When Rufus Norris was appointed the sixth director of the National Theatre in 2015, he was terrified by the prospect. “Why would I think I could do that?” he says. “I had run a fringe theatre 20 years ago [the Arts Threshold, from 1993 to 1995].” Yet, being terrified was exactly what led him there. “‘Step into your fears’ has been a mantra for my whole career. Go into the thing you’re afraid of because if you’re afraid of it then it means you won’t know what you’re doing – which means you’ll learn more.”
Norris, 59, is sitting in the building that has since become his home, reflecting on his near-decade at the National’s helm. The fear is soon to come full circle; six months from now, he will be back out in the big, bad, scary old world again. Directors have traditionally done two five-year terms – he was not asked to do a third. He is pleased with this outcome because “change is healthy in our industry – it’ll be really good to have a fresh blast come through”. The blast he refers to is Indhu Rubasingham, who floats around outside his office, midway through a year-long handover, and it is clear from the teasing repartee as they pass each other that there is warmth between them.
