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Nathanael Philip Mosher is a writer/performer based out of Los Angeles. This year, he is debuting his solo show Nathan Mosher is Injured for a full run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. For years, Nathanael worked hard towards his dream of performing his own multimedia one-man show, especially at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Now, in Edinburgh, he is fulfilling his long-held dream. We talked to Nathanael about all the things that brought him to this moment…
Hello, I’m Nathan. But I’ve been going by my full artist name, Nathanael Philip Mosher.
Currently, I’m in London previewing my show. Then, beginning of August, I’ll move on towards the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
I’m really excited to present my show there. It’s something I’ve worked towards and hoped to achieve for a very long time. My show is a one-man performance, called Nathan Mosher is Injured.
It is a compilation of songs and jokes, as well as one poem. It’s my story. From mental breakdown to spiritual breakthrough.
Basically, I’ve been working on this show since I was 19. I’ve always wanted to do a one-man show. And I’ve always wanted to perform it at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
For a long time, my favorite which inspired me greatly, was Demetri Martin’s Perrier Award-winning solo show, If I. His show was taped by the BBC. I had it on my iPod and listened to it many times.
He was doing jokes and one-liners, and they were brilliant and had a great energy.
Originally, I had wanted to be a doctor. Then I realized it was comedy I wanted to do more, and I switched paths.
I remember, when I was 19, a friend of mine and I talked about our goals, and he asked me, “Do you have any?” And I said, “Yes, I don’t want to suck at comedy.”
19 seems to have been a pivotal year for me. That same year, I went with my sister to a concert of Us the Duo. I didn’t know them before and was fascinated. They told their story on stage. And, at the end of their show, it ended in exactly that current moment on tour, with them doing what they love, and loving each other.
I thought, “That’s what I want to do as well. Tell a story which will end in the current moment.”
Furthermore, I knew I wanted to do something autobiographical. And I wanted to eventually have a 1-hour show… which I wanted to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe.
As I slowly developed my show, I went step by step. “This year, I’ll do 30min, next year 45min, etc.”
And I wondered, “How can I do something that ends at the Fringe?”
It became clear to me that my show will have to be a story about me being a performer.
And there was one, random, but profound, defining moment: One day, I stepped off a curb and twisted my ankle. In essence, that’s why I became an orthopedic surgeon, stopped playing sports, and then started to do comedy.
Developing my show, I knew that will have to be the trough-line and my show is going to be called something with “injured” in the title.
After college, I fell in love and moved to San Francisco. I thought, I’ll have to be in NY eventually because it’s the mecca of stand-up. Then we broke up and I had a mental breakdown. I stopped comedy and thought I’ll never be able to do it again.
But after months of treatment, hospital visits, and eventually getting a job working with kids, I gradually began getting back on my feet again and feeling better. I wanted to do comedy again and returned to being a stand-up performer.
I wrote about my experiences and realized: I have a show.
The storyline just started to flow out of there. And eventually, I said I’ll do the Edinburgh Fringe, got a venue, and then the whole world shut down.
Still, I managed to do a few gigs during the pandemic. I performed in Orlando last year. And the audience responded really well to my show. They liked it and resonated with the story and the message.
Along the way, I’ve opened myself up to different ways of writing and expression.
I realized, what was most important to me was writing. It didn’t matter what. What mattered was that I was writing. That I am writing. Whether it is music, comedy, poetry, a script, etc.
So, as I started to explore those different art forms, I started to get different kinds of encouragement from different people.
I learned how to compose and produce, tried the slam poetry scene as well for a while.
For my show Nathan Mosher is Injured I wanted to tell my story but, in a manner that does not confine me to just one storytelling medium.
For me, all the artforms contribute to this. Poetry is the first thing I turn to when I need to express something. Then music next, because it is more fully formed, like a photograph. After that comes comedy – I’ve lived through it, and you can too.
The Edinburgh Fringe is a great environment to perform in. It is uncensored, un-juried. The brunt of the responsibility falls on you, but you really fall on your own sword and can do what you truly believe in.
I am passionate about what I do. And I have noticed that people, too, are passionate about what I am doing. I always have great conversations along the way and it makes everything so very much worth it.
In conversation is where I really thrive.
Now the question is how to make money with my art. But not for money’s sake. It’s not about that anymore. The money will simply be a necessary tool to enable me to keep doing what I am doing.
It’s been almost 4 years since I’ve been through what I’ve been through. I have a new relationship now. I am a different person. Thus, in some ways the show has become detached from what happened.
Recently, a comedian who is well known in the stand-up scene in the US took his own life. He meant a lot to me. I used to compare myself to him when we were both young.
We all thought he would be the next big thing, the next great comedian. And now he is gone. Way too soon.
But, on a positive note – and I mean this with the deepest respect towards him – losing him breathed new life into my show in such a bitter-sweet way.
Because I realized suicide is profoundly important topic to talk about. It is the most common cause of death among men under 50.
I am always encountering people who tell me how relevant it is that we speak openly about this subject. And I think there is always something I can say to make a difference, give people a bit of oomph to keep them going.
Ticket sales for Nathan Mosher is Injured haven’t been much. And I didn’t expect much. But I keep getting surprised as well.
I greatly look forward to going to Edinburgh and being part of an environment and scene in which people try stuff and are simply grateful to do art.
My music from the show is available as an EP on Spotify, iTunes, and all the streaming platforms. It’s called NATHANAEL. So, you can have a taste of the music online.
Thank you, Nathan, for sharing a bit of your story and your dreams with us! We wish you much success and fulfillment at the fringe and for your further career!
Nathan Mosher is Injured is a compilation of jokes, songs, and poems about a romantic breakup, a mental breakdown, and a spiritual breakthrough. In his debut solo show, Mosher chronicles a failed relationship, a year-long bipolar depressive episode, and recovery. Following the immediate downfall of a high-flying relationship, Mosher’s rapid descent into mental agony takes him from hospitals to treatment centers to residential facilities, and ultimately recovery.
Along the journey Nathan engages with his parents’ past, his struggles with religion, identity, relationships, high school bullying, and his immersion into the world of stand-up comedy, a place where his worlds converge and collide. He delivers his true-life tale through stand-up, song-writing, and poetry for a well-rounded yet grounded storytelling extravaganza, displaying his penchant for rhythm, rhyme, and the power of the spoken word to heal.
Nathanael’s Official Website
Buy tickets to the show here.
The show is fiscally sponsored by Social Good, which means you can donate to the future development and touring of the show on a tax-deductible basis. You can donate here.
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