Brave director was always a good bet despite all the talk of Boyle or Branagh

 
15 October 2013

Rufus Norris is a smart choice. But while his appointment won't shock insiders, to the wider public it comes as a real surprise.

Around 30 contenders were identified when artistic director Nicholas Hytner announced in April that he would step down in 2015. Initially there wasn’t much hype about Norris, with pundits talking up the chances of higher-profile figures such as Danny Boyle, Kenneth Branagh, Stephen Daldry and Sam Mendes.

Though held in high regard by fellow professionals, Norris is something of an outsider. Only in the past 18 months has he garnered much eye-catching publicity, on the strength of his first feature film Broken, which premiered at Cannes and earned plaudits for its confidence and sensitivity. But this paper picked Norris as a talent to watch when it gave him its Outstanding Newcomer award in 2001. Three years later he was our Best Director for his brilliant take on the Danish film Festen.

Recently he has been an associate director at the National, favouring ambitious projects such as a revival of James Baldwin’s soulful The Amen Corner, pictured left. And he was chosen to open the National’s temporary Shed — with an inventive account of Table, a play by his wife Tanya Ronder.

In interviews Norris comes across as serious and tough-minded. He’s a rigorous and brave director, who likes to appeal to the gut at least as much as the mind. But he hasn’t run a building before, and it will be interesting to see how he copes with the job’s knotty politics.

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