Alice Snedden

{{Infobox person

| name = Alice Snedden

| image =

| caption =

| birth_name =

| birth_date = 1987/1988

| birth_place = Auckland, New Zealand{{Cite web |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/201841595/bookmarks-alice-snedden |title=Bookmarks: Alice Snedden |first1=Jesse |last1=Mulligan |author-link1=Jesse Mulligan |date=26 April 2017 |website=Radio New Zealand |access-date=6 March 2022}}

| years_active = 2016–present

| occupation = Comedian, writer, actress

| relatives = Warwick Snedden (grandfather)
Martin Snedden (uncle)
Michael Snedden (cousin)
{{nowrap|Nessie Snedden (great-grandfather)}}
Colin Snedden (great-uncle)

}}

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.

Early life

Snedden grew up in Auckland, the youngest of five children in a Catholic family.{{Cite journal| volume = 27| issue = 224| last = Snedden| first = Alice| title = Pride and the Church | journal = Tui Motu Magazine| date = March 2018 |url=https://hail.to/tui-motu-interislands-magazine/publication/DtNHesF/article/82Dxl1Y |access-date=6 March 2022}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/the-confession-box-alice-snedden/L7AIRD6EZDAWJDYFW6YOMNFJHI/ |title=The Confession Box: Alice Snedden |first1=Megan Nicol |last1=Reed |date=30 March 2019 |website=New Zealand Herald |access-date=6 March 2022}} Her father Patrick Snedden ran a publishing company, 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.{{Cite web |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/201837563/bookmarks-patrick-snedden |title=Bookmarks: Patrick Snedden |first1=Jesse |last1=Mulligan |author-link1=Jesse Mulligan |date=22 March 2017 |website=Radio New Zealand |access-date=6 March 2022}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/programmes/bad-news/story/2018754051/episode-3-healthcare-inequity-alice-snedden-s-bad-news |title=Episode 3: Healthcare Inequity - Alice Snedden's Bad News |date=17 August 2020 |website=Radio New Zealand |access-date=6 March 2022}} Snedden comes from an extended family of professional cricket players,{{Cite web |url=https://e-tangata.co.nz/korero/pat-snedden-are-we-brave-enough-to-make-the-changes-we-need/ |title=Pat Snedden: Are we brave enough to make the changes we need? |first1= Dale |last1=Husband | date=25 February 2017 |website=E-Tangata |access-date=6 March 2022}} 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.{{Cite web |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/stage-and-theatre/83944872/why-alice-snedden-finds-law-and-comedy-much-the-same |title=Why Alice Snedden finds law and comedy much the same |first1=Steve |last1=Kilgalon |date=8 September 2016 |website=Stuff |access-date=6 March 2022}} Snedden graduated and was admitted to the bar, however has never practiced law. The night before she was admitted to the bar, Snedden performed her first stand-up comedy set.

Career

To save money for a trip to New York, Snedden got a job at The Basement Theatre in Auckland. 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. When Snedden travelled to the United States, she enrolled at the Upright Citizens Brigade.

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. Bakker was impressed by Snedden's pitches, and employed her for both Funny Girls and Bakker's other comedy programme Jono and Ben. In 2016, Snedden became a columnist for Stuff and the Sunday Star-Times. 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,{{Cite web |url=https://www.nzonscreen.com/interviews/funny-as/alice-snedden |title=Alice Snedden - Funny As Interview |date=2019 |website=NZ On Screen |access-date=6 March 2022}} 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,{{Cite web |url=https://thespinoff.co.nz/comedy/17-05-2017/comedy-festival-alice-snedden-comes-out-swinging-paul-williams-makes-a-mark-and-eli-matthewson-gets-deeper-and-darker |title=Comedy Festival: Alice Snedden comes out swinging, Paul Williams makes a mark, and Eli Matthewson gets deeper and darker |first=Sam |last=Brooks |date=17 May 2017 |website=The Spinoff |access-date=6 March 2022}} later bringing the show to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2018.{{cite web |last1=Lee |first1=Veronica |title=Edinburgh Fringe 2018 reviews: Rosie Jones/ Marcus Brigstocke/ Alice Snedden |url=https://theartsdesk.com/comedy/edinburgh-fringe-2018-reviews-rosie-jones-marcus-brigstocke-alice-snedden |website=The Arts Desk |date=17 August 2018 |accessdate=19 August 2018}} Snedden was nominated for the 2018 Billy T Award.{{Cite web |url=https://thespinoff.co.nz/comedy/13-10-2017/the-2018-billy-t-nominees-are-here-and-theyre-pretty-damn-great |title=The 2018 Billy T nominees are here, and they're pretty damn great |first=Sam |last=Brooks |date=13 October 2017 |website=The Spinoff |access-date=6 March 2022}}

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.{{Cite web |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/the-mixtape/audio/2018760560/the-mixtape-alice-snedden |title=The Mixtape: Alice Snedden |first1=Charlotte |last1=Ryan |date=22 August 2020 |website=Radio New Zealand |access-date=6 March 2022}}

Snedden co-wrote the BBC series Starstruck alongside Rose Matafeo,{{Cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/apr/25/starstruck-review-rose-matafeo-stars-in-a-millennial-fairytale |title=Starstruck review – Rose Matafeo stars in a millennial fairytale |first=Lucy |last=Mangan |date=25 April 2021 |website=The Spinoff |access-date=6 March 2022}} who she had hosted the podcast Boners of the Heart together with since 2016.{{Cite web |url=https://thespinoff.co.nz/media/22-07-2016/rose-matafeo-and-alice-snedden-share-their-biggest-boners-of-the-heart |title=Rose Matafeo and Alice Snedden share their biggest Boners of the Heart |date=22 July 2016 |website=The Spinoff |access-date=6 March 2022}}

Personal life

During her 2019 show Absolute Monster, Snedden discussed coming to terms with her bisexuality.{{Cite web |url=https://www.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/edinburgh-festivals/comedy-review-alice-snedden-absolute-monster-pleasance-courtyard-edinburgh-1409689 |title=Comedy review: Alice Snedden: Absolute Monster, Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh |first1=Jay |last1=Richardson |date=22 August 2019 |website=The Scotsman |access-date=6 March 2022}}

Filmography

=Film=

class="wikitable sortable"
Year ! Title ! Role
2020 \| Baby Done \| Antenatal Teacher

class="wikitable sortable"

Year

! Title

! Role

2020

| Baby Done

| Antenatal Teacher

=Television=

class="wikitable sortable"
Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" \| 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

class="wikitable sortable"

Year

! Title

! Role

! class="unsortable" | Notes

2016

| Funny Girls

| Various

| Actor (1 episode). Head writer (1 episode)

2016–2020

| 7 Days

| Self - Team member