by Indhu Rubasingham has been announced as the next director of the National Theatre, marking the first time a woman and person of color has taken on the biggest role in British theatre.
Rubasingham, who has been artistic director of the Kiln theater since 2012, will take over from Rufus Norris in spring 2025, when his second term ends. She and Kate Varah will also be co-chief executives in a shared leadership model.
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During her tenure at the Kiln in north London, Rubasingham collaborated with Zadie Smith on White Teeth and The Wife of Willesden, which transferred to the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York earlier this year.
She directed Ayad Akhtar’s play The Invisible Hand, which was twice nominated for an Olivier award.
Rubasingham takes over an institution which, in the words of Michael Billington, cannot go back to being “one white enclave on either side of the footlights”.
Before Norris, five other white men held the role of director at the National Theatre: Peter Hall, Richard Eyre, Trevor Nunn, Nicholas Hytner and Laurence Olivier, who was the original director appointed in 1962.
There was doubt as to whether the theater would continue with Norris’ project to open the venue to a new audience that wanted to be different, or whether he would choose a safe pair of hands at a time when theaters are struggling financially.
But Arifa Akbar, the Guardian’s chief theater critic, 53, promoted the favourite, saying they had “the talent, leadership and creativity for the job and the confidence to take the NT to new places “.
Born in Sheffield and Sri Lankan, Rubasingham studied drama at Hull University and held positions at the Gate Theatre, Birmingham Rep and Young Vic. In 2017, she was awarded an MBE for services to theater in the new year’s honors list.
Under her leadership at the Kiln, new writing was a cornerstone of the theatre’s mission. As the first woman of color to run a major theater in London, she oversaw a major £9m capital campaign, reopening the former Tricycle theater with a new building and name in 2018.
She has also worked at the National Theater in three South Bank auditions, directing productions including The Waiting Room, The Ramayana, The Motherf**ker With the Hat, The Great Wave, Ugly Lies the Bone, Kerry Jackson and most recently Anupama Chandrasekhar’s critically acclaimed production of The Father and the Assassin returned to the Olivier theater earlier this year.
Rubasingham said it was a “huge honour” to be appointed to the “best job in the world”.
She added: “The National has played an important role in my life – from experimental stages as a teenager in theatre, to later as a theatre-maker, and it is an incredible privilege and responsibility to have the opportunity to play a part in its history.
“Theatre has a transformative power – the ability to bring people together through shared experience and storytelling, and none more so than the National.
“I was very lucky to direct on the stage of the National Theater and to see first hand the commitment, collaboration, brilliance and pride of the people who bring the magic to the building, on and off stage.
“There is nothing like it, and it will be a pleasure to be part of the next chapter of this iconic building, with Kate leading the company. [Varah].”
She said she was “delighted” to follow in Norris’ footsteps and looked forward to working closely with him to plan his first season.
During Norris’ 10-year tenure, he brought a bold vision that has already seen him win awards for overseeing productions of Festen and Afore Night Come with David Rudkin as a young director.
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In 2017, he was criticized for his focus on promoting new work at the expense of established classics. But that approach was evident when his chosen works – Tony Kushner’s Angels in America (1991) and Stephen Sondheim’s Follies (1971) – went on to commercial success with Tony Award wins and Broadway transfers.
Norris’ enthusiasm for new writers meant he could give platforms to diverse talent, promoting women playwrights (Annie Baker, Lucy Kirkwood, Yaël Farber and Nina Raine) and people of color (Inua Ellams, Clint Dyer, Roy Williams), which was the theme. throughout his tenure as artistic director.
Norris said Rubasingham’s experience would be invaluable at the National Theatre.
“With Kate and the fantastic, dedicated team here, I know the National will continue to flourish and remain at the heart of British cultural life,” he said.
