Abby Howells
{{short description|New Zealand comedian and actor}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Abby Howells
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name = Abigail Mai Howells
| birth_date = {{Birth based on age as of date|33|2024|06|08}}
| birth_place = Dunedin, New Zealand
| death_date =
| occupation = {{hlist|Comedian|writer|actor}}
| alma_mater = University of Otago (PhD, theatre studies)
Victoria University of Wellington (MA, creative writing)
| known_for =
| notable_works =
| awards = Billy T Award (2023)
}}
Abigail Mai Howells is a New Zealand comedian, actor, and writer. She was the winner of the Billy T Award in 2023.
Early life and education
Howells was born in and grew up in Dunedin, New Zealand. 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.{{cite web |last1=Howells |first1=Abby |title=It's the Lion's Show, Baby |url=https://www.metromag.co.nz/arts/arts-theatre/its-the-lions-show-baby |publisher=Metro |access-date=2 December 2024 |date=22 February 2024}}
She received a bachelor of arts in film and media studies from the University of Otago, and a masters in creative writing (specifically screenwriting{{cite web |last1=Stephenson |first1=Sharon |title=Aroha: The love story behind this comedy power couple |url=https://www.thepost.co.nz/culture/350257114/aroha-love-story-behind-comedy-power-couple |publisher=The Post |access-date=2 December 2024 |date=26 April 2024}}) 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.{{cite web |last1=Howells |first1=Abby |title=Loose Canons: Abby Howells |url=https://www.pantograph-punch.com/posts/loose-canons-abby-howells |publisher=The Pantograph Punch |date=14 September 2018}}
Howells completed a PhD in theatre studies from the University of Otago; her thesis, titled "Performing Prison: How Is Life on the Inside Portrayed to the Outside World?",{{cite thesis |last1=Howells |first1=Abigail Mai |date=2021 |title=Performing Prison: How Is Life on the Inside Portrayed to the Outside World? |url=https://hdl.handle.net/10523/12714|type=PhD thesis|publisher=OUR Archive, University of Otago|hdl=10523/12714 }} explored how incarcerated women are portrayed in film and television.{{cite web |last1=Fox |first1=Rebecca |title=Empowering women inspiring |url=https://www.odt.co.nz/entertainment/fringe/empowering-women-inspiring |publisher=Otago Daily Times |date=21 March 2019}}
Career
Howells was a founding member of Discharge, a female comedy collective.{{cite web |last1=Stone |first1=Elsie |title=Meet the Female Comedy Collective Bringing Period Jokes to the Mainstream |url=https://cataloguemagazine.com.au/feature/meet-the-female-comedy-collective-bringing-period-jokes-to-the-mainstream |publisher=Catalogue Magazine |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304140451/https://cataloguemagazine.com.au/feature/meet-the-female-comedy-collective-bringing-period-jokes-to-the-mainstream |archive-date=4 Mar 2016 |date=17 February 2016 |url-status=dead}} She served as head writer for the group, penning the shows What is This? Woman's Hour? (2012),{{cite web |last1=McBryde |first1=Angus |title=What Is This, Women's Hour? (2012) |url=https://www.angusmcbryde.com/womenshour}} Benedict Cumberbatch Must Die (2014),{{cite web |title=28 Days: A Period Piece |url=https://www.theatreview.org.nz/production/28-days-a-period-piece/ |publisher=Theatreview}} and 28 Days: A Period Piece (2015).
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.{{cite web |title=Abby Howells |url=https://token.com.au/artist/abby-howells/ |publisher=Token |access-date=2 December 2024}}
She presented her solo show Glocknid: Dwarf Warrior in 2014, which won the Best Newcomer Award at the 2015 Wellington International Comedy Festival.{{cite web |last1=Daly |first1=Lara |title=Hey Abby Howells, I like your retro-inspired hair |url=https://www.ensemblemagazine.co.nz/articles/abby-howells-i-like-your-hair |publisher=Ensemble |date=15 May 2023}} She portrayed Beatrix in Trick of the Light Theatre's Beards Beards Beards, which toured the United Kingdom,{{cite web |last1=McKee |first1=Hannah |title=Abby Howells faces up to young roles |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/stage-and-theatre/67441212/abby-howells-faces-up-to-young-roles |publisher=Stuff |date=19 March 2015}} and her play Attila the Hun was part of the 2017 Young and Hungry Festival. In 2018 she performed White Men at the Dunedin Fringe Festival. Howells acted in Fold by Jo Randerson in 2018, and The Bald Soprano in 2019.{{cite web |title=Entitled narcissists target of absurdist satirical 'Fold' |url=https://www.odt.co.nz/entertainment/theatre/entitled-narcissists-target-absurdist-satirical-fold |publisher=Otago Daily Times |date=1 March 2018}}{{cite web |last1=Black |first1=Eleanor |title=At home with a Dunedin theatre couple |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/homed/houses/112466295/at-home-with-a-dunedin-theatre-couple |publisher=Stuff |date=19 May 2019}}
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;{{cite web |last1=Bevan |first1=Darren |title=Guy Montgomery and Abby Howells win top prizes at 2023 NZ International Comedy Festival |url=https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/entertainment/2023/05/guy-montgomery-and-abby-howells-win-top-prizes-at-2023-nz-international-comedy-festival.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230529001605/https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/entertainment/2023/05/guy-montgomery-and-abby-howells-win-top-prizes-at-2023-nz-international-comedy-festival.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 29, 2023 |publisher=Newshub |date=29 May 2023}} during this period she completed her PhD.
