His reputation has been built on leading-edge, high quality, independent production in all media. A prolific number of productions that are never-the-less highly conceptual and visually dynamic. He has consciously disciplined himself to direct in all media and he works regularly in feature film, theatre and television.
Feature films include; King Lear, St. Joan, Faust, The Search, The Proteus Chronicles, Queen City Blowout, Lost Souls, Autumn and Covenant. All were delivered on time and on budget with a good number of them winning awards.
Rumbelow has directed music videos for major labels, such as A&M/Sony, WEA, Polygram, Atlantic, etc. with A, B and C artists. His music videos have appeared on high rotation in all major television markets including MTV, Much Music, BET and BBC.
Television experience includes over 65 episodics and special interest programming such as his anarchic series, The New Television, and his paranormal investigative series, Beyond. HIs other television experience includes: documentaries like Rocking horse Dreams; the 90 minute television special, Ghosts; and as a producer on the wildly over the top pirate satellite station, QTV.
Currently Steven is signed on a four-slate deal for Renegade Motion Pictures with a Canadian track distributor. In the pipeline are six films in total of which one is currently in Post Production.
Rumbelow's 52 episode paranormal documentary series, Beyond, which ran for four years on The Space Channel in Canada and through ComCast in the US is now enjoying binge viewing in digital markets like HULU Plus. Recent track show his films being sold to 30 odd countries and most major markets as well as doing well on digital platforms.
His track as a Producer includes over half of the productions he has directed.
Triple Action Theatre was one of the world's foremost physical theatre companies. In Canada, he has directed at many prominent theatre companines including: Theatre Passe Muraille, Premiere Dance Theatre and Buddies in Bad Times. His stage work led him to work with some notable talents such as Eartha Kitt, Barbara Windsor, Julian Richings, Dame Judy Dench, Roy Dotrice, David Doddimead, David Fox, Morgan Sheppard, Eugene Lipinski and running collaborations with Lord Olivier, Tadeus Lominicki as well as with Grotowski's Teatre Laboratorium. His production of James Joyce's Ulysses was chosen as the first production to perform in Grotowski's Apocalypsis Studio.
He was Britain's youngest professional theatre director for about three years. His stage production, Dr. Faustus, which he first adapted and directed at age 20, was the longest running tour in British stage history, which was last seen in Belfast in 2006. His theatre work has been the subject of several books.
WRITER
Aside from directing theatre and film, Steven has also written over 130 produced works to his credit in all meda. These include 60 plus stageplays, 66 television productions, about 30 music videos and commercials, a few documentaries, 14 feature film screenplays and one radio drama.
ACADEMICS
Rumbelow has lectured at 69 Universities and Institutions in Europe and North America where he executed experimental acting programs at many of them. He set up the Post Grad Improvisation Program at York University in Toronto and also held a special course for the Communications Department at Northwestern. At the London Zoo, he ran a project comparing human and primate communications.
His workshop, "Leap in the Dark," was attended by over 10,000 actors around the world in the eighties and more recently he started his ACTRA accredited "Edge" series in Canada between 1999 -2004.
Rumbelow played for Rugby Union Bristol, boxed in the WABA semi-finals, held a Junior Squat Record (lifting 480 lbs) under the training of David Prowse (Darth Vador) and participated at competition level Kendo, Judo and fencing. He also raced motorcycle combinations whilst under age for one season in the UK and played competition club Chess in Bristol City. Dr. Darwin Teng (University of Shanghai) got him invovled in Chi Dance.
Shamanism has been a big part of Steven's life for decades. He has performed transpersonal field studies with five different shamans in remote areas all over the world, concentrating on the mechanics of literality in performance and the anthropology of the performer.
An archive that documents Steven's main body of work in the UK exists at Leeds University. It was originally set up as a resource for students who were answering questions regarding Steven's work on board of education GCE/GCSE examination papers in the UK.
FAMILY
The Rumbelow family has been involved in the arts since the time of Henry VIII. Steven’s grandfather Albert Rumbelow was England’s top bassoonist for many years before starting his stores. The Nationwide UK chain of Rumbelow stores was sold to Rank Strand a long time ago.
Steven’s Mother, Rita Rumbelow was a successful hotel and nightclub entrepreneur who, one day, decided she wanted to work in film. She became a respected costume designer in feature films and worked in the BBC costume department on major historical series for about 15 years. She was also responsible for building the first Doctor Who costume not rented for the Doctor. Continue reading...
Steven is the illegitimate son of a World Champion wrestler and is father of three children: actor Dickon Tolson who he works with whenever possible; daughter Marin Rumbelow, who was tragically killed in a car accident at age 15 and became the source of great pride at the same time as being the source of his deepest and most enduring grief; and Svea, his youngest daughter is both a mother and student. He raised his daughters as a single parent for about 7 years and is proud to have done so.
He lives and works with his wife Rachel (since 2006) who wrangles him pretty well despite the fact that wrangling a Rumbelow is not that easy.
Work
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The Unwelcome
Horror
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Over the Edge
Supernatural Crime Thriller -
Where Horses Die
Western -
Cafe X
Vampire Thriller
