Barrie Rutter

Who is Barrie Rutter?

Barrie Rutter is an English actor and the founder and Artistic Director of the Northern Broadsides theatre company based in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England.

He was born in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England and after leaving school studied at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. In the 1970s he worked with the National Youth Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company. In the 1980s he performed in three adaptations by poet Tony Harrison: The Mysteries, The Oresteia, and The Trackers of Oxyrhynchus. When Trackers was performed at Salt's Mill, Saltaire "He was deeply affected by the raw emotion of speaking to a northern audience in a northern voice in a classical play".

Rutter founded Northern Broadsides in 1992, and the company continues to perform both at its Halifax base and on tour. He continues to play major parts in many of its productions.

In 2000 he won the title 'Creative Briton 2000', with a cheque for £100,000. He was nominated for it by, amongst others, John Prescott, then Deputy Prime Minister, who said "Barrie's northern accent, fast action, factory floor Shakespeare is as far from elitism as can be, though it has never, never dumbed Shakespeare down." In 2003 he received the Sam Wanamaker Award jointly with Stephen Unwin for their work promoting Shakespeare in the regions. In 2005 he received the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters from the University of Bradford.