Conversations with David Raftery

Today we’d like to introduce you to David Raftery. Them and their team share their story with us below:

When The Bridge Improv Theater got its start is when Arizona shut down in March of 2020. However, long-time improvisers Travis Johnson and David Raftery knew they had something special as business partners, which included having shared values and goals.

After searching for a venue and slowly building it out, the theater soft-opened in September. Although they operated at half-capacity and under strict COVID-19 guidelines, they saw hints of support from the community during the two shows they produced each weekend. Then, three months into being open, Travis and David decided to temporarily close due to the skyrocketing pandemic numbers. The theater slowly re-opened its doors in March 2021 and celebrated its Grand Re-Opening in May. Cut to today, June 15, the theater now produces six shows per week and holds several classes each month.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The Bridge has had its challenges, with COVID-19 being the primary hurdle, affecting audience, class and cast sizes. Thankfully, the theater did not see an outbreak. Aside from the lack of people walking through our doors, masks were an interesting item to navigate. For example, performers thrive on audience members’ smiles and laughter, but as you can imagine, this positive energy was stifled. And vice versa, audiences were missing that key comedic and artistic element of the performers’ facial expressions.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
The art produced at an improv theater is unique. An improv performance disappears into the ether after a show, but we would like to believe the positive energy we create carries on with our audience. This is because we work hard to routinely practice and instill the values and tenets built into forming a cohesive team and show. These values include: positivity, collaboration, hyper-listening, creativity, support, and overall just having fun.

Can you talk about how you think about risk?
Opening during 2020 was an extremely high risk. There isn’t a guidebook on opening a business during a pandemic. However, my business partner Travis and I didn’t want it to halt our dream of opening an improv theater, and it’s not because we’re risk-takers or have big egos, but because, as stated previously, we have a strong belief that the values of improv comedy help improve lives. That belief was strengthened even more so during social distancing because it has made us appreciate how much humans need social interaction.

I feel we’ve seen success despite the pandemic because we’ve been in the improv world for a combined 19+ years, but we also each bring necessary skillsets – Travis is a successful serial entrepreneur and builder and I have a deep knowledge of improv theaters.

Pricing:

• $12 – Mainstage Improv Show, Fridays & Saturdays at 7 PM
• $5 – Long-Form Improv Show, Fridays and Saturdays at 9 PM
• $200 – Improv Level 1 – 8 week course, next class is August 9
• Free – Intro to Improv, every 3rd Saturday at 5 PM
• $100 – Improv Skills – ongoing 4-week drop-in workshops

Contact Info:

• Email: info.bridgeimprov@gmail.com
• Website: www.bridgeimprovtheater.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bridgeimprovtheater/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bridgeimprov
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/show/2sOP2my47gvT4t3BQQrL5h?si=05wHLjQbRye3XaNgJu4uGg&dl_branch=1

Image Credits
Jennifer Giralo and Jessica Klemm