Alex Howarth

Alex is an award winning theatre director and writer based in London. In 2023, The Guardian named him one of their 'Ten Stage Sensations to Watch Out For', after the success of his debut play CASSIE AND THE LIGHTS, as well as his extensive directing work across both theatre and opera. Coming from the North West and a background of working in care, Alex is passionate about amplifying under-represented and northern voices. 

CASSIE AND THE LIGHTS was based on a true story and interviews with children in the care system, and is currently being developed for screen with Sister Pictures. The play was nominated for the BBC Writers' Room Popcorn Award and the SitUp Award for social change. It was one of The Stage Critics' Best Shows of the Edinburgh Fringe, and is published by Nick Hern Books.

A former drama therapist for the charity Sense, Alex has worked extensively with disabled artists, and recently co-created one man show STRICTLY LAWRIE with performer Lawrie Morris (Growing up Downs, BBC). 

Alex lead the devising process and directed WE LIVE BY THE SEA, a play with live music about a girl with autism, which debuted at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2016 and garnered widespread critical acclaim, leading to runs at SoHo Playhouse and 59E59 Theatres in New York, Greenwich Theatre in London, as well as tours to the Adelaide Fringe Festival and China. The play received Critics' Pick and Top Theatre of the Year in the New York Times, and won the Grahame F. Smith Peace Foundation Award for promoting human rights through theatre. 

In 2024, Alex directed Scottish-folk musical LIFELINE, which explored the antibiotic resistance crisis and features an ensemble of real life medical professionals. It ran for four weeks at the Signature Theater, Off Broadway New York in August 2024. The concept album is available featuring Broadway performers including Aaron Lazar and Arielle Jacobs. The company also performed at the United Nations High Level Meeting on antimicrobial resistance. This was only the second act ever to perform at such a meeting, and the first ever theatre piece, making Alex the first director in history to have his work performed at the UN. 

Alex has worked as an associate director for Richard Eyre, David Thacker, Polina Kalinina and Jeff Clarke, at venues including the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. He regularly directs at drama schools including Arts Ed, Italia Conti, Central School of Speech and Drama, Mountview, and Chichester Conservatoire and directed the world stage premiere of WHAT'S EATING GILBERT GRAPE, working with the movie's writer and director, Oscar nominee Peter Hedges. 

Alex is the Artistic Director of multi-award winning Patch of Blue, who create original theatre pieces with live music for festivals and touring.