Nathan Cassidy

Nathan Cassidy

Nathan Cassidy is a British comedian and writer. He was nominated for a Malcolm Hardee Award in 2012, won best solo comedy show on the Buxton Fringe in 2014,[1][2] and was nominated for the same award in 2015,[3] 2016[4] and 2017.[5] He has also won the Sir Michael Caine Award for new writing in theatre.[6]

After a brief spell on the UK comedy circuit in 2000–01[7] Cassidy became a regular on the UK Comedy circuit in 2009, has performed solo shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe every year since 2010 and has become known for his innovation including a nomination for the Malcolm Hardee Award for his 2012 show 'Free Pound', in which he gave each audience member £1 to see the show.[8] In 2012 he also produced feature documentary 'I am Orig' which charted a year giving money away; this was shown at the Edinburgh Banshee Labyrinth in August 2012.[9]

In 2013, his fourth solo show was 'Edinburgh Comedy Award Winner', in which he gave each audience member a £1 bet on him winning the Edinburgh Comedy Award.[10] In 2013, Cassidy talked about 'Free Pound' and 'Edinburgh Comedy Award Winner' in a feature Tuesday night interview with Phil Williams on BBC Radio 5 Live, in which he said that how his grandfather saved all his life and then was unable to spend the money he had saved had inspired shows where he was now giving money away.[11] Cassidy became the 10/1 Ladbrokes favourite for the Edinburgh Comedy Award in 2013 – after starting at 50/1, Ladbrokes dropped the odds first to 20/1 at the Brighton Fringe (as featured by The Argus)[12] then to 10/1 during the Fringe in August 2013.

His 2014 show 'Date of Death' won Best solo comedy show on the Buxton Fringe[2] and his 'Back to the Future' shows were nominated for the same award in 2015.[3] His 2016 show '42' was also nominated for Best solo comedy show on the Buxton Fringe alongside comedians including Jerry Sadowitz[4] as was his 2017 show 'The Man in the Arena'. At the Edinburgh Fringe 2017 he won the World's Best MC Award and a 2017 Terrier Award.[13]

Cassidy's 2015 trilogy of Back to the Future shows were discussed in a Guardian article on how popular films have been used to 'inspire Fringe shows'. In this article Cassidy said how these shows reflected the Back to the Future films which evoke 'not only flying cars and hoverboards but ideas about different stages of life, expectations and disappointments'.[14] He performed these shows in February 2015 at the Leicester Comedy Festival,[15] at the Brighton Fringe in May 2015[16] and in August 2015 at The Gilded Balloon in Edinburgh.[17][18]

On Back to the Future Day 21 October 2015, Cassidy performed an abridged version of all three Back to the Future shows at the Leicester Square Theatre and this was featured by the Daily Mail as one of the global events happening to mark the day with fans of the film celebrating at a range of events around the world.[19]

From 2012–2015 Nathan Cassidy hosted The Rat Pack stand-up comedy which was a multiple critics choice of Time Out.[20] It played at the Leicester Square Theatre from 2014–2015.

As an actor, he appeared in West End musical The Donkey Show and Channel 5 (UK) and Discovery Channel's "Serial Killers" playing the part of Stephen Sinclair, Dennis Nilsen's final victim. Cassidy has also done TV warm-up work for the Clare Balding Show (BT Sport).

Awards

References

  1. ↑ Derbyshire Times Article Buxton Fringe 2014
  2. 1 2 Buxton Advertiser article on award winners 2014
  3. 1 2 Buxton Fringe (website) award winners 2015
  4. 1 2 "2016 Fringe Nominations and Awards". www.buxtonfringe.org.uk. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  5. ↑ "Buxton Festival Fringe 2017 Nominations and Awards". Buxton Fringe. 23 July 2017.
  6. ↑ Get Surrey (website) article on Leatherhead Festival
  7. ↑ Chortle review
  8. ↑ Fringe Guru review Aug 2012
  9. ↑ Nathan Cassidy imdb
  10. ↑ Broadway Baby review 2013
  11. ↑ BBC Radio 5 live interview with Phil Williams
  12. ↑ The Argus – Brighton Fringe preview 2013
  13. ↑ The Skinny - Edinburgh Fringe 2017 Terrier Awards
  14. ↑ The Guardian – Hollywood blockbusters retold at the Edinburgh Fringe
  15. ↑ Cool as Leicester review Feb 2015
  16. ↑ The New Current interview 2015
  17. ↑ Mumble review Aug 2015
  18. ↑ Birmingham Mail – Comedian Nathan Cassidy goes Back to the Future at the Edinburgh Festival
  19. ↑ The Daily Mail – global events to mark Back to the Future Day
  20. ↑ Time Out review for the Rat Pack stand-up comedy
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