Today we’d like to introduce you to Dave Buckman.
Hi Dave, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My heroes growing up were comedians: Robin Williams, The Marx Brothers, Bill Murray & Harold Ramis, SNL, and SCTV. Even among comedians, they all had one common denominator: a background in Improv. I gravitated towards it in high school and college, and then in my junior year of college, I took an eight-week class at Comedy Sportz! in Rosslyn, VA, and I fell hard. I taught the games I learned to other kids in the play that I was acting in, and we started a troupe that is still on the campus of American University in DC. I ran that troupe for a few years after I graduated while working on campus. Eventually, I got the bug and $500 from my Grandmother, put all my belongings in a van, and moved to Chicago to “join” The Second City. I had no idea what that meant; I knew it was in Chicago. I did the comedy improv trenches directing, performing, coaching, and producing for seven years at The Second City, iO Theater, Comedy Sportz! and The Annoyance Theater, with a two-year stint in the middle of it in Amsterdam, working as Artistic Director for Boom Chicago where I worked every day with future stars Jason Sudeikis, Seth Meyers, Kay Cannon, Jordan Peele, Ike Barinholtz, Brendan Hunt and many others. In 2005, My then girlfriend, now wife, and business and creative partner, Rachel Madorsky, moved to Austin and dove into the improv and comedy scene here. Our troupe, The Frank Mills, partnered with the ColdTowne Troupe since well before the theater’s inception. We were in the first shows, and we taught the first classes. In 2015 Rachel and I bought into the business as the other founders faded. Now, out of the original 9 people, we are the only ones left running the business, with our new co-owner (as of 2020), Tauri Laws-Phillips: https://voyageaustin.com/interview/exploring-life-business-with-tauri-laws-phillips-of-coldtowne-theater/?doing_wp_cron=1699638186.5117390155792236328125. Even though now I am consumed with budgets and staff meetings and taxes and vendors, etc. I still teach regularly, perform every Thursday night with my troupe Friends For Now, and direct a show run about once a year.
Please talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned. Looking back, has it been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I’ve worked at the highest levels one could achieve in the world of live improv and sketch comedy and with some of the greatest to have ever done it. I’ve also had great pleasure doing shows for just 3 people. I had to learn on the fly in some of the bigger jobs I have gotten. I have struggled and do struggle a lot with imposter syndrome. I am stepping into roles that I am one or two years too early in knowing how to do confidently, which means that I had to learn what I needed to realize quickly and then learn how to do it competently. Sometimes, that works out for the best. But sometimes, it has rubbed high-performance teammates the wrong way. And I don’t blame them. So, learning to put one foot in front of the other, staying positive, seeing and assuming the best in people, and working towards shared goals have kept me in the game.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about ColdTowne Theater?
ColdTowne is a comedy theater started by 5 Hurricane Katrina evacuees who found themselves in Austin that Labor Day weekend and decided to set up camp. We perform live comedy: improv, sketch standup, plays, musicals, and storytelling shows Thursdays through Sundays with 3, 4, and sometimes 5 shows a day. We also teach improv, sketch writing, standup, and clowning classes. We currently have 150 students and are the artistic home to about 150 local comedians, actors, writers, and directors. 90% of our programming is local artists honing their craft, showcasing their talents, and experimenting with formats. We also bring in acts from LA, New York, San Francisco, and Chicago to perform for a weekend, who you might never see in a comedy club but might recognize from TV and films. ColdTowne also produces programming and classes for Kids and Teens through our partnership with Excused Absence Comedy. We also produce Austin SketchFest, which is going into its 15th year. We will bring our improv training to businesses, providing custom workshops, seminars, and HR programs in team-building, sales pitching, DEI initiatives, or just plain fun. Our specialty is comedy. But we are also very aware socially and politically of issues surrounding injustice and inclusion. Our mainstage shows tend to highlight those topics, and we’re not shy about our satirical and provocative bent. We have had show runs based on the prison industrial complex (Angola: a comedy), Gentrification in Austin (Deep in the Heartless Texas), Mental Health (My Own Worst Enemy), as well as the upcoming sketch revue Everything You Wanted To Know About White Supremacy* (*but were afraid to ask).
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I’m from Philadelphia, so even though I’ve spent a lifetime in the arts, I still listen to almost every Phillies and Eagles game on the radio that I can. Also, I’m a pretty easy cry at weddings and reality competition shows. The ends of American Idol, Amazing Race, and Top Chef episodes can get me going without too much prodding.
Pricing:
- Multi-week Level 1 Class in Improv or Sketch: $265
- Most Shows at ColdTowne $5-$20
- Custom-made Corporate Workshops begin at $1500
- Support Coldtowne’s mission: www.coldtownetheater.com/support
Contact Info:
- Website: www.coldtownetheater.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coldtownetheater/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/davebuckman
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dbuckman/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/davebuckman
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/ColdTowneTV
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/coldtowne-theater-austin
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/search?q=coldtowne
Image Credits
Steve Rogers and Xaria Coleman
