Abigail Mai Howells is a New Zealand comedian, actor, and writer. She was the winner of the Billy T Award in 2023.
Abby Howells | |
|---|---|
| Born | Abigail Mai Howells[1] 1990 or 1991 (age 33–34) Dunedin, New Zealand |
| Alma mater | University of Otago (PhD, theatre studies) Victoria University of Wellington (MA, creative writing) |
| Occupations |
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| Awards | Billy T Award (2023) |
Early life and education
editHowells was born in and grew up in Dunedin, New Zealand.[2][3] She attended an all-girls high school, where she acted in school productions of The Wizard of Oz as the Cowardly Lion and in Seussical as Horton the Elephant.[4]
She received a bachelor of arts in film and media studies from the University of Otago, and a masters in creative writing (specifically screenwriting[3]) from Victoria University of Wellington's International Institute of Modern Letters in 2014. At Victoria, she wrote the screenplay Standing Up, which won the Brad McGann Award.[5]
Howells completed a PhD in theatre studies from the University of Otago;[6] her thesis, titled "Performing Prison: How Is Life on the Inside Portrayed to the Outside World?",[1] explored how incarcerated women are portrayed in film and television.[7]
Career
editHowells was a founding member of Discharge, a female comedy collective.[8][5] She served as head writer for the group, penning the shows What is This? Woman's Hour? (2012),[9] Benedict Cumberbatch Must Die (2014),[10] and 28 Days: A Period Piece (2015).[5][11]
In 2014, Howells wrote Crossbow Cat, which won the Auckland Festival's Judges' Choice and People's Choice awards, and audio play The Crash in 2015, which aired on Radio New Zealand.[12]
She presented her solo show Glocknid: Dwarf Warrior in 2014, which won the Best Newcomer Award at the 2015 Wellington International Comedy Festival.[5][13] She portrayed Beatrix in Trick of the Light Theatre's Beards Beards Beards, which toured the United Kingdom,[11] and her play Attila the Hun was part of the 2017 Young and Hungry Festival.[5] In 2018 she performed White Men at the Dunedin Fringe Festival.[12] Howells acted in Fold by Jo Randerson in 2018, and The Bald Soprano in 2019.[14][15]
After starting stand-up in her 20s, Howells quit comedy for seven years following sexual harassment from another comedian and bad experiences with on-stage harassment;[2][16] during this period she completed her PhD.[3]
Howells's show HarleQueen, inspired by her experiences as a woman in comedy, won the Director's Award at the New Zealand International Comedy Festival in 2021;[2] she also performed the show at Edinburgh Fringe.[3] In 2023 at the NZICF, she wrote and performed La Soupco, which is "based on a screenplay Howells wrote when she was 11 years old ... a post-World War II nautical-themed romance set in Spain for little reason, where the characters don't have names".[17] For the show, Howells won the Billy T Award.[2][6][16][13][18] The New Zealand Herald wrote that La Soupco "strikes a wonderful balance between a theatrical concept and traditional stand-up".[17]
In 2024, Howells and Angella Dravid formed an improv group called The Improfessionals and performed at the NZICF.[19]
On television, Howells has appeared on 7 Days, Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont-Spelling Bee, Shortland Street, and Taskmaster New Zealand.[3][20][21] She also acted in the Netflix film The Royal Treatment (2022).[12]
Howells directed the second season of comedy podcast Did Titanic Sink?, hosted by Tim Batt and Carlo Ritchie.[22] She has been a guest on Backyard Stories with Claudia Nankervis and The Worst Idea of All Time.[12]
She has cited Blackadder and Jerry Seinfeld as influences.[6] As of 2024[update], Howells is repped by Token.[12]
Personal life
editHowells is open about being autistic, explaining that "It takes the pressure off me a little bit. I can really relax and just be myself ... I don't have to process everything I do through a 'would a 'normal' person say this?' lens."[23][24] She is interested in the Titanic disaster.[22]
As of 2024[update], Howells is in a relationship with Robbie Nichol.[3]
References
edit- ^ a b Howells, Abigail Mai (2021). Performing Prison: How Is Life on the Inside Portrayed to the Outside World? (PhD thesis). OUR Archive, University of Otago. hdl:10523/12714.
- ^ a b c d Thomas, Grace (30 May 2023). "Comedian Abby Howells takes home prestigious Billy T Award". 1News.
- ^ a b c d e f Stephenson, Sharon (26 April 2024). "Aroha: The love story behind this comedy power couple". The Post. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
- ^ Howells, Abby (22 February 2024). "It's the Lion's Show, Baby". Metro. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Howells, Abby (14 September 2018). "Loose Canons: Abby Howells". The Pantograph Punch.
- ^ a b c Stills, Ethan (30 May 2023). "'Exciting' award win after industry harassment". Otago Daily Times.
- ^ Fox, Rebecca (21 March 2019). "Empowering women inspiring". Otago Daily Times.
- ^ Stone, Elsie (17 February 2016). "Meet the Female Comedy Collective Bringing Period Jokes to the Mainstream". Catalogue Magazine. Archived from the original on 4 Mar 2016.
- ^ McBryde, Angus. "What Is This, Women's Hour? (2012)".
- ^ "28 Days: A Period Piece". Theatreview.
- ^ a b McKee, Hannah (19 March 2015). "Abby Howells faces up to young roles". Stuff.co.nz.
- ^ a b c d e "Abby Howells". Token. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
- ^ a b Daly, Lara (15 May 2023). "Hey Abby Howells, I like your retro-inspired hair". Ensemble.
- ^ "Entitled narcissists target of absurdist satirical 'Fold'". Otago Daily Times. 1 March 2018.
- ^ Black, Eleanor (19 May 2019). "At home with a Dunedin theatre couple". Stuff.co.nz.
- ^ a b Bevan, Darren (29 May 2023). "Guy Montgomery and Abby Howells win top prizes at 2023 NZ International Comedy Festival". Newshub.
- ^ a b Sills, Ethan (25 May 2023). "Billy T 2023 nominees reviewed: Abby Howells, Gabby Anderson, Jack Ansett, Janaye Henry and Maria Williams". NZ Herald. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
- ^ "Billy T' Billy: Brynley Stent hands the yellow towel to 2023 comedy award winner Abby Howells". NZ Herald. 31 May 2023.
- ^ "Abby Howells & Angella Dravid - The Improfessionals". New Zealand International Comedy Festival. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
- ^ "'The enjoyment of human folly': Abby Howells on the beauty of Taskmaster". The Spinoff. 3 August 2024. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
- ^ Hampson, Alice (5 August 2024). "How Are You Today, Abby Howells? NZ's Best New Comedian Talks Life on the Autism Spectrum, Sexual Harassment & Giving Your Dream Another Shot". Capsule NZ. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
- ^ a b "Did Titanic Sink? Podcast director Abby Howells on conspiracies and her obsession". Culture 101. RNZ. 11 August 2024. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
- ^ Gray, Sonic (6 September 2024). "No Such Thing as Normal: Autism - is it safe to remove the mask?". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
- ^ Hanton, James (13 August 2022). "HarleQueen". The Wee Review.
External links
edit- Abby Howells at IMDb
