Courtesy of Sarah Johnson
Members of Tempe’s The Bridge Improv Comedy Theatre perform on stage.
Wholesome Comedy By Merry Gordon
NEW IMPROV THEATRE BRINGS LAUGHS
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Shows include long“You really have to form and short-form work and get your audiimprov—think Studio C ence members to buy or Saturday Night Live into what you’re doing sketches for the first because you don’t get and Whose Line Is It, to use the shock humor Anyway?-style games for to get them to laugh,” the latter. All shows feaTravis adds. “I love ture clean humor suitable situational humor. I love for any audience. high intelligent comedy Travis’s 8-year perforwhere there are conmance background has alnections that need to be Courtesy of Sarah Johnson ways been in wholesome made, where at the end Bridge owners David Raferty and Travis Johnson. comedy, and David had of it, your brain goes ‘oh, done improv for over a decade by the time they met. never thought of it like that!’” “David’s background wasn’t nearly as clean as Improv differs from traditional stage shows in mine,” Travis jokes, but his partner was soon sold on that the actors perform without a script, and often Travis’s family-friendly brand of laughs. upon the audience’s suggestion. The lively, think-on“Clean improv challenges you more than any your-feet nature of improv appeals to many not only other version of improv in comedy,” says David. because it’s fun, but because it builds confidence. “I had this recurring nightmare where I‘m in a production and I’ve forgotten my lines,” Sarah laughs. Since she began improv, she’s never had it Family First Physicians Hours: again. “I have much more confidence now,” she says. F2345 amilyEFSouthern irst PhysicAve ians Hours: Monday-Friday “And I’m not so uptight!” 2345 E Ste Southern Monday-Friday 101 Ave 7am-5pm The Bridge looks to impart that confidence to Ste Mesa, AZ101 85204 Phone:7am-5pm 480-893-2345 others through their classes in improvisation, sketch Mesa, AZ 85204 Phone: 480-893-2345 comedy and stand-up. The office of: Sarah especially loves teaching kids: “Kids are office of: AllenThe Germaine, M.D. natural improvisers. I love to let kids feel confident in Allen Germaine, Britton Goodman,M.D. D.O. themselves—it helps them learn how to listen, how Britton Goodman, D.O. to be a good player, how to be more confident and Jennifer Dorn, FNP poised in public.” JenniferKatana, Dorn, FNP Gabriella PA-C Whether virtually or live, The Bridge offers laughs Gabriella Katana, PA-C Amber Valenzuela, and respite to their audience. “The people who come Amber Valenzuela, Christopher Costello, PA-C PA-C Call us today at 480-893-2345 out to see us want normal life again. A show that Christopher Costello, PA-C we do provides a blank slate for an hour of their life Call us today at 480-893-2345 where they don’t have to think about the rest of the Since 2005, our goal has been to treat entire families and provide effective, efficient care. world bearing down on them,” says Travis. Sincepractice 2005, our has been policy, to treatoffering entire families and provide efficient care. The has goal an open-door scheduled visits, sameeffective, day appointments and Eventually, the team hopes to franchise The Bridge and open up more locations around the Valley. The practice has an open-door policy, offering scheduled visits, same day appointments and walk-in service for patients of all ages. “There’s room for everyone,” says Travis. “Our walk-in service for patients of all ages. goal is to increase the footprint of clean comedy. The world needs more of what we have.” For additional information, including accepted insurances, patient The Bridge Improv Theatre is located at 937 E For additional information, accepted insurances, patient portal, and more,including please visit our website at Broadway Rd # 1, Tempe. Find them on the web at https://www.bridgeimprovtheater.com/ or by emailing portal, w and at wwmore, .familyplease fifirrstphyvisit siciaour ns.cwebsite om info.bridgeimprov@gmail.com.
here’s a little dark humor in the way Tempe’s new improv theatre, The Bridge, came into being: the clean comedy performance space and training facility got its business license just as the pandemic took off. “The world shut down the day we opened,” laughs Travis Johnson, co-owner. On the surface, it might look like the deck seemed stacked against them. Prior to opening The Bridge, when Johnson and his fellow co-owner, David Raferty, tried to buy out the improv theatre at which they first met, they got turned down. “But when they said ‘no,’” says Travis, “we said ‘yes’”—and audiences have been saying ‘yes’ to The Bridge’s family-friendly entertainment ever since. Offering in-person and online performances and workshops, The Bridge seeks “to build connections between communities, between theatres, between groups of people,” says Sarah Johnson, Travis’s wife and a Bridge founding member.
Accepting new patients! Accepting new patients! Same-Day Scheduling Same-Day Now offering Scheduling telemedicine! Now offering Se hablatelemedicine! Español Se habla Español
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