Rufus Norris at the National Theatre: Into the spotlight Rufus Norris (pictured), a British director, was this week anointed as the next director of the Royal National Theatre in London. He has some pretty big boots to fill. His predecessor, Nicholas Hytner, steps down in spring 2015 after 12 years with rarely a misstep. He lowered ticket prices and made the concrete bulkhead on the Thames a centre for popular, as well as meaningful, art. Mr Norris has never run a building, as they say in the trade, and until now he has kept out of the spotlight. But he has earned a reputation as a writer-friendly director; younger, more experimental members of the British theatre establishment are quietly thrilled. The play's the thing, they say, and Mr Norris is their man.