Bruce Norris

Norris was interested in theatre from a young age, and attended Northwestern University where he received a theatre degree from the School of Communication in 1982. After graduating from college he worked as an actor, even appearing on Broadway in Biloxi Blues in 1985, but soon became disillusioned with the constant rejection that accompanies the profession. His first play, The Actor Retires (1991) was a reflection on this experience of rejection, and marked a major turning point in his career. Over the next twenty-five years Norris wrote eleven plays, the most famous of which is Clybourne Park (2010), which won the Olivier Prize for Best New Play, a Tony, and a Pulitzer.