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The Guardian - UK

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Arifa Akbar

After 60 years, when will the biggest job in UK theatre go to a woman? Why not now?

NT Indhu Rubasingham Arifa Akbar Marianne Elliott Rufus Norris Clint Dyer Laurence Olivier Mark Douet Arts Council England

cast of White Teeth, Kiln Theatre — White Teeth, directed by Indhu Rubasingham, at the Kiln Theatre, London, November 2018. Photograph: Mark Douet

Let’s begin with a pub quiz style Q&A about British theatre history. Question: can you name the five directors of the National Theatre (NT) since Laurence Olivier founded it in 1963? Answer: Peter Hall, Richard Eyre, Trevor Nunn, Nicholas Hytner, Rufus Norris. Question: Can you spot a pattern? Answer: They are all posh white men, it would seem.

Another question for those who care about the future of British theatre: is it time a woman stood at the helm of the NT for the first time in its 60-year history, once its outgoing artistic director, Norris, wraps up his tenure?

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