David Ian Rabey

DAVID IAN RABEY was born in the Black Country of England, has lived in California and Dublin, and now lives in Machynlleth in Cymru/Wales, where he has resided since 1985 (and now identifies as Cymraeg/Welsh). He is a graduate of the Universities of Birmingham and California, Berkeley, and is Emeritus Professor of Drama and Theatre Practice at Aberystwyth University, where he taught from 1985 to 2020. He is Artistic Director of Lurking Truth/Gwir sy'n Llechu Theatre Company, which he co-founded in 1986, and for which he has written and/or directed the plays THE BACK OF BEYOND (staged twice 1996) and THE BATTLE OF THE CROWS (staged 1998), which are published together as THE WYE PLAYS (2004); BITE OR SUCK (staged 1997) and the double bill LOVEFURIES (THE CONTRACING SEA and THE HANGING JUDGE)(staged 2004 and 2005), published together as LOVEFURIES (2008); LAND OF MY FATHERS (staged 2018) and LAST DITCH (ANHREFN YNG NGHYMRU) (staged 2023), published together by Cambria Books in 2025. His critical writings include Alistair McDowall's POMONA (2018), Theatre, Time and Temporality (2016), The Theatre and Films of Jez Butterworth (2015), Howard Barker: Ecstasy and Death (2009), English Drama Since 1940 (2003), David Rudkin: Sacred Disobedience (1997) and Howard Barker: Politics and Desire (1989). His work as a cinematographer includes Charmian Savill’s short film SPINFOAM (2024: Lurking Truth/Beady Films).

Publications:

LAST DITCH and LAND OF MY FATHERS (Cambria Books, 2025)

Alistair McDowall's POMONA (Routledge 4th Wall, 2018)

Theatre, Time and Temporality (Intellect Books/Chicago UP, 2016)

The Theatre and Films of Jez Butterworth (Bloomsbury Methuen, 2015)

Howard Barker's Art of Theatre (co-editor with Sarah Goldingay: Manchester University Press, 2013)

Howard Barker: Ecstasy and Death (Palgrave, 2009)

Lovefuries (Intellect Books, 2008)

Theatre of Catastrophe: New Essays on Howard Barker (co-editor with Karoline Gritzner: Oberon Books, 2006)

The Wye Plays (Intellect Books, 2004)

English Drama Since 1940 (Longman's Literature in English Series: London, 2003)

David Rudkin: Sacred Disobedience (Routledge/Harwood: Amsterdam, 1997)

Howard Barker: Politics and Desire (Macmillan: Basingstoke, 1989; 2nd edition, 2009)

British and Irish Political Drama in the Twentieth Century (Macmillan: Basingstoke, 1986)