Norm Foster was born in Newmarket, Ontario on St. Valentine's Day. Raised in Toronto, he attended West Hill Collegiate Institute and then went on to study Radio and Television Arts at Centennial College in Toronto and then Confederation College in Thunder Bay. Upon completion of his studies, he began a radio career that would span twenty-five years and which would take him from Thunder Bay to Winnipeg to Kingston and finally to Fredericton, New Brunswick. It was in Fredericton in 1980 that Norm was introduced to the world of theatre. Foster fell in love with the theatre right then and there, and two years later he penned his first professionally produced play, Sinners. It was produced by Theatre New Brunswick and directed by Malcolm Black, who would also direct Foster's next effort, the highly successful, The Melville Boys. The Melville Boys would go on to be produced across Canada and in the United States, including a well-received run Off Broadway in New York.

It would become Foster's signature play, and the one which would bring his name to the forefront of Canadian theatre. Since then, Norm Foster has produced an astonishing output of work. Nearly forty plays in all, including The Affections of May, the most produced play in Canada in 1991. He has also written a musical with composer Leslie Arden (The Last Resort) and three musicals (Jasper Station, Race Day, and Sitting Pretty) with composer Steve Thomas.