Rufus Norris (born 16 January 1965) is a British theatre director who will be artistic director of the National Theatre in London from April 2015.He grew up in Africa and Malaysia, attended North Bromsgrove High School and Kidderminster College of Further Education, and later trained as an actor at RADA before turning to directing.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. He was an Associate Director at the Young Vic from 2002 - 2007, 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 & 2011), Herve's Adventures of Tintin which he adapted with David Greig (Barbican 2005, UK tour & West End 2007) and his own adaptation of Sleeping Beauty (Young Vic 2002, Barbican 2004, UK & international tour).In 2009, Norris' first film King Bastard, written by his wife Tanya Ronder, was produced by BBC Films. In the same year, he directed the Royal National Theatre's production of 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.Rufus Norris has been an Associate Director at the National Theatre since 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 The British Independent Film Awards 2012 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 April 2015 he will take over from Nicholas Hytner as Director of the National Theatre.
He was awarded the 2001 London Evening Standard Theatre Award for Outstanding Newcomer for his direction of "Afore Night Come" at the Young Vic Theatre.