# Michelle Brasier

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 and grew up in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales. She was the youngest child, and her family was very sporty.
In 2007, she moved to Melbourne to study musical theatre at the Victorian College of the Arts. After one year there she enrolled in a three-year degree of Music Theatre at the Arts Academy, Federation University in Ballarat, graduating in 2010.

## Career

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.
Brasier's first solo comedy show, Space Tortoise, came to stage in 2016.
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). The two continued in 2018 in the Double Denim Adventure Show, about a failed cruise ship voyage, which won Best Newcomers at the Sydney Comedy Festival and Director's Choice at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. She appeared on Aunty Donna's comedy album The Album, and joined the group on their Australian tour.
Double Denim's third show, A Very Fancy Dinner Party, premiered at the Adelaide Fringe in March 2019.
In 2020, Brasier appeared in Aunty Donna's Big Ol' House of Fun as a sports doctor. As part of Double Denim, she won the 2020 MICF Moosehead Award.
In 2021, Brasier debuted Average Bear, a personal show on the impact of cancer on her family, which she performs with her partner Tim Lancaster. The show won Sydney Comedy Festival's Director's Choice award, was performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2022, was nominated for the MICF award for Most Outstanding Show, and aired as a special on Paramount+ as part of the Malthouse Stand Up Specials.
Her show Reform debuted in 2022 to critical acclaim, about her experience with an online scam, in which she befriended the scammer and got most of her money back.
In 2023, she appeared in Aunty Donna's Coffee Cafe. Her next solo show, Legacy, began the same year and ran for the duration of the MICF.
Brasier has also worked on and starred in Shaun Micallef's Mad as Hell, Utopia, Get Krack!n, Drunk History Australia, and How to Stay Married.
In August 2024 her story was presented on the ABC Television show Australian Story.
Her memoir, My Brother's Ashes are in a Sandwich Bag, was published in September 2024. It was shortlisted for the inaugural John Clarke Prize for Humour Writing at the 2025 Victorian Premier's Literary Awards.

## Personal life

Brasier met later comedic partner Laura Frew in 2013 at a murder mystery party.
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.
Her partner Tim Lancaster is a musician who performs in some of Brasier's shows, including Average Bear. 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.
In August 2023 Brasier made news after her luggage was lost on a KLM flight despite her locating the luggage using an AirTag.

## Filmography
### Film

| Title | Year | Role | Notes |
| Backyard Ashes | 2013 | Barmaid | Minor role |
| The Aunty Donna Live Spooktacular | 2017 | Self | TV Movie |
| Extra Time | 2018 | Gretchen | Minor role |
| Aunty Donna: The Album Tour | 2019 | Self | TV Special |
| Fraud Festival | 2021 | Michelle Visage | TV Movie |
| Better Man | 2024 | Viv Nicholson | Minor Role |

### Television / web series

| Title | Year | Role | Notes |
| Fresh Blood: Aunty Donna | 2014 | Mounrner | Episode: Best Funeral Ever |
| Aunty Donna: 1999 | 2016 | Susan | 4 Episodes |
| About Tonight | 2016 | Self | Episode: Brasier & Friends. Host |
| Aunty Donna Podcast | 2016 | Self | 12 episodes between 2016-2022 |
| Aunty Donna's Ripper Aussie Summer | 2017 | Various | Regular |
| Utopia | 2017 | Lauren | Episode: Snouts in the Trough |
| Aunty Donna: Best Content Ever!!1! | 2017 | Various | 2 Episodes |
| Aunty Donna: The Album | 2018 | Self | 3 Episodes |
| Get Krack!n | 2019 | Saskia | Episode: S2.E2 |
| Aunty Donna: Glennridge Secondary College | 2019 | Various | Regular |
| Shaun Micallef's Mad as Hell (Season 10) | 2019 | Various | 9 Episodes. 13 credited. Regular. |
| Shaun Micallef's Mad as Hell (Season 11) | 2020 | Various | 11 episodes, 12 credited. Regular |
| YOLO: Crystal Fantasy | 2020 | Writer / Voice / Creative Consultant | 3 Episodes |
| The Divorce | 2020 | Janine | Short film |
| Stamptown Comedy Night | 2020 | Bimpson Tribute Artist | Short film |
| Stepmom Blues | 2020 | Michelle | Episode: Finale |
| At Home Alone Together | 2020 | Visit Melbourne Spokesperson | Episode: Two |
| Aunty Donna's Big Ol' House of Fun | 2020 | Various | 2 Episodes |
| Geraldine Quinn: I Live for Music Theatre! | 2020 | Rival Auditionee | Short Film |
| Drunk History: Australia | 2020 | Various | Episode: Abe Saffron aka Mr Sin/The Female Bushranger Mary Ann Bugg |
| Whovians | 2020 | Self | Episode: Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror |
| Remotely Funny | 2020 | Self | Episode: Four |
| Australian Lockdown Comedy Festival | 2020 | Self | Episode: Four |
| The MSO's Perfect End to 2020 | 2020 | Self | TV Special |
| Romeo, Juliet & Garry | 2021 | Juliet | Short Film |
| How to Stay Married | 2021 | Trish | 3 Episodes |
| Little Bad Thing | 2021 | Self | Episode: And a Toy Xylophone |
| Melbourne International Comedy Festival | 2021 | Self | Episode: Allstars Supershow 2021: Part 1 |
| Why Are You Like This | 2021 | Sandi | Episode: I Will Not Speak for the Entire Queer Community |
| Hot Department: Dark Web | 2022 | Susan from Neighbours | Episode: Bad Auditions |
| Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2022 | 2022 | Self | Episode: Opening Night Comedy Allstars Supershow: Part 2 |
| Aunty Donna's Coffee Cafe | 2023 | Various | Regular |
| Koala Man | 2023 | Various Voices | 4 Episodes |
| We Interrupt This Broadcast | 2023 | Various | Regular |

### Writing credits

| Title | Year | Role | Notes |
| Why Are You Like This | 2018 | Additional Writer | Episode: I Love Gay |
| YOLO: Crystal Fantasy | 2020 | Writer, Creative Consultant | |
| Childish Deano | 2022 | Additional Writing | |
| YOLO: Silver Destiny | 2023 | Writer, Creative Consultant | |
| Aunty Donna's Coffee Cafe | 2023 | Staff Writer | |