody Rivers Show” said in a press release.

Connor, as well as Mike Mathieu, both grew up in Ohio and have always been advocates for entertainment through comedy. The duo will again push the envelope of physical theater while dancing, singing and producing an energetic performance.

“They are one of those acts that is truly a ‘can’t miss’ kind of show. They are smart, funny and give the audience a lot of credit along the way,” managing director Andy Batt said.

“The Cody Rivers Show” will be performing in MadLab’s old space, as the new building will not be ready until the second set of performers on March 19.

Following “The Cody Rivers Show” will be “Fake Bacon/Shimmy Shake Project,” a local group that will perform at MadLab March 19 and 20.

Each show will provide a high-intensity routine that combines short improvisational comedy with original skits and games.

“A great number of comedy groups are improv groups. The local movement is growing so much, and to be a part of that is so great,” Woosley said. “There is also a strong stand-up building on that. We get to spotlight a more local scene, including both improv and stand-up comedy.”

“Comedy’Splosion” returns to Mad Lab for the third time on March 26 and 27. The group will feature stand up comedians Justin Golak and Sumukh Torgalkar. This duo will entertain the audience, alongside other local stand-up comedians gathered for their performance.

The following troupe, performing April 2 and 3, will be “See You Thursday.” As a local, non-profit group, “See You Thursday” devotes its efforts to support awareness, education and creative development of improvisational performances around the Columbus area. These particular shows will include a suggestion from the audience and then to build off of the original suggestion, the group members will spontaneously act out different comedy segments. As stated in the press release, the only other form of audience participation will hopefully be laughter.

Week five of the “Kill ‘em With Kindness” festival will present “The Regime.” The group will perform a sketch called “Can’t Somebody Else Do It?” and will be at MadLab April 9 and 10.

The final act of the festival will feature MadLab’s own comedy troupe, “Full Frontal Nudity.” The group’s performance, which will be held April 15 through April 17, will include a large amount of audience participation, starting each sketch off with a “Wheel of Improv.” A select audience members will get their chance to spin the wheel to determine the theme of “Full Frontal Nudity’s” act.

“Because we are letting an audience member spin our ‘Wheel of Improv’ every night, it could be a completely different kind of formatted long-form show each night,” Batt said.

Each night the “Kill ‘Em With Kindness Comedy Festival” will bring laughs and an opportunity to show off Mad Lab’s new space. Not only does the space at 227 N. Third St. provide for more seating, it also has a nicer backstage and a more central and visible location. There will also be heat and air conditioning, as well as separate men’s and women’s restrooms, an amenity that the space at Grant Avenue does not provide.

“People will be excited about the new space and want to come out to see the shows. I think many people are thinking ‘I want to be there when the theater opens!'” Woosley said.