Our People
Adam Howell
Adam is a Composer, Lyricist, Musical Director and Arranger.
A former Artistic Director of Uncontained Arts; a theatre company based at Derby Theatre in the East Midlands, Adam toured internationally as an Actor/Musician and composed for all of the Company’s productions, performed at such venues as E4’s Udderbelly (Southbank, London), The Lowry (Manchester), The Gilded Balloon (Edinburgh Fringe) and The English Theatre of Warsaw (Poland), amongst many others.
Adam is the Composer & Lyricist of the critically acclaimed, ANGELA'S ASHES (The Musical); a stage adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize Winning memoir by Frank McCourt. Following its West End workshop in 2016, the show toured Ireland in 2017 and performed and again with its UK Premiere in 2019, receiving 4-5 STAR reviews from THE STAGE, WHATSONSTAGE, LONDONTHEATRES.COM, THE IRISH TIMES and many more. It was also streamed by New York’s Irish Repertory Theatre in 2021, making its (virtual) American Premiere.
"Angela's Ashes is the best kind of theatre; it pokes, it prods, it excites, it delights, it uplifts, it touches the soul and the heart and the mind. I belly-laughed, I cried; I was transported."
4 STAR REVIEW – SUNDAY INDEPENDENT
Songs from the show have also been performed on 'Elaine Paige On Sunday' (BBC Radio 2) and at The Theatre Cafe (West End).
As a Composer & Lyricist, Adam’s credits include: Blonde (Streamed by Kristian Thomas Company/DerbyLIVE), Angela’s Ashes (The Musical) (Fairfield Halls/Ashcroft Playhouse, Croydon, Cork Opera House, Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, Dublin, Grand Opera House, Belfast and Lime Tree Theatre, Limerick), Blonde (RADA Festival, 2018), Robin Hood & His Very Merry Men (International Tour), Berlin Cabaret (East Midlands Tour and Edinburgh Fringe), Treasure Island (International Tour and Edinburgh Fringe), The Letters of Jane Austen (lyrics by Jane Austen, East Midlands Tour and Edinburgh Fringe), The Tempest (lyrics by William Shakespeare, Derby Theatre), Penny Dreadful (Derby Theatre), Not So Grimm Fairy Tales (International Tour and Edinburgh Fringe), Alice in Wonderland (lyrics by Lewis Carroll, International Tour and Edinburgh Fringe), Much Ado About Nothing (lyrics by William Shakespeare, Devonshire Dome, Buxton), The Little Mermaid (National Tour) and Twelfth Night (Or What You Will) (lyrics by William Shakespeare, Devonshire Dome, Buxton).
As a Musical Director & Arranger: Oh! What A Lovely War (Nottingham College), Fame (Palace Theatre, Mansfield), In The Heights (Palace Theatre, Mansfield), The Wedding Singer (Palace Theatre, Mansfield), A Christmas Carol (Derby Theatre), Cabaret (Derby Theatre Studio) and Little Shop of Horrors (Derby Theatre Studio).
Other work includes scoring film trailers for The BFG (Derby Live), We Are Three Sisters (Northern Broadsides), Saturday Night, Sunday Morning (Manchester Royal Exchange) and A Christmas Carol (Derby Theatre).
Adam has also penned the lyrics to a new pop song called, 'If Only She Knew', with music by Hiroaki Serizawa – one of Japan’s most prominent composers, acclaimed for his song writing for Anime cartoons.
Currently, Adam is the Musical Director of Expressions Academy of Performing Arts (Nottinghamshire) and works with students from BTEC – BA (Hons) level.