Michelle Brasier (born 1987 or 1988) is a Melbourne-based comedian, writer and actor. She is known for her work with the comedy group Aunty Donna, her live shows, performing in comedy duo Double Denim with Laura Frew, and for performing with her partner Tim Lancaster.
Early life and education
Brasier was born in 1987 or 1988[1] and grew up in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales.[2] She was the youngest child, and her family was very sporty.[1]
In 2014, Brasier appeared on stage with Frew as part of comedy troupe Backwards Anorak in a Game of Thrones spoof named Winter Is Coming, performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.[4]
Brasier's first solo comedy show, Space Tortoise, came to stage in 2016.[5]
She first performed in the comedy duo Double Denim with Frew in a self-titled show in 2017. The show was nominated for a Golden Gibbo at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF).[4][6] The two continued in 2018 in the Double Denim Adventure Show, about a failed cruise ship voyage,[4] which won Best Newcomers at the Sydney Comedy Festival and Director's Choice at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.[2] She appeared on Aunty Donna's comedy album The Album, and joined the group on their Australian tour.[7]
Double Denim's third show, A Very Fancy Dinner Party, premiered at the Adelaide Fringe in March 2019.[4]
In 2021, Brasier debuted Average Bear, a personal show on the impact of cancer on her family,[2] which she performs with her partner Tim Lancaster.[9] The show won Sydney Comedy Festival's Director's Choice award,[10] was performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2022,[11] was nominated for the MICF award for Most Outstanding Show,[2] and aired as a special on Paramount+ as part of the Malthouse Stand Up Specials.[12]
Her show Reform debuted in 2022 to critical acclaim, about her experience with an online scam,[13][14][15] in which she befriended the scammer and got most of her money back.[1]
In 2023, she appeared in Aunty Donna's Coffee Cafe.[14] Her next solo show, Legacy, began the same year and ran for the duration of the MICF.[14]
Her memoir, My Brother's Ashes are in a Sandwich Bag, was published in September 2024.[17][18]
Personal life
Brasier met later comedic partner Laura Frew in 2013 at a murder mystery party.[4]
She deals with a high risk of developing bowel, stomach, pancreatic, or ovarian cancer due to an hereditary illness, to which she lost both her father and brother in 2006.[19][20]
Her partner Tim Lancaster is a musician who performs in some of Brasier's shows,[15] including Average Bear.[16] They met when both performing in a production of the stage show, Legally Blonde, when she was just beginning to look into her genetic history.[9]
In August 2023 Brasier made news after her luggage was lost on a KLM flight despite her locating the luggage using an AirTag.[21][22]
