I Love You, Mum – Film
by Mark Wheeller
The film of I Love You, Mum – I Promise I Won’t Die
In order to further extend the reach of Dan’s story, TiE It Up Theatre has filmed performances of Mark Wheeller’s verbatim play