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Indhu Rubasingham
Indhu Rubasingham, MBE (/ˈɪnduː ˌruːbəˈsɪŋəm/; born 1970), is a British theatre director and the current artistic director of the National Theatre.
Born in Sheffield, England, to Tamil parents from Sri Lanka on 18 February 1970, Rubasingham was educated at Nottingham Girls' High School[citation needed], after which she studied drama at Hull University, from where she later received an honorary doctorate in 2017.
Soon after graduating from Hull University, Rubasingham received an Arts Council bursary to work as a trainee director at the Theatre Royal Stratford East, where she assisted director Mike Leigh. She then worked as a freelance theatre director for more than fifteen years and during this time held posts as an associate director at the Gate Theatre, the Young Vic, and the Birmingham Repertory Theatre.
She has worked across the UK and internationally. Her focus has been predominantly directing new writing and developing exciting voices. Themes that often arise in her work explore and examine ideas around British identity and the threads of human connection that crosses race, culture and identity; telling stories from different perspectives and specificity that reveals the universality of the human spirit.
Rubasingham had a long involvement with the international department at the Royal Court Theatre when headed by Elyse Dodgson which allowed her to forge relationships with playwrights from Cuba, Mexico, Brazil, Uganda and India. Indhu has also had a longstanding relationship with Sundance Theatre Lab (2011–2019), under the artistic directorship of Philip Himberg. She has directed radio plays for BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 3 and the BBC World Service.
She is a trustee for the Royal Opera House, Metroland (Brent), the George Devine Award and the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize. Previous trustee positions include Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, British Council Advisory Board and the Regional Theatre Young Directors Scheme, for which Rubasingham is currently a patron. She is on the judging panel for the Channel 4 Playwriting Scheme and the Phil Fox Award for Playwriting. Since 2021, she has been on the judging panel of The Women's Prize for Playwriting, becoming Chair in 2023.
In 2017, Rubasingham was appointed MBE in the 2017 New Year Honours List.[citation needed]
Indhu Rubasingham is the current artistic director of the National Theatre. She took up her role in the spring of 2025. It was announced in December 2023 she would take over as Artistic Director of the National Theatre from Rufus Norris.
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Indhu Rubasingham
Indhu Rubasingham, MBE (/ˈɪnduː ˌruːbəˈsɪŋəm/; born 1970), is a British theatre director and the current artistic director of the National Theatre.
Born in Sheffield, England, to Tamil parents from Sri Lanka on 18 February 1970, Rubasingham was educated at Nottingham Girls' High School[citation needed], after which she studied drama at Hull University, from where she later received an honorary doctorate in 2017.
Soon after graduating from Hull University, Rubasingham received an Arts Council bursary to work as a trainee director at the Theatre Royal Stratford East, where she assisted director Mike Leigh. She then worked as a freelance theatre director for more than fifteen years and during this time held posts as an associate director at the Gate Theatre, the Young Vic, and the Birmingham Repertory Theatre.
She has worked across the UK and internationally. Her focus has been predominantly directing new writing and developing exciting voices. Themes that often arise in her work explore and examine ideas around British identity and the threads of human connection that crosses race, culture and identity; telling stories from different perspectives and specificity that reveals the universality of the human spirit.
Rubasingham had a long involvement with the international department at the Royal Court Theatre when headed by Elyse Dodgson which allowed her to forge relationships with playwrights from Cuba, Mexico, Brazil, Uganda and India. Indhu has also had a longstanding relationship with Sundance Theatre Lab (2011–2019), under the artistic directorship of Philip Himberg. She has directed radio plays for BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 3 and the BBC World Service.
She is a trustee for the Royal Opera House, Metroland (Brent), the George Devine Award and the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize. Previous trustee positions include Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, British Council Advisory Board and the Regional Theatre Young Directors Scheme, for which Rubasingham is currently a patron. She is on the judging panel for the Channel 4 Playwriting Scheme and the Phil Fox Award for Playwriting. Since 2021, she has been on the judging panel of The Women's Prize for Playwriting, becoming Chair in 2023.
In 2017, Rubasingham was appointed MBE in the 2017 New Year Honours List.[citation needed]
Indhu Rubasingham is the current artistic director of the National Theatre. She took up her role in the spring of 2025. It was announced in December 2023 she would take over as Artistic Director of the National Theatre from Rufus Norris.
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