Were the world a place in any way normal at all, we’d just be gearing up this week to launch our sixth professional Theatre in Education tour of Mark Wheeller’s play about Dan, I Love You, Mum – I Promise I Won’t Die. Wizard Theatre, who toured it so successfully last year, would have dusted off the hoops and light cubes, brought the hoodie puppet out of the darkness of storage, and right now be deep in final dress rehearsals before heading off out into London schools on Monday. But…
Had the world been remotely normal last summer, our fifth professional Theatre In Education (TIE) tour would have taken a new production to Scottish schools in June, our first ever over the border, and our first with TIE company Tie It Up Theatre. But…
The world not being normal, and last summer showing no signs of becoming anywhere close to normal any time soon when it comes to live theatre productions in schools, we worked with TiU Theatre on exciting plans to recreate the impact of the live performance in a professional film. A challenge, as anyone who loves live theatre will know. Thankfully David Chafer and Elliot Montgomery at TiU are up for a challenge, and a serious bit of pivoting of plans. And thankfully the generous Scottish trust funds, who’d covered all the costs needed to make this happen, were happy to be flexible with how this was spent, so it could still take place, albeit a little differently, despite Covid. And so, the virtual Theatre in Education tour of #iloveyoumumplay was borne: a viewing of the film of play, followed by an interactive workshop.
The film that’s the fruit of all this overcoming of Covid hurdles is more than we could have hoped. People who’ve seen it live have said the impact on them has been just the same, despite it being a film, and a film of a play at that. This powerful new production has all the advantages that lighting, camerawork and sound can bring to a film, without losing the impact that the immediateness of a live performance can have. It also has a little bit of Dan’s mum and dad, ‘real’ Tim and Fiona, talking at the start and the end. You can get a flavour of it for yourself in this short trailer.
Had it not been for schools being closed yet again, this would have been heading off out across London on Monday, and Scotland next month. However, undaunted we look to the summer! The light is coming at the end of this very long Covid tunnel, and we’re so looking forward to being able to bring this film of our play to young people both north and south next term, because we know it has power to engage hearts, and to change perceptions, and to move young people like nothing else, and bring them to a place where they know how very much it matters they make sure the choices they make about drugs keep them safe.
