‘It’s a relief … I’m irrelevant!’: Rufus Norris on life after the National Theatre (opens in new tab)

He stood down as boss of the NT – and threw himself into kayaking, writing and DIY. The veteran director talks about his new start aged 60, mourning his mother – and directing Death of a Salesman in TurkishThere were several big endings for Rufus Norris in 2025, all crammed into the same few seismic months last year. Firstly, the close of his tenure as director of the National Theatre after a decade at the helm. That planned ending collided with the loss of his mother, who died three weeks be...