''His Dark Materials'' is a play written by British playwright Nicholas Wright, adapted from the

Philip Pullman Sir Philip Nicholas Outram Pullman (born 19 October 1946) is an English writer. His books include the fantasy trilogy '' His Dark Materials'' and ''The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ'', a fictionalised biography of Jesus. In 2008, ''Th ...

fantasy novel trilogy of the same title. The production premiered in the

Royal National Theatre The Royal National Theatre in London, commonly known as the National Theatre (NT), is one of the United Kingdom's three most prominent publicly funded performing arts venues, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House. I ...

's Olivier Theatre, London, in 2003. Due to the complications in staging a piece containing the narrative of three books, the play was performed in two parts in alternate performances. The play is published by

Nick Hern Books Nick Hern Books is a London-based independent specialist publisher of plays, theatre books and screenplays. The company was founded by the former Methuen drama editor Nicholas Hern in 1988. History Nick Hern Books was founded in June 1988,Sara ...

Synopsis

The play follows the same plot as the books – a story of the coming of age of two children, Will Parry and Lyra Belacqua, and their adventures as they wander through a series of parallel universes against a backdrop of epic events. During their quest, the pair encounter various fantasy creatures such as

witches Witchcraft traditionally means the use of Magic (supernatural), magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In Middle Ages, medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually ...

and armoured polar bears in a journey which they hope will take them to The Republic of Heaven. There are however some substantial differences, most notably the removal of the character Dr. Mary Malone, whose role in the story is turned over to the witch Serafina Pekala. Similarly the eponymous amber spyglass of the third novel, associated with Malone, is also largely absent.

Productions

Original production

The original production was staged at the Olivier Theatre, National Theatre and ran from 20 December 2003 until 27 March 2004. The production was directed by

Nicholas Hytner Sir Nicholas Robert Hytner (; born 7 May 1956) is an English theatre director, film director, and film producer. He was previously the Artistic Director of London's National Theatre. His major successes as director include ''Miss Saigon'', ''Th ...

and featured the following cast: * Pantalaimon – Samuel Barnett * Lord Boreal – John Carlisle * Will Parry –

Dominic Cooper Dominic Edward Cooper (born 2 June 1978) is an English actor known for his portrayal of comic book characters Jesse Custer on the AMC show ''Preacher'' (2016–2019) and young Howard Stark in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with appearances ...

Serafina Pekkala This is a list of characters from the two Philip Pullman trilogies, ''His Dark Materials'' and '' The Book of Dust''. Introduced in ''Northern Lights'' Lyra Belacqua Lyra Belacqua, later known as Lyra Silvertongue, is the central character of ...

–

Niamh Cusack Niamh Cusack ( ; born 20 October 1959) is an Irish actress. Born to a family with deep roots in the performing arts, Cusack has been involved as a performer since a young age. She has served with the UK's two leading theatre companies, the R ...

* Lord Asriel –

Timothy Dalton Timothy Leonard Dalton Leggett (; born 21 March 1946) is a British actor. Beginning his career on stage, he made his film debut as Philip II of France in the 1968 historical drama ''The Lion in Winter''. He gained international prominence as ...

Farder Coram This is a list of characters from the two Philip Pullman trilogies, '' His Dark Materials'' and ''The Book of Dust''. Introduced in ''Northern Lights'' Lyra Belacqua Lyra Belacqua, later known as Lyra Silvertongue, is the central character o ...

– Patrick Godfrey * John Faa – Stephen Greif * Billy Costa –

Jamie Harding Jamie Harding (born 12 June 1979) is an English actor best known for his role as 9/11 hijacker Ahmed al-Nami in the 2006 film, '' United 93''. Early life and career Harding was born and brought up in London, England to an English father and ...

* Mrs Coulter – Patricia Hodge * Dr Cade – Akbar Kurtha *

Jopari This is a list of characters from the two Philip Pullman trilogies, '' His Dark Materials'' and ''The Book of Dust''. Introduced in ''Northern Lights'' Lyra Belacqua Lyra Belacqua, later known as Lyra Silvertongue, is the central character o ...

