Jan Maree: Hairy Today, Gone Tomorrow

Born the daughter of a hairy misogynist Croatian and a kiwi girl from Central Otago, Jan always felt a cultural failure - not quite one nor the other. In 2011, her underlying heritage issues provoked her to travel for the first time to her grandfather's birthplace, Mala Duba, Croatia. Her new show in this year's NZ International Comedy Festival is her true story of this slightly less-than-epic, certainly more than memorable trip to find her roots.

Jan brings this brand new show hot off the back of her 2011 triumph, "Fever Bitch:, which saw her become the first female comedian to win NZ's highest accolade, the prestigious Fred Award. The prize money helped pay her way to the UK where, upon performing at Top Secret Comedy Club, Covent Garden and Edinburgh's legendary The Stand, she earned UK representation with Lee Martin of Gag Reflex, who also represents NZer Sam Wills aka The Boy With Tape on His Face.

This year Jan also releases her first DVD, "Fever Bitch", performs at the Melbourne Comedy Festival and returns to the UK for the Edinburgh Fringe.