The Opening Scenes

The play starts by projecting us to the end of the story with Lyra and Will, so close and yet so far apart from each other. As they reminisce we are catapulted into the Oxford of Lyra’s childhood, where Gyptian kids fight college kids. We see Lyra fighting with Billy and Tony Costa, two of her favourite Gyptian friends.

We are introduced to Lyra’s best friend Roger, a fellow college kid, and through their conversation we learn that Lyra is Lord Asriel, the famous explorer’s, niece. Whilst Lyra and Roger may outwardly try and be ‘cool’ with each other, their Daemons happily play and frolic together.

As Lyra and Roger enter the college quad Lyra spots Fra Pavel, an authoritative and imposing man, connected to the church, who turns up twice a year at the college to enquire as to her progress as a student. Fra Pavel and the College Master dismiss Lyra and we learn that Fra Pavel has a negative opinion of the work of Lord Asriel, particularly his expeditions to the Arctic. Fra Pavel believes that only bad will come of it as he thinks it is designed to challenge the authority of the church.