Control | Director, Sound Designer, Production Manager
Reviews:
”Director Patrick Howard drew out the comedy and humanity of the piece and his production gained focus as it unfolded. Sci-fi is a genre more commonly associated with film than the stage. But Control … is a highly theatrical work that needs no big-budget special effects to ignite.” - 4 Stars, Sydney Morning Herald
“…director Patrick Howard pay[s] very nuanced attention to the emotional fluctuations that occur throughout. … Director Howard’s own sound design is exciting and thorough, for a staging that embraces the genre of sci-fi unabashedly.” - Suzy Goes See
“Control is mind blowing on many levels. … Full marks to Director, Sound and AV Designer Patrick Howard. It's not an easy task to bring sci fi to the stage. All in all, a terrific new play well worth supporting, and terrific work from all of the creative team and cast.” - 4 Stars, Sydney Scoop
“…the sound design by Patrick Howard (also the Director) was outstanding and the layers of nuance throughout were certainly highlights of the production.” - Theatre Travels
Picnic at Hanging Rock | Sound & AV Designer
Reviews:
”A sparse soundscape of birdsong and cicadas coupled with a restrained but spooky underscore gently locates the action … If 2020 has taught us anything, it is that we do not have all the answers. This production brings that home with delicious flair.” - 4 Stars, Sydney Morning Herald
“The sound design by Patrick Howard aids immensely in establishing a sense of the great outdoors, a wilderness that can transform from serene to deadly in just moments. … The lighting and sound design come together to produce a gothic eerie tone throughout and some truly horrifying, gasp-inducing moments.” - Theatre Travels
“Sound Designer Patrick Howard manages to capture both a sense of beauty and impending dread with this clever soundscape.” - 4.5 Stars, State of the Art
“The work is set to Patrick Howard's sound and AV design of a soundscape of Australian bush noises of birds and wind through trees along which is blended with Georgia Condon's compositions for cello and vocals which adds wonderfully to the suspense of the work.” - BroadwayWorld
“Speak of the rock as a ‘carbuncle’ and an ‘anti-Eden’ and the audio pulses in foreshadowing. The clock in the invisible classroom ticks and strikes and a discordant piano abuts a beating. There is unnerving humming, angelic choral and chest resonant cello embedded in the bush and the circling cries of wild things.” - Reviews by Judith
“Mood and pace are capably sustained over the play’s 90 minutes, aided by Patrick Howard’s sound design and Victor Kalka’s evocative set of thin eucalypt trunks, lit with strong colour by Louise Mason.” - Audrey Journal
The Campaign | Composer & Sound Designer
Reviews:
”The Campaign wears history on its sleeve … composer Patrick Howard has elegantly resisted the temptation to turn this significant work into another Priscilla moment. … By the end of The Campaign, we’re all dancing.” - Sydney Morning Herald
“Those individual stories, sections of stories, are neatly focussed in by the technical aspects of the production. Sensible, poignant and personal in a soft spotlight with a single tink on the piano until that left hand chord arrives with purpose and power.” - Reviews by Judith and Friends
”Patrick Howard's sound aided the performances, with original composition also playing a part in this production.” - Theatre Travels
We Are The Himalayas | Sound Designer
Reviews:
”Sound design by Patrick Howard is especially noteworthy for its impressive precision, guiding us across time and space with remarkable sensitivity.” - Suzy Goes See
”Patrick Howard’s sound design conjures up the clanking of doors and the rattling of the prison’s bush telegraph system very effectively.” - Audrey Journal
Collaborators | Sound Designer
Reviews:
”The use of music and sound effects also lends the play a cinematic edge, and Patrick Howard’s sound design is perfectly tuned into the various shades of tension, comedy, and sadness” - Theatre Travels
“…a splendidly designed production, with Colleen Cook’s set and Martin Kinnane’s lights offering sumptuous imagery, and Patrick Howard’s luscious sound design adding to the surreal aesthetic being manufactured.” - Suzy Goes See
Once in Royal David’s City | Director
Reviews:
”This Patrick Howard-directed production deploys Drummond’s beloved Brechtian techniques very effectively. Interventions and visible backstage business make us constantly aware of the artificiality of the event we are witnessing… his fluent staging and witty use of the acting ensemble is engaging and the play’s depiction of a man coming to terms with death is made touching.” - Audrey Journal
”Patrick Howard’s direction reveals with honesty, the often contradictory states of being human. … It is a handsome looking show, put together with excellent taste” - Suzy Goes See
“Sensitive direction by Patrick Howard, the production aesthetic and the touching performance by Franciso Lopez unite to provide a unique and evocative show that will melt even the most cynical heart.” - The Buzz From Sydney
“All [cast] move into their different characters with the precision and energy of the tight ensemble that Howard has developed. … Gow – and Howard – manage to find some humour in the philosophies that underwrite this play. It softens the pathos a little, but takes nothing away from the social and political themes.” - Stage Whispers
“Patrick Howard very capably directs this production. His staging sees the whole of the New’s large stage area used. It’s very theatrical in style with constant shifts of focus and location and the use of an on stage chorus.” - Sydney Arts Guide
“Howard has created a work that is deceptively simple but completely engaging. Focus is held on the core story whilst choreographed scene changes allow for more intrigue as pieces are passed and slid into place by the rest of the ensemble.” - Broadway World