/ Iofur Raknison –

Chris Larkin Chris Larkin (born Christopher Stephens, 19 June 1967) is an English actor. Early life Born Christopher Larkin Stephens on 19 June 1967 in London, Larkin is the elder son of actors Dame Maggie Smith and Sir Robert Stephens. His younger br ...

*Tortured Witch/

Harpy In Greek mythology and Roman mythology, a harpy (plural harpies, , ; lat, harpȳia) is a half-human and half-bird personification of storm winds. They feature in Homeric poems. Descriptions They were generally depicted as birds with the he ...

– Inika Leigh Wright *

Salcilia This is a list of characters from the two Philip Pullman trilogies, '' His Dark Materials'' and ''The Book of Dust''. Introduced in ''Northern Lights'' Lyra Belacqua Lyra Belacqua, later known as Lyra Silvertongue, is the central character o ...

–

Helena Lymbery Helena may refer to: People * Helena (given name), a given name (including a list of people and characters with the name) * Katri Helena (born 1945), Finnish singer * Helena, mother of Constantine I Places Greece * Helena (island) Guyana ...

* Fra Pavel/ Lee Scoresby – Tim McMullan * Professor Hopcraft – Iain Mitchell * Lyra Belacqua – Anna Maxwell Martin * Macaw Lady –

Helen Murton Helen may refer to: People * Helen of Troy, in Greek mythology, the most beautiful woman in the world * Helen (actress) (born 1938), Indian actress * Helen (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) Places * Helen, G ...

Stelmaria Lord Asriel is a character in Philip Pullman's ''His Dark Materials'' trilogy. Asriel is a member of the aristocracy in a parallel universe dominated by the Church. He is described as being "a tall man with powerful shoulders, a fierce dark fa ...

–

Emily Mytton Emily may refer to: * Emily (given name), including a list of people with the name Music * "Emily" (1964 song), title song by Johnny Mandel and Johnny Mercer to the film ''The Americanization of Emily'' * "Emily" (Dave Koz song), a 1990 song ...

* Ruta Skadi – Cecilia Noble * Mrs Lonsdale – Katy Odey *Thorold – Nick Sampson *

Iorek Byrnison This is a list of characters from the two Philip Pullman trilogies, ''His Dark Materials'' and '' The Book of Dust''. Introduced in ''Northern Lights'' Lyra Belacqua Lyra Belacqua, later known as Lyra Silvertongue, is the central character of ...

– Dany Sapani *Ben – Jason Thorpe * Roger Parslow –

Russell Tovey Russell George Tovey (born 14 November 1981) is an English actor. He is best known for playing the role of werewolf George Sands in the BBC's supernatural comedy-drama '' Being Human'', Rudge in both the stage and film versions of '' The His ...

*Perkins –

Daniel Tuite Daniel is a masculine given name and a surname of Hebrew origin. It means "God is my judge"Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 68. (cf. Gabriel—"God is my strength"), ...

*Astronomy Scholar/ Dr West –

Andrew Westfield Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is frequently shortened to "Andy" or "Drew". The word is derive ...

Brother Jasper A brother is a man or boy who shares one or more parents with another; a male sibling. The female counterpart is a sister. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to non-famil ...

–

Ben Whishaw Benjamin John Whishaw (born 14 October 1980) is an English actor and producer. After winning a British Independent Film Award for his performance in ''My Brother Tom'' (2001), he was nominated for an Olivier Award for his portrayal of the titl ...

*Angelica – Katie Wimpenny *Golden Monkey – Ben Wright * Tony Costa –

Richard Youman Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'strong ...

All other parts were played by members of the company. The technical crew were as follows: * Set Designer – Giles Cadle *

Costume Designer A costume designer is a person who designs costumes for a film, stage production or television show. The role of the costume designer is to create the characters' outfits or costumes and balance the scenes with texture and colour, etc. The costume ...

–

Jon Morrell Jon is a shortened form of the common given name Jonathan, derived from "YHWH has given", and an alternate spelling of John, derived from "YHWH has pardoned".Puppet Designer – Michael Curry *

Lighting Designer In theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a ...

