Nathan Peter Grassi
Director / Actor
Victoriocity (2019-)
Role
“Prince Albert.”
Bio
“ Nathan Peter Grassi is a performer, writer, producer and director.
Originally from Western Australia, Nathan trained in physical theatre with Annie Stainer at Total Theatre, a company focused on creating solo work and producing ensemble pieces such as vaudeville-style supper clubs, street theatre and promenade performances.
Nathan is half of the award-winning comedy duo Nathan & Ida who have toured the UK and Europe with their shows, Nathan & Ida’s Hot Dog Stand, Tropez! and TEMPUS FUGIT. Nathan hosts and organises the Comedy Scratch Night at Old Fire Station, and he leads improv comedy and character workshops. Watch their short film George & the Dragon, commissioned by the Universities of Bristol and Oxford.
Nathan is a performer, writer and director in The Dead Secrets: an award-winning sketch and improv comedy group. The Dead Secrets have performed their highly praised sketch shows at several festivals in the UK, including Edinburgh, Brighton and Buxton, and have toured the UK and internationally with their improvised murder mystery: Hickory Dickory Murder.
Nathan directs Victoriocity, a detective comedy podcast (and was awarded Best Vocal Direction) and is the voice of Prince Albert (among others). He also appeared in several episodes of the podcast Burnt Toast presents Workplace Creatures by Everybody Panic.
Nathan also works as Concert Manager for the Oxford Bach Soloists.
In 2010, Nathan co-founded Troika Theatre; roles include Romeo (Romeo & Juliet), Rupert Cadell (Rope), Lord Arthur Savile (Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime), and Brindsley Miller (Black Comedy). He also directed their production, Kindertransport. Troika Theatre has delivered theatre workshops for international students at home and abroad. The company is one of the Supported Artists for Offbeat 2023; in Autumn 2023, Troika Theatre will release a documentary short called Troika: Recollections, a timely celebration of the incontrovertible power theatre has to bring people together.”
“…be confident in what you do.”
How did you become aware of the shows you’ve appeared in?
“In all cases, I was asked by the creators / production team to take part. As I had either worked with them previously or knew them through other projects, I wasn’t asked to audition.
Victoriocity: I had worked with the creators (Jen & Chris Sugden) for many years in the improv and sketch comedy group The Dead Secrets. They had discussed creating this show and asked if I would be interested in directing but also performing smaller roles.
Burnt Toast Presents: The creators (Everybody Panic: Thom Munden & Krage Brown) asked if I would be interested in performing some parts in the production, specifically, working in scenes with Ida Berglöw Kenneway (my comedy partner).”
What was the biggest challenge?
“The toughest thing was adjusting my performance style. Onstage, you need to project and ensure that you’re heard but the microphone (and technical team) can do that all for you.
Getting used to performing at a regular speaking level was initially difficult but you easily get the hang of it. I found that wearing headphones while performing would help me hear my performance, too.
In addition, I am a very physical performer, but when recording you need to keep movement and noise to a minimum. You also need to ensure that you are delivering your lines to the mic; moving your head too much will affect the quality of sound..”
Have you continued to work in the field?
“Yes. Victoriocity (as many podcasts now do) frequently perform at live venues / podcast festivals. This is an added dimension to what would normally just be an audio experience.
Through working with Victoriocity, I have met more people in the podcast and audio drama world; there is a lot of camaraderie and support plus opportunities to work with other projects.”
What would be your dream project?
“I always look out for the chance to do more multi-role comedy work.
Plus, I’d definitely love to be part of an old fashioned radio play (particularly a murder mystery!) – not quite the same as podcasting, but many of the elements are shared!”
Any tips for a strong audio reel (or virtual audition)?
“As with any audition, be confident in what you do.
You are relying solely on your voice, so focus in on that. Before an audition, record yourself playing with character, accent, levels and listen back to see what you sound like.
If you need to send in an audio reel rather than do a live (virtual) audition:
Make sure you block out extraneous noise when recording – blankets are very good!
If you’re reading for one character in a dialogue scene, either get a friend to (quietly!) read in the other lines, or read only your lines and leave space as if the other character is speaking – don’t rush them all together!
If requested, offer differing characters or voices. Don’t be afraid of trying things out.
Having an audio reel to hand (either of existing work or of pieces you have recorded yourself) is a very good asset to have.”
How does acting for audio compare to other media, for you? Any skills or techniques you’d recommend learning for it?
“It’s all about the voice, so make sure you have good warm up and breathing techniques. You can really hear if someone isn’t breathing correctly or if they’re just not warmed up.
And, most importantly, if you have a big job coming up – rest your voice leading up to recording and especially during. The temptation between takes is to chat with other cast but that can wear your voice out and, after a full day of talking – your voice may show signs of strain.”
If your character was an occasional part, how did you characterise them quickly and memorably?
“For Prince Albert - who only appears a few times a season - I had certain catch phrases and words that I would say to myself before recording. He has a very high-pitched German accent, so being able to go straight back there each season (and for pickups) is important.
For recurring characters that you may not have performed for a while, it’s always a good idea to go back and listen to previous recordings and try and emulate what you did. It may be as simple as find the original podcast or asking a member of the team if they have something on file for you to listen to.”