His Dark Materials

A two-play dramatisation of Philip Pullman's extraordinary award-winning fantasy trilogy, first seen at the National Theatre. His Dark Materials takes us on a thrilling journey through worlds familiar and unknown. For Lyra and Will, its two central characters, it's a coming of age and a transforming spiritual experience. Their great quest demands a savage struggle against the most dangerous of enemies. They encounter fantastical creatures in parallel worlds - rebellious angels, soul-eating spectres, child-catching Gobblers and the armoured bears and witch-clans of the Arctic. Finally, before reaching, perhaps, the republic of heaven, they must visit the land of the dead. Note to performers: although conceived for a theatre with rich resources, this adaptation can also be staged in imaginative ways without the aid of sophisticated technology. 'Nicholas Wright... has risen to the challenge with brilliance' - Mail on Sunday '"Unstageable" was the first reaction of the National Theatre's artistic director, Nicholas Hytner, to the idea of dramatising His Dark Materials. But last night's opening has triumphantly proved him wrong' - Sunday Times 'Children's theatre of an uncommon maturity and ambition... dazzling in just the right way... moments of heart-stopping simplicity' - Independent 'The hottest ticket in town long before press day... Book to see it next Christmas' - Financial Times

Philip Pullman is the author of several best-selling books, most notably the fantasy trilogy His Dark Materials, its companion trilogy The Book of Dust, and the fictionalised biography of Jesus, The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ.He was born in Norwich, England, in 1946 and grew up in Zimbabwe and Wales. He worked as a teacher for many years and his first children's novel, Count Karlstein, came out in 1982. The Ruby in the Smoke, the first of the Sally Lockhart quartet of Victorian thrillers, was published in 1985.He has won many awards for his children's books, including the Carnegie Medal, the Guardian Children's Book Award, the Smarties Prize, the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, the Whitbread Book of the Year Award and a CBE. His acclaimed fantasy trilogy, His Dark Materials (Scholastic Books in the UK and Knopf in the US), comprising Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass, has been published in thirty-nine languages, and even in graphic novel form (with the French publishers, Gallimard).His other books for children and young adults include Clockwork, I Was a Rat!, and The New Cut Gang books; Thunderbolt's Waxwork and The Gas-Fitter's Ball.In 2010 he published his controversial number-one bestseller The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ.He was knighted in 2019 for services to literature.(Author photo by KT Bruce)