'If you love taking the mickey out of pompous buffoons, you will love this show.' - Natalie Bochenski on 'The Great Grandiosa'
Natalie Bochenski is a writer, performer, producer and director. Her company, Act React, specialises in pop culture-inspired performances and interactive experiences, chiefly in comedy. Natalie is a veteran of Brisbane’s improvisation scene, and loves to meld impro principles with scripted work to truly delight audiences. Act React has been a regular at Anywhere Festival, including “Let Them Eat Cake” in 2017, “Kiss of the Vampire Squid” in 2018 and “Titanic: The Movie, The Play” in 2019.
Image + Cover Image: Images by Anderson
Tell us about the show in 100 words or less
The Great Grandiosa is a comedy spoof on the larger-than-life world of psychics, mystics, and other grifters. The Great Grandiosa believes she can offer spiritual succour, fortune telling and wisdom from the Other Worlds. Mostly she’s just got a lot of BS, some blindly devoted Acolytes and her catchphrase, “Success!”. Using tried and true psychic tricks on the audience, The Great Grandiose and her team will act out past lives, interpret dreams, tell the future and communicate with spirits.
Anywhere Festival takes place anywhere but a theatre. Tell us about your venue. What is it about your space that adds to your audience experience?
The Sideshow at West End is a gorgeous boutique space that perfectly suits the seance-y vibe we hope to establish with The Great Grandiosa. We’re also doing one show as part of the Moreton Bay arm of the festival at The Cedar Social at Ferny Hills. It’s a sweet outdoor pizzeria/bar set up, and will be more like an afternoon garden party event.
What is your creative process like?
Believe it or not, the origins of this character came to me when I bought an old purple turban - complete with blue flower and feather - at a costume sale. It just spoke to me of silliness and pomposity, and of course has that ‘look’ of late 19th and early 20th century spiritualists. From there, it was just about developing the bigness of this character, and her unrelenting self-belief. As someone who often doubts whatever the hell it is I’m doing at any given time, it’s so fun to play a character who is always right, never apologises, speaks her mind, sasses her ‘clients’ but is still the biggest buffoon of all.
Tell us your origin story. How did your company start?
Act React began in 2013 when I produced a version of “He Died With a Felafel in His Hand” at the Brisbane Powerhouse. It was my first foray into funding my own productions, and I wanted a name that could be used for both improvisation and scripted theatre, as they’re my two loves. The name has taken on further meaning since the development of our big “The Movie The Play” shows, which really fostered our love of involving the audience in a positive way. The back and forth between the performers and audience - the ‘action’ and the ‘reaction’ is critical to who we are. Whether it’s large scale immersive stuff, or smaller, boutique shows, giving the audience a brilliant, fun time is at the centre of what we do.
Who is your perfect audience member? Who is going to LOVE this event?
If you love taking the mickey out of pompous buffoons, you will love this show. It uses improvisation to create fantasies and mysteries, meaning each performance will be different, flavoured by the audiences who attend.
Is there anything else we simply MUST know about the show?
Any display of psychic prowess is purely coincidental. OR IS IT? Yes, yes it is.
The Great Grandiosa takes place as part of Anywhere Festival on Sunday 9, 16 and 23 May at The Sideshow, West End (4-5pm) and Saturday 15 May at The Cedar Social, Ferny Hills (2.30-3.30pm)
