Michèle A'Court
Michèle Edith A'Court is a New Zealand comedian, writer and feminist. She has toured New Zealand and international venues with her standup comedy shows and in 2010 was awarded the Female Comedian of the Decade at the NZ Comedy Guild Awards. A'Court has appeared in many TV shows since the late 1980s including What Now, 7Days and The Project. She is a regular columnist with The Spinoff and the author of two books. She was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to the entertainment and comedy industries, in the 2023 New Year Honours.
Biography
A'Court trained in journalism, and has a degree in English literature and drama from Victoria University of Wellington. In the mid-1980s she worked as a TVNZ publicist. She then got a job as a host on children's television show What Now starting in 1987. She saw comedy as a vehicle for social activism as a feminist as well as making people feel 'better about life'. When she was young was inspired by the comedy of Danny Kaye and Carol Burnett. When she started doing stand-up comedy in the 1990s there were very few women. A'Court acknowledged in 2022 the fight for women to get a fairer representation as performers was continuing and also recognised that now comedy billing that used to be often one women per show are now often a 50:50 ratio. In stand-up A'Court has toured New Zealand and performed around the world including Las Vegas, Edinburgh, and Vancouver. A'Court supported the comedy industry of New Zealand by establishing the New Zealand Comedy Guild and she was the chairperson from 1999 to 2006.Since 2009 A'Court regularly appears on the comedy TV show 7Days and since 2018 has been a regular host on the current affairs programme The Project. Some recent stand-up comedy performances include headlining Mt Eden Comedy with Michele A'Court in 2015, and Friday Laughs in 2022 alongside her husband, comedian Jeremy Elwood.
A'Court has written two books. Her first book, Stuff I Forgot To Tell My Daughter, was based on her stand-up comedy show of the same name. A'Court has written guest columns for Stuff and is a guest writer for The Spinoff.
Books
Stuff I Forgot To Tell My Daughter How We Met- Foreword – ''Funny As: The Story of New Zealand Comedy''
Selected screenography
L&P Top Town FinalWhat Now?, Presenter, Writer – TelevisionChoice Not Chance, Presenter – Short FilmPulp Comedy, Subject – TelevisionComedy Central, As: Various roles – TelevisionNewsflash, Writer – TelevisionA Kiwi Christmas, Narrator – TelevisionTeen Sex, Narrator – TelevisionBreakfast, Presenter – TelevisionShortland Street, Writer, As: Helen Carson – Television7 Days – ongoing, Subject – TelevisionStaines Down Drains – Fool's Gold, Writer, As: Mary–Jane Staines, Herk and Beanz – TelevisionA Night at the Classic, As: Michele – TelevisionGo Girls, As: Miriam Hirsch – TelevisionFunny As: The Story of New Zealand Comedy, Subject – TelevisionThe Project – ongoing, Presenter – TelevisionOn the Rag, Presenter – WebAwards and nominations
- Special Recognition Award for Excellence in Presentation : Choice Not Chance ITVA Awards
- Female Comedian of the Decade New Zealand Comedy Awards
- VAC Reilly Award for Excellence in Comedy
- Nominated – Best Presenter: Entertainment : On the Rag New Zealand Television Awards
- Appointed Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2023 New Year Honours, for services to the entertainment and comedy industries