Ellis Rabb

Who was Ellis Rabb?

Ellis Rabb was an American actor and director who in 1959 formed the Association of Producing Artists, a theatre company that brought new works and noteworthy revivals to Broadway and to regional theatres. The APA merged with the Phoenix Theatre in 1964 and as the APA-Phoenix went on to mount Broadway revivals of Man and Superman, The Show Off, Right You Are If You Think You Are, and Hamlet among others, with the APA-Phoenix receiving a special Tony Award for distinguished achievement prior to disbanding in 1969.

Rabb’s subsequent work as an actor included starring in the New York premiere of David Mamet's A Life in the Theatre in 1977 at Off-Broadway's Theatre de Lys and in 1980 he played the title role in The Man Who Came to Dinner at the Circle in the Square Theatre.

His later directing work included a 1973 production of A Streetcar Named Desire, starring Rosemary Harris, James Farentino, and Patricia Conolly; a memorable production of The Royal Family in 1975 for which he won both a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award, and a 1983 revival of You Can't Take It With You with Jason Robards and Colleen Dewhurst.