David Arch participated in the school's stage band playing guitar and sung in the choir while attending Brisbane State High School in the late 1970's . Through these extracurricular activities, he assisted in two school musicals, Cinderella and The Sound of Music. 

One of Arch's memories of his time at State High includes his music teacher, Jennett Castle, taking their class to watch Jesus Christ Superstar. Towards the latter end of his education, Arch played guitar with a rock band at lunch times. This hub of friendship and fun led him to pursue a musical career as a recording engineer. 

Thus, after graduating in 1979, Arch pursued his dream at Queensland Conservatorium of Music. This avenue unfortunately failed as he was kicked out but Arch never gave up, knowing "he could do better" and driven by his passion for music and growing his musical abilities. So when an opportunity arose to 'tech' lights for a friend's band, he took it. This choice led Arch to become an award-winning lighting director and programmer with 40 Broadway performances under his belt, including Hamilton, In The Heights, Mean Girls and West Side Story. When asked how it felt for Hamilton to win Best Lighting Design in a Musical at the Tony Awards, he described the show as a "labour of love" and said how "he always knew it would blow up". When working on the scene, "The Room Where It Happens" for Hamilton, it was the same crew who has previously assisted Arch with In The Heights. In this way, Arch notes that these shows create a kinship, similar to his time at Brisbane State High School. 

But it's not always dazzling award ceremonies. Copious blood, sweat and tears gets poured into these big bang performances, with Arch often working 10 to 14 hour days. However, the most important part is that he's always having fun. Arch's favourite "go-to" dinner item is ordering Japanese food.