Ralph McCubbin Howell

Ralph McCubbin Howell is a Wellington-based New Zealand playwright and actor.^[1] Howell was the recipient of the 2014 Bruce Mason Playwriting Award.^[2] His work The Devil's Half Acre was commissioned and produced by the 2016 New Zealand International Festival of the Arts.^[3]

Howells has a BA (Honours) in Theatre & English at Victoria University of Wellington. He also trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School (UK).^[4]

Howell often performs as an actor in his own work, with roles in many initial productions of his plays including The Bookbinder,^[5] The Devil's Half Acre, The Road That Wasn't There,^[6] Broken River, and The Engine room.

Howell is the co-director along with Hannah Smith of the theatre company Trick of the Light.^[4] Their play The Road That Wasn't There won Howell an Outstanding New NZ Play in 2013 and Smith the Most Promising Director at the Wellington Theatre Awards (2023).^[4]

Awards

• 2014 – Bruce Mason Playwriting Award.^[7]
• 2014 – The BookBinder: Best Theatre; Best in the Fringe; Tiki Tour Ready Award – New Zealand Fringe Festival^[8]
• 2013 – The Road That Wasn't There: Outstanding New NZ Play^[4]
• 2013 – Production of the Year – Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards^[9] Auckland Arts Festival Award – Auckland Fringe Festival 2013^[10]
• 2011 – Outstanding new New Zealand Playwright of the Year – Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards 2011^[11]