John Howell
| Festivals | 1986 |
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Programme Biography (1986)
John Howell was born and brought up in the mining and steelworks community of Risca, Gwent. After training at Loughborough he taught for a number of years before being offered the Sir John Gielgud award and a television scholarship to train at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School as a professional actor. Although tempted by offers to join several leading companies he returned to teaching and in 1967 moved to Hereford as a lecturer in Drama at the College of Education and was Senior Tutor when the College closed in 1978.
He began his Dylan Thomas readings at the “Old Vic” mainly as “party pieces” but over the years has built up a large repertoire which he uses in his one man show “Once Below a Time”. As one of the leading exponents of Dylan Thomas’ prose writings he is in great demand but tries to limit his appearance to “charity” occasions where he has helped to raise many thousands of pounds.
John is also a frequent guest artiste with leading male voice choirs, including the Treorchy and the Cwmbach choirs. Recently he took part in a Gala Concert before a capacity audience at St David’s Hall, Cardiff to honour Viscount Tonypandy and raise funds for the National Children’s Home.