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Sir Rufus John Norris (born 16 January 1965) is a British theatre and film director, who was the artistic director and chief executive of the National Theatre from 2015 to 2025. He received the Society of London Theatre Special Award in 2025 for his services to theatre.
In 2001 he won the Evening Standard Award for Outstanding Newcomer for his production of David Rudkin's Afore Night Come at the Young Vic.
In 2004, Norris won another Evening Standard Award, a Critic's Circle Award and an Olivier Award nomination for Best Director, for his production of Festen.
In 2006 he made his National Theatre debut directing Market Boy by David Eldridge. From 2002 to 2007 Norris was an Associate Director at the Young Vic, where his productions have included Feast by Yunior Garcia Aguilera, Rotimi Babatunde, Marcos Barbosa, Tanya Barfield and Gbolahan Obisesan (2013), Vernon God Little by DBC Pierre (2007), adapted by Tanya Ronder (2009 and 2011), Hergé's Adventures of Tintin, which Norris adapted, with David Greig (Barbican Centre, 2005; UK tour & West End, 2007) and his own adaptation of Sleeping Beauty (Young Vic, 2002; Barbican, 2004, UK & international tour).
His production of the Kander and Ebb musical Cabaret, produced by Bill Kenwright, ran at the Lyric Theatre in London's West End from 2006 to 2008. The production toured in 2008 and 2009 before being revived at the Savoy Theatre in 2012, followed by another UK tour. Another UK tour began in 2017.
In 2009, Norris's first film King Bastard, written by his wife Tanya Ronder, was produced by BBC Films. In the same year, he directed the National Theatre's production of Wole Soyinka's Death and the King's Horseman, which played in the Olivier Theatre.
He created the 2011 production Dr Dee for the Manchester International Festival, in collaboration with musician Damon Albarn, which was subsequently performed at ENO in 2012. In 2010 he directed Mozart's Don Giovanni, also for ENO.
Norris was made an associate director at the National Theatre in 2011. His production of London Road by Alecky Blythe and Adam Cork opened at the Cottesloe in 2011, before transferring to the Olivier in 2012, winning the Critics' Circle Award for Best Musical.
His 2012 film Broken premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and received the Golden Eye Award for best international film at the Zurich Film Festival. At the 2012 British Independent Film Awards it won the award for Best British Independent Film.
In 2013 his production of Tanya Ronder's play Table launched the new space, The Shed, at the National Theatre. He subsequently directed James Baldwin's The Amen Corner at the National Theatre.
In summer 2016 he directed Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill's The Threepenny Opera, in a new adaptation by Simon Stephens and starring Rory Kinnear as Macheath. In spring 2017 he directed My Country; a work in progress by Carol Ann Duffy, using the words of people across the UK regarding Brexit, which was followed by a UK tour. In the Dorfman Auditorium in July 2017 he directed a new play Mosquitoes by Lucy Kirkwood, starring Olivia Colman and Olivia Williams. In 2018 he directed his first Shakespeare play in 25 years, Macbeth, with a cast including Rory Kinnear as Macbeth and Anne-Marie Duff as Lady Macbeth.
In 2019, Norris directed Helen Edmundson's adaptation of Andrea Levy's book Small Island in the Olivier Theatre at the National Theatre . The critically acclaimed production was broadcast to cinemas worldwide by National Theatre Live. Following its initial sold-out run, Small Island was scheduled to return to the Olivier Theatre in late 2020, but the Covid-19 pandemic delayed its return until spring 2022. Small Island was also shown as part of the free National Theatre at Home steaming programme during the UK 2020 Covid-19 lockdown.
Hex opened in December 2021 but the production was curtailed in January 2022 due to a resurgence of Covid-19. It was restaged at the end of 2022 and ran into January 2023. The critical reaction was favourable,
In June 2023, Norris announced that he would be stepping down from his position in spring 2025. In March 2025, Norris was awarded the Society of London Theatre Special Award.
| +Plays directed by Rufus Norris !Play !Playwright !Theatre !Opening date !Notes | ||||
| Hex | Tanya Ronder, Jim Fortune and Rufus Norris | Olivier Theatre, National Theatre | 6 December 2022 | |
| Small Island | Helen Edmundson | Olivier Theatre, National Theatre | 1 May 2019 | Broadcast as part of National Theatre Live and streamed as part of National Theatre at Home |
| Macbeth | William Shakespeare | Olivier Theatre, National Theatre & UK Tour | 26 February 2018 | |
| Mosquitoes | Lucy Kirkwood | Dorfman Theatre, National Theatre | 18 July 2017 | |
| My Country: a work in progress | Carol Ann Duffy | Dorfman Theatre, National Theatre & UK Tour | 28 February 2017 | |
| The Threepenny Opera | Bertolt Brecht & Kurt Weill, translated and revised by Simon Stephens | Olivier Theatre, National Theatre | 25 May 2016 | Broadcast as part of National Theatre Live |
| wonder.land | Moira Buffini & Damon Albarn | Manchester International Festival & Olivier Theatre, National Theatre | 23 November 2015 | |
| Everyman | Carol Ann Duffy | Olivier Theatre, National Theatre | 22 April 2015 | Broadcast as part of National Theatre Live |
| Behind the Beautiful Forevers | David Hare, based on the book by Katherine Boo | Olivier Theatre, National Theatre | 10 November 2014 | Broadcast as part of National Theatre Live |
| The Amen Corner | James Baldwin | Olivier Theatre, National Theatre | 11 June 2013 | |
| Table | Tanya Ronder | The Shed, National Theatre | 9 April 2013 | |
| Cabaret | John Kander, Fred Ebb & Joe Masteroff | Savoy Theatre | 3 October 2012 | |
| London Road | Alecky Blythe & Adam Cork | Cottesloe and Olivier Theatre, National Theatre | 7 April 2011 & 12 August 2012 | Won Critics' Circle Award for Best Musical. Nominated for four Olivier Awards in 2012, including Best Director and Best New Musical. |
| Dr Dee | Damon Albarn | Palace Theatre, Manchester | 30 June 2011 | |
| Vernon God Little | Tanya Ronder | Young Vic | 27 January 2011 | |
| Don Giovanni | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | English National Opera | 6 November 2010 | |
| The Country Girl | Clifford Odets | Theatre Royal, Windsor | 21 July 2010 | |
| Death and the King's Horseman | Wole Soyinka | Olivier Theatre, National Theatre | 1 April 2009 | |
| Les Liaisons Dangereuses | Christopher Hampton | Selwyn Theatre, Broadway | 1 May 2008 | Nominated for the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play in 2008. |
| Cabaret | John Kander, Fred Ebb & Joe Masteroff | Lyric Theatre & UK Tour | 22 September 2006 | |
| Market Boy | David Eldridge | Olivier Theatre, National Theatre | 27 May 2006 | |
| Festen | David Eldridge | Music Box Theatre, Broadway | 23 March 2006 | |
| Festen | David Eldridge | Almeida Theatre | 29 March 2004 | Won both the Evening Standard and Critics Circle Best Director Awards. Nominated for five Olivier Awards in 2005. |
| Nye | Tim Price | Royal National Theatre, Wales Millennium Centre | 24 February 2024 | Broadcast as part of National Theatre Live and streamed as part of National Theatre at Home |
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