Archbishop Urges Dark Materials Lessons???

While other Christian groups have denounced Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials and the National’s high-profile stage adaptation of it, the Archbishop of Canterbury has attracted newspaper headlines this week for recommending that school pupils study the story - featuring a weak and dying god worshipped by a corrupt church - in order to counter ‘inadequacies’ in current religious education. In response, Pullman has praised the clergyman, Dr Rowan Williams, as a “very wise man”. The award-winning children’s author and the Archibishop will take part in a platform debate at the National next Monday, 15 March 2004, ahead of that evening’s performance of the play. Meanwhile, the National has confirmed that the two-part stage epic will return to the NT repertoire for an extended season next Christmas, running from 20 November 2004 and to 2 April 2005. That will come as welcome news to those who missed out on the current sell-out premiere season. Booking opens today for the new His Dark Materials dates.

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