Philip Pullman's award-winning trilogy His Dark Materials had everything Nicholas Hytner, the new director of the National Theatre, could want for a modern audience, but for one thing: it was almost impossible to stage. Robert Butler's intimate backstage account takes us into the meetings, workshops and rehearsals where, over six months, Pullman's 1300-page novel-about daemons, armored bears and parallel universes-was transformed into six hours of drama.

A behind the scenes look at one of the most talked about productions of the year.

About the Author
Robert Butler was theatre critic at the Independent on Sunday from 1995-2000. He is the author of three books in the 'National Theatre at Work' series, of which 'The Art of Darkness' is published by Oberon.

Reviews
Philip Pullman's award-winning trilogy, "His Dark Materials", inspired the National Theatre to perform the story on stage. A daunting task, given the esoteric storyline and the fact that practically every reader will have already formed impressions themselves. How did they pull off this feat? Robert Butler reveals all in The Art of Darkness, telling the story of this theatrical epic from first rehearsal to first night, taking the reader on a unique back stage journey of a production unrivalled in its narrative scope and staging. To find out how His Dark Materials made it from print to stage, read this book.



Book Information
ISBN 9781840024142
Author Robert Butler
Format Paperback
Page Count 118
Imprint Oberon Books Ltd
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC