Alice Snedden is a New Zealand stand-up comedian, television writer and actress. First working as a writer on New Zealand comedy shows such as Funny Girls, Jono and Ben and 7 Days, Snedden created the series Alice Snedden's Bad News, a documentary-comedy series written by and starring herself. In 2021, she co-wrote the BBC comedy series Starstruck alongside Rose Matafeo, who co-wrote and starred in the production.
Alice Snedden | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1987/1988[1] |
| Occupation(s) | Comedian, writer, actress |
| Years active | 2016–present |
| Relatives | Warwick Snedden (grandfather) Martin Snedden (uncle) Michael Snedden (cousin) Nessie Snedden (great-grandfather) Colin Snedden (great-uncle) |
Early life
editSnedden grew up in Auckland,[2] the youngest of five children in a Catholic family.[3][4] Her father Patrick Snedden ran a publishing company,[4][2] and since has had positions including the chairman of The Big Idea, Housing New Zealand Corporation, Auckland District Health Board and director of the Ports of Auckland.[5][6] Snedden comes from an extended family of professional cricket players,[7] including Warwick Snedden, Nessie Snedden, Colin Snedden, Martin Snedden and Michael Snedden. Snedden attended the University of Otago, first studying physical education and politics before deciding to study law.[1] Snedden graduated and was admitted to the bar, however has never practiced law.[1] The night before she was admitted to the bar, Snedden performed her first stand-up comedy set.[1]
Career
editTo save money for a trip to New York, Snedden got a job at The Basement Theatre in Auckland.[1] Comedian Eli Matthewson encouraged her to try out for the comedy improv show SNORT (which included a cast of Rose Matafeo and Laura Daniel), which developed Snedden's love of comedy and improvisation.[1] When Snedden travelled to the United States, she enrolled at the Upright Citizens Brigade.[1]
After returning to New Zealand, Snedden met with producer Bronwynn Bakker in order to write for season two of the Rose Matafeo comedy show Funny Girls.[1] Bakker was impressed by Snedden's pitches, and employed her for both Funny Girls and Bakker's other comedy programme Jono and Ben.[1] In 2016, Snedden became a columnist for Stuff and the Sunday Star-Times.[1] During the same period, Snedden began to work for the panel show 7 Days, first as a writer and later as a recurring panelist. Snedden was the head writer for episodes of Funny Girls and Jono and Ben,[8] and became the head writer for Golden Boy (2019).
Snedden performed her first stand-up show, Alice Snedden: Self-Titled, at the New Zealand International Comedy Festival in 2017,[9] later bringing the show to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2018.[10] Snedden was nominated for the 2018 Billy T Award.[11]
In 2018, she became the host and writer of Alice Snedden's Bad News, a documentary comedy series focusing on New Zealand political and social issues.[12]
Snedden co-wrote the BBC series Starstruck alongside Rose Matafeo,[13] who she had hosted the podcast Boners of the Heart together with since 2016.[14][12]
Personal life
editDuring her 2019 show Absolute Monster, Snedden discussed coming to terms with her bisexuality.[15]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Baby Done | Antenatal Teacher |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Funny Girls | Various | Actor (1 episode). Head writer (1 episode) |
| 2016–2020 | 7 Days | Self - Team member | 12 episodes. Writer (51 episodes) |
| 2016 | Stake Out | Parking Warden | 1 episode |
| 2017 | Jono and Ben | Head writer (3 episodes), writer | |
| 2018 | The Project | Self - Whip Around Reporter | 1 episode |
| 2019 | Golden Boy | Head writer (8 episodes) | |
| 2018-2022 | Alice Snedden's Bad News | Self | Creator and host (20 episodes) |
| 2020 | Educators | Midwife | 5 episodes |
| 2020 | Frankie Boyle's New World Order | Writer (2 episodes) | |
| 2021 | Starstruck | Amelia | 2 episodes. Writer (12 episodes) |
| 2021 | Have You Been Paying Attention? | Self | New Zealand version |
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Kilgalon, Steve (8 September 2016). "Why Alice Snedden finds law and comedy much the same". Stuff. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
- ^ a b c Mulligan, Jesse (26 April 2017). "Bookmarks: Alice Snedden". Radio New Zealand. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
- ^ Snedden, Alice (March 2018). "Pride and the Church". Tui Motu Magazine. 27 (224). Retrieved 6 March 2022.
- ^ a b Reed, Megan Nicol (30 March 2019). "The Confession Box: Alice Snedden". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
- ^ Mulligan, Jesse (22 March 2017). "Bookmarks: Patrick Snedden". Radio New Zealand. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
- ^ "Episode 3: Healthcare Inequity - Alice Snedden's Bad News". Radio New Zealand. 17 August 2020. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
- ^ Husband, Dale (25 February 2017). "Pat Snedden: Are we brave enough to make the changes we need?". E-Tangata. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
- ^ "Alice Snedden - Funny As Interview". NZ On Screen. 2019. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
- ^ Brooks, Sam (17 May 2017). "Comedy Festival: Alice Snedden comes out swinging, Paul Williams makes a mark, and Eli Matthewson gets deeper and darker". The Spinoff. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
- ^ Lee, Veronica (17 August 2018). "Edinburgh Fringe 2018 reviews: Rosie Jones/ Marcus Brigstocke/ Alice Snedden". The Arts Desk. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
- ^ Brooks, Sam (13 October 2017). "The 2018 Billy T nominees are here, and they're pretty damn great". The Spinoff. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
- ^ a b Ryan, Charlotte (22 August 2020). "The Mixtape: Alice Snedden". Radio New Zealand. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
- ^ Mangan, Lucy (25 April 2021). "Starstruck review – Rose Matafeo stars in a millennial fairytale". The Spinoff. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
- ^ "Rose Matafeo and Alice Snedden share their biggest Boners of the Heart". The Spinoff. 22 July 2016. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
- ^ Richardson, Jay (22 August 2019). "Comedy review: Alice Snedden: Absolute Monster, Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh". The Scotsman. Retrieved 6 March 2022.