I Love You, Mum - I Promise I Won't Die (Plays for Young People)

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The cast, from Oasis Youth Theatre worked as an amazing ensemble but stand out performances came from Lewis Evans and Natasha Thomas who took on the roles of Dan’s best friend and Dan’s mum respectively with such ease. By the end the sight of Dan on video, engaging in horseplay or generally just enjoying life, makes one realise the importance of the message: this was all so unnecessary. The solution was a hoodie – both a symbolic prop and item of costume – which enabled different members of the ensemble to take on the role of Dan.

Alex Colley incorporates video into the show beautifully and Christopher Bevan’s music and sound adds energy and intensity to the show where it’s needed. Sean Radford gives a moving performance as Jack, Dan’s best friend, as well as Jacob, Dan’s brother. Here, he was sold a lethal dose of MDMA (the powdered form of ecstasy) after which he suffered multiple organ failure. This was first performed in 2016 and since then has chalked up any number of performances in schools and theatres.On top of this I am an Off West End Senior Assessor and throughout lockdown helped turn the Oncomm into a success and watched Scenesaver become a huge success. I Love You, Mum – I Promise I Won’t Dietells the tragic true story of the death of Daniel Spargo-Mabbs following an MDMA overdose.

In January 2014 16-year-old Daniel Spargo-Mabbs went to an illicit all-night rave, overdosed on ecstasy and died. Sean Radford gives an outsider’s view of the events of that night as Jack who turned down drugs and – to his eternal shame – refused to ride in the ambulance. I Love You, Mum – I Promise I Won’t Die is a verbatim play told through the words of Daniel’s family and friends. After 33 extraordinary years, Susan Hill’s The Woman in Black will haunt the stage of the Fortune Theatre for the final time, as the production ends in the West End on Saturday 4th March 2023. This fast-paced, powerful and emotionally-charged play, tells the true story of what happened to Dan, the choices he made and the impact on his family and friends – all told in their own words, from tragedy to redemption.While I Love You, Mum is ostensibly seen as a Theatrein-Education (TIE) play, Mark Wheeller describes it as first and foremost ‘verbatim’. Predicated partly on Black History Month, Elayne Ogbeta’s muliti-layered play presents Grandad (Marcus Hercules) and his primary school age granddaughter, Abi (Jazmine Wilkinson) in his garden. Through his incredible skill, and the huge talent and commitment of the young people and team of Oasis Youth Theatre, these raw words were transformed into a stunning performance that brought the audience to tears at each of its performances. I Love You, Mum - I Promise I Won’t Die tells the tragic true story of the death of Daniel Spargo-Mabbs following an MDMA overdose. This play has a message much bigger than the assumption ‘drugs are bad’ it shows the power of friendship, trust, family and love and how one person’s actions can have dire consequences on all of those.

As a parent of a teenage daughter I try to educate her in the dangers of drugs amongst other things but sometimes feel that I get the “Yeah Mum. Elliot Montgomery, who has directed the production, keeps the show moving quickly and it never dwells for too long on anything. Elliot Montgomery’s production for Octopus Dream Theatre is powerful, poignant and intensely moving, from the boisterous roistering of the early stages to a quiet stillness that overwhelms the audience.Mark was on record early on as saying this is by far the best play he had written to date, partly at least because he feels the words he was given by all those involved, Dan’s family and friends, are so open, honest and eloquent. Touring for 8 -10 weeks around Central and Southern England, this year is our 4th year and the 7th professional tour around London, Central and the South East. About the Author: Mark Wheeller began writing whilst a student at Marlwood Comprehensive School, Bristol.

I have taught Drama for over 20 years now, and have lost count of how many plays I have directed, but the impact at the end of last night’s performance on both cast and audience was something I have never experienced in education. This powerful and engaging verbatim production tells the story of what happened to Dan, his family and friends, from heartbreak to redemption. Delving into the intricacies of language or historical content in a text has its merits, but Drama teachers are notoriously short of time. Consequently, young people face decisions about drugs without the information and skills they need to live safe, healthy lives. Don’t miss Mark Wheeller’s beautifully-written play and Octopus Dream’s acclaimed production, touring to theatres for the first time, following highly successful tours to secondary schools across the country.It was performed at the Edinburgh Fringe festival in 2018 by Lloyd Theatre Arts, gaining official five-star reviews, and again as part of the online Fringe in 2021 with TiU Theatre’s filmed production, again getting great reviews.