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; she also performed the show at Edinburgh Fringe. 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{{nbsp}}... a post-World War II nautical-themed romance set in Spain for little reason, where the characters don't have names". For the show, Howells won the Billy T Award.{{cite web |last1=Thomas |first1=Grace |title=Comedian Abby Howells takes home prestigious Billy T Award |url=https://www.1news.co.nz/2023/05/30/comedian-abby-howells-takes-home-prestigious-billy-t-award/ |publisher=1News |date=30 May 2023}}{{cite web |last1=Stills |first1=Ethan |title='Exciting' award win after industry harassment |url=https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/%E2%80%98exciting%E2%80%99-award-win-after-industry-harassment |publisher=Otago Daily Times |date=30 May 2023}}{{cite web |title=Billy T' Billy: Brynley Stent hands the yellow towel to 2023 comedy award winner Abby Howells |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/billy-t-billy-brynley-stent-hands-the-yellow-towel-to-2023-winner-abby-howells/VOXVJGWH4VE2LCWPSDT6QBZZDU/ |publisher=The New Zealand Herald |date=31 May 2023}} The New Zealand Herald wrote that La Soupco "strikes a wonderful balance between a theatrical concept and traditional stand-up".{{cite web |last1=Sills |first1=Ethan |title=Billy T 2023 nominees reviewed: Abby Howells, Gabby Anderson, Jack Ansett, Janaye Henry and Maria Williams |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/billy-t-2023-nominees-reviewed-abby-howells-gabby-anderson-jack-ansett-janaye-henry-and-maria-williams/CMQRGKJICFAJLDUPL7WC5DIT6A/ |publisher=The New Zealand Herald |access-date=27 August 2023 |date=25 May 2023}}
In 2024, Howells and Angella Dravid formed an improv group called The Improfessionals and performed at the NZICF.{{cite web |title=Abby Howells & Angella Dravid - The Improfessionals |url=https://www.comedyfestival.co.nz/find-a-show/the-improfessionals/ |publisher=New Zealand International Comedy Festival |access-date=22 May 2024}}
On television, Howells has appeared on 7 Days, Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont-Spelling Bee, Shortland Street, and Taskmaster New Zealand.{{cite news |title='The enjoyment of human folly': Abby Howells on the beauty of Taskmaster |url=https://thespinoff.co.nz/pop-culture/03-08-2024/the-enjoyment-of-human-folly-abby-howells-on-the-beauty-of-taskmaster |access-date=2 December 2024 |work=The Spinoff |date=3 August 2024}}{{cite web |last1=Hampson |first1=Alice |title=How Are You Today, Abby Howells? NZ's Best New Comedian Talks Life on the Autism Spectrum, Sexual Harassment & Giving Your Dream Another Shot |url=https://capsulenz.com/featured/how-are-you-today-abby-howells/ |publisher=Capsule NZ |access-date=2 December 2024 |date=5 August 2024}} She also acted in the Netflix film The Royal Treatment (2022).
Howells directed the second season of comedy podcast Did Titanic Sink?, hosted by Tim Batt and Carlo Ritchie. She has been a guest on Backyard Stories with Claudia Nankervis and The Worst Idea of All Time.
She has cited Blackadder and Jerry Seinfeld as influences. {{Asof|2024}}, Howells is repped by Token.
Personal life
Howells is open about being autistic, explaining that "It takes the pressure off me a little bit. I can really relax and just be myself{{nbsp}}... I don't have to process everything I do through a 'would a 'normal' person say this?' lens."{{cite news |last1=Gray |first1=Sonic |title=No Such Thing as Normal: Autism - is it safe to remove the mask? |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/no-such-thing-as-normal-autism-is-it-safe-to-remove-the-mask/GDQXQPDMEBAPJLUXG3YNPLMIG4/ |access-date=2 December 2024 |work=The New Zealand Herald |date=6 September 2024}}{{cite web |last1=Hanton |first1=James |title=HarleQueen |url=https://theweereview.com/review/harlequeen |publisher=The Wee Review |date=13 August 2022}} She is interested in the Titanic disaster.{{cite web |title=Did Titanic Sink? Podcast director Abby Howells on conspiracies and her obsession |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/culture-101/audio/2018950507/did-titanic-sink-podcast-director-abby-howells-on-conspiracies-and-her-obsession |website=Culture 101 |publisher=RNZ |access-date=2 December 2024 |date=11 August 2024}}
{{Asof|2024}}, Howells is in a relationship with Robbie Nicol.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name}}
{{Billy T Award}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Howells, Abby}}
Category:21st-century New Zealand comedians
Category:Contestants on New Zealand game shows
Category:Date of birth missing (living people)
Category:Autistic entertainers
Category:New Zealand women comedians
Category:New Zealand dramatists and playwrights
Category:New Zealand people with disabilities
Category:University of Otago alumni