“The ensemble acting, stagecraft, direction, lighting, and design are spot on. Big accolades to Patrick Howard…“ - The Music
Press:
2SER Stages: Radio Interview (from 4min 20sec)
New Theatre: Fresh Eyes on Modern Classics (Audrey Journal)
Press Release (New Theatre)
Merrily We Roll Along | Performer: Franklin Shepard
Awards:
Nominated: Best Actor in a Musical - Broadway World Theatre Awards, Sydney
Reviews:
"Patrick Howard is faultless in the pivotal role guiding the audience through each nuance of emotion ... His balanced performance is measured and controlled in the right places yet in contrast he bangs out every shade of light and dark and every colour of the rainbow of his character. ... Five and a half stars out of five. I'm in love" - Sydney Scoop
"That [the production] is being led by Patrick Howard in the leading role of Franklin Shepard is great boon, for Mr Howard is extremely secure and handles the dramatics of the book well and has a voice of some power and nuance and leads the ensemble through the journey with leadership qualities that mirror the charisma of his actual character." - Kevin Jackson
"The golden-voiced Patrick Howard is wonderful as Franklin, demonstrating a firm grasp on the success-hungry composer with one foot each in a different world." - Weekend Notes
"Patrick Howard presents the ambitious Frank with a nerdiness and awkwardness that implies that even though he has finally got it all, there is an underlying resentment for the choices he has made but he keeps trying to ignore the fact that he's been sucked into the superficial world of Hollywood." - Broadway World
"All seventeen performers work seamlessly together in carefully structured choreography and thoroughly rehearsed vocal work. ... every character is well-defined and convincingly portrayed. So much so, that it seems unfair to single out performances." - Stage Whispers
"Indeed, the performances of Patrick Howard (Frank) Zach Selmes (Charlie) and Victoria Zerbst (a truly outstanding Mary...) call forth the consuming behaviours of Frank, that often get diffused under sentiment. With this production we have the opportunity to see ourselves in Frank, and this consuming activity (so widespread but little studied) is seen as unsigned, unreadable and unsymbolised." - Lisa Thatcher
Press:
5 Questions with Patrick Howard and Victoria Zerbst (Suzy Goes See)
Brothers Karamazov | Performer: Dmitry/Karamazov/The Devil
Reviews:
"Patrick Howard brings Dmitry to life with an infectious laugh and cynicism that is warm and comic. His work as the angel/devil figure is charming and yet moderated within the whole. It could easily be a star turn but Kalka holds him nicely within the strong ensemble." - Sydney Arts Guide
"...it is a compelling cast, each one full of energetic conviction. Patrick Howard is particularly memorable, with an arresting presence, determined to entertain." - Suzy Goes See
5 Guys Chillin' | Director, Sound Designer, Production Manager
Reviews:
"Directed by the provocative Patrick Howard, who brings to his staging a corresponding boldness, we are urged to find an explanation for the extreme behaviour that these characters embrace so resolutely. The self-destruction is evident, and the urgency at which Howard presents that agonising sense of oblivious ruination, is irresistibly thought-provoking, and politically significant." - Suzy Goes See
"Highly confronting. ... For the next 75 minutes, the relentless, obsessive, explicit and graphic talk about sex (not for everyone), and the Chemsex scene, left me feeling a gamut of emotions; from pure disgust, judgement, queasiness, sadness, laughter and empathy. ... one thing is for sure: it opens up for a lot of debate." - What's On Sydney
Press:
5 Questions with John Michael Burdon and Patrick Howard (Suzy Goes See)
Business Unfinished | Production & Stage Manager, Technical Operator
Reviews:
"Christophersen performs a substantial portion of the show as a lip-sync act, mouthing to recordings of various personalities, with astonishing accuracy. Stage manager Patrick Howard’s precision in dispensing cues is noteworthy in this regard." - Suzy Goes See
Götterdämmerung | Devisor, Performer, Sound Designer
Reviews:
"I enjoyed the troupe’s down to earth, unadorned style of performance. ... My heartstrings were pulled, at times, during the show, and I am sure that this was also the case for others in the audience." - Sydney Arts Guide (KXT bAKEHOUSE Production, July 2017)
"In executing a tricky style of performance, actors Kalka, Ryan Devlin, Jacqueline Marriott and Patrick Howard are confident and competent. Howard is particularly wonderful, recounting with skill and brutal honesty the immaturity of his child-self." - Honi Soit (Sydney Fringe Production, September 2016)
Marat/Sade | Performer: Polpoch
Reviews:
"Leading the ensemble in song to the stunning compositions by Nate Edmondson are Irene Sarrinikolaou, Tim De Sousa, Debra Bryan and Patrick Howard. Their strength and energy are a vital part of the performance." - Stage Whispers
Press:
Conversation in Rehearsal with Garreth Cruikshank (Talking Arts)
Tender Indifference | Performer: Raymond/Priest/Pérez
Reviews:
"Patrick Howard takes on the more daring parts, with a flamboyance that keeps us amused. His comedy in the piece is simple and coarse, but refreshing nonetheless, in an atmosphere that aims to be comprehensively dark." - Suzy Goes See
Mother Clap's Molly House | Performer: Orme/Josh
Reviews:
"Striking and memorable … a fascinating, multi-faceted and piece, well executed by a strong director and superb cast." - SameSame.com
Assassins | Performer: John Wilkes Booth
Reviews:
"This is a true ensemble musical, and these complex characters were convincingly portrayed across the board. Special mention must go to Patrick Howard, whose honeyed tones, consistent accent and engaging stage presence were the centre of this production." - Honi Soit