Welcome back to our Offbeat Spotlight series. Over the next few days we're highlighting all the strange and wonderful things that the Offbeat Festival has to offer. The Offbeat Festival runs from the 9th-15th of September, and is a collaboration between The Old Fire Station, Oxford Playhouse, New Theatre and Gloucester Green Market. In addition to a multitude of shows, there are also workshops, and exhibition, late night events including a poetry slam, comedy scratch night, and listening party, and more.
Here, we're highlighting the second of the Late Night Offbeat series, six free events that all start at 9pm, from Tuesday - Sunday. Nathan Peter Grassi, a local writer, director and comic performer will be hosting Wednesday's late event: a Comedy Scratch Night. A chance for comedians to take risks and try out new material, it's sure to be a memorable evening. Read on to find out more of what the event has in store.
Daily Information: Hi Nathan, thanks for taking the time to talk with us today. Can you tell us a little bit about the format for the comedy scratch night?
Nathan Peter Grassi: The Late Night Comedy Scratch night is an evening of local comedians trying out new or reworked comedy material. Most of it will be funny and some of it won’t – but that’s what a scratch night is for.
DI: As the host, what do and don’t you love to see in an audience? How do you go about getting them relaxed and engaged prior to the comedian's performances?
NPG: I try to make every feel welcome and relaxed by letting them know what’s coming up and how the evening works. I may ask a few questions and get every to shout out answers, or do some crowd warm-ups but I don’t like to single anyone out; through improv shows, I’ve gotten very good at spotting which audience members look like they want to join in and which look like they want the ground to open up and swallow them. The venue is perfect for a scratch night too – the OFS café is set up in a cosy cabaret style and the bar will be open during the show too! (Sometimes a pint makes the comedy better).
There’s the odd heckler but I start the show with announcing that there’s only one rule at scratch night and that’s “Don’t be dick.” Anyone who contravenes that rule is fair game!
DI: What have previous Scratch Nights at the OFS looked like? Any favourite memories?
NPG: In the past we have had every type of comedy from stand-up to sketch, improv, music and poetry. The subject matter has run the whole gamut from deep discussions of microwave wattage to the inevitable political satire. It’s hard to pick particular memories but one that does stick is an entire song about poo. I don’t just mean a quick tune, I mean a 3-4 minute a capella about having a bad experience on the toilet. It wasn’t so much the material that was hilarious, it was watching the audience reactions.
DI: What are the benefits of having work-in-progress shows like this? How do you think they complement Offbeat’s ethos?
NPG: Athletes train at a gym before competing. Comedians need a live audience to test out new material! I find that the people who come to watch Scratch nights are eager to be a part of the joke-making process (plus I’m sure they delight in watching the odd time a joke crashes and burns). Scratch Night fits right in with Offbeat because the comedians are free to try something new and different; a space to really let loose and try something off beat. Plus it’s free – who doesn’t love that?
DI: After Offbeat, what's next for you?
NPG: I hope to run more Scratch Nights, to give more comedians the chance to test their work – and while it’s great having so many stand-ups on the bill, I want to get entice other styles of comedy into the fray.
DI: Finally, please describe the Comedy Scratch Night in three words.
NPG: Risky, different, hilarious
The Late-night Offbeat: Comedy Scratch Night is on at the Old Fire Station cafe, on Wed 11th Sep, 9pm. For more info and to book tickets, click here.