– Paule Constable *

Video Projection Designer Video design or projection design is a creative field of stagecraft. It is concerned with the creation and integration of film, motion graphics and live camera feed into the fields of theatre, opera, dance, fashion shows, concerts and other li ...

–

Thomas Gray Thomas Gray (26 December 1716 – 30 July 1771) was an English poet, letter-writer, classical scholar, and professor at Pembroke College, Cambridge. He is widely known for his ''Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard,'' published in 1751. Gr ...

for

The Gray Circle ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speak ...

* Computer Graphics Designer –

Yuri Tanaka Yuri may refer to: People and fictional characters Given name * Yuri (Slavic name), the Slavic masculine form of the given name George, including a list of people with the given name Yuri, Yury, etc. * Yuri (Japanese name), also Yūri, feminine J ...

for The Gray Circle *

Choreographer Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer is one who cr ...

Associate Director Associate may refer to: Academics * Associate degree, a two-year educational degree in the United States, and some areas of Canada * Associate professor, an academic rank at a college or university * Technical associate or Senmonshi, a Japanes ...

–

Aletta Collins Aletta is a Dutch feminine given name, related to Alida, Adelheid and Adelaide. Alette is a variant form that is also used in Norway. People with the name include: ;Aletta *Aletta de Frey (1768–1808), Dutch copyist, drawer and painter * Aletta ...

Music Composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

–

Jonathan Dove Jonathan Dove (born 18 July 1959) is an English composer of opera, choral works, plays, films, and orchestral and chamber music. He has arranged a number of operas for English Touring Opera and the City of Birmingham Touring Opera (now Birmi ...

Music Director A music(al) director or director of music is the person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert band, the ...

– Steve Edis *

Fight Director Stage combat, fight craft or fight choreography is a specialised technique in theatre designed to create the illusion of physical combat without causing harm to the performers. It is employed in live stage plays as well as operatic and balle ...

– Terry King *

Sound Designer In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...

– Paul Groothuis

2004 revival

The production was revived, again at the Olivier, National Theatre, in 2004. It opened on 20 November 2004 and ran until 2 April 2005. The production was again directed by Nicholas Hytner with

Matt Wilde Matt may refer to: * Matt (name), people with the given name ''Matt'' or Matthew, meaning "gift from God", or the surname Matt *In British English, of a surface: having a non-glossy finish, see gloss (material appearance) * Matt, Switzerland, a ...

and featured the following cast: *Serafina Pekkala – Adjoa Andoh *Billy Costa –

Mark Buchner Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Fi ...

*Lord Boreal – John Carlisle *Jessie –

Michelle Dockery Michelle Suzanne Dockery (born 15 December 1981) is an English television and film actress. She is best known for her leading performance as Lady Mary Crawley in the ITV television period drama series ''Downton Abbey'' (2010–2015), for whic ...

*Mrs Lonsdale –

Vanessa Earl Vanessa may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Vanessa'' (Millais painting), an 1868 painting by Pre-Raphaelite artist John Everett Millais * ''Vanessa'', a 1933 novel by Hugh Walpole * ''Vanessa'', a 1952 instrumental song written by Bernie ...

*Pantalaimon – Jamie Harding *Roger Parslow –

Darren Hart Darren is a masculine given name of uncertain etymological origins. Some theories state that it originated from an Anglicisation of the Irish first name Darragh or Dáire, meaning "Oak Tree". According to other sources, it is thought to come from ...

*Iofur Raknison/Jeptha Jones – Don Gallagher *John Faa –

Ian Gelder Ian Gelder (born 3 June 1949) is a British actor. He is known for his numerous stage and screen roles, including Mr Dekker in '' Torchwood: Children of Earth'' and Kevan Lannister in ''Game of Thrones''. Career Gelder appeared in the TV movi ...

*Lord Asriel –

David Harewood David Harewood MBE (born 8 December 1965) is a British actor and presenter. He is best known for his roles as CIA Counterterrorism Director David Estes in ''Homeland'' (2011–2012), and as J'onn J'onzz / Martian Manhunter and Hank Henshaw / ...

*Golden Monkey –

Leo Kay Leo or Léo may refer to: Acronyms * Law enforcement officer * Law enforcement organisation * ''Louisville Eccentric Observer'', a free weekly newspaper in Louisville, Kentucky * Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity Arts an ...

*Farder Coram –

David Killick David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

*Ben – Pascal Langdale *Lilly –

Samantha Lawson Samantha (or the alternatively Samanta) is primarily used as a feminine given name. It was recorded in England in 1633 in Newton Regis, Warwickshire. It was also recorded in the 18th century in New England, but its etymology is uncertain. Spec ...

*Brother Jasper/ Kaisa – Elliot Levey *Will Parry – Michael Legge *Stelmaria –

Emma Manton Emma may refer to: * Emma (given name) Film * ''Emma'' (1932 film), a comedy-drama film by Clarence Brown * ''Emma'' (1996 theatrical film), a film starring Gwyneth Paltrow * ''Emma'' (1996 TV film), a British television film starring Kate B ...

*Mrs Coulter –

Lesley Manville Lesley Ann Manville (born 12 March 1956) is an English actress known for her frequent collaborations with Mike Leigh, appearing in the films ''Grown-Ups'' (1980), '' High Hopes'' (1988), '' Secrets & Lies'' (1996), '' Topsy-Turvy'' (1999), ''A ...

*Professor Hopcraft – Iain Mitchell *Salcilia – Victoria Moseley *Daisy –

*Dr Cade –

Chiké Okonkwo Chiké Okonkwo (; born 18 March 1982)IMDB – Biography
Retrieved 2010-03-05. is a British people, ...

*Tony Costa –

Harry Peacock Harry Peacock (14 February 1909 – 6 March 1996) was a Welsh international rugby union flanker who played rugby union for Newport. He won six caps for Wales and faced two international touring teams with Newport. Peacock played with several ...

*Lee Scoresby –

Alan Perrin Alan may refer to: People *Alan (surname), an English and Turkish surname *Alan (given name), an English given name **List of people with given name Alan ''Following are people commonly referred to solely by "Alan" or by a homonymous name.'' *Al ...

*Iorek Byrnison –

Alistair Petrie Alistair Petrie (born 30 September 1970) is a British actor. He has starred in '' The Bank Job'' (2008), '' Cloud Atlas'' (2012), '' Rush'' (2013) and '' Rogue One: A Star Wars Story'' (2016). Petrie has also starred in the Channel 4 televisio ...

*Dr West –

Dodger Phillips Dodger or Dodgers may refer to: Sports teams Baseball *Brooklyn Dodgers, a Major League Baseball team (1911–1957), relocated to Los Angeles ** Cambridge Dodgers, a minor league affiliate **Nashua Dodgers, a farm club ** Newport News Dodgers, a ...

*Thorold/ Balthamos – Samuel Roukin *Fra Pavel – Nick Sampson *Ruta Skadi/Betty – Rachel Sanders *Lyra Belacqua –

Elaine Symons Elaine Symons (born 4 December 1974) is an Irish actress who was trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and who has had roles on television since 1995. She is known for her role as alcoholic mother-of-five Rose Kelly in the BBC One ...

The technical crew remained largely the same as the original production with only the following changes/additions: *Associate Lighting Designer –

Vic Smerdon Vic (; es, Vic or Pancracio Celdrán (2004). Diccionario de topónimos españoles y sus gentilicios (5ª edición). Madrid: Espasa Calpe. p. 843. ISBN 978-84-670-3054-9. «Vic o Vich (viquense, vigitano, vigatán, ausense, ausetano, ausonense) ...

*Music Director – Mark Bousie

Awards and nominations

The production won two

Laurence Olivier Awards The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known a ...

in 2005 for Best Set Design for Giles Cadle and Best Lighting Design for Paule Constable.Laurence Olivier Awards: Past winners , Official London Theatre Guide

References

External links

''His Dark Materials'' (Part 1) on the National Theatre website''His Dark Materials'' (Part 2) on the National Theatre website
{{DEFAULTSORT:His Dark Materials (Play) 2003 plays Plays by Nicholas Wright Plays based on novels His Dark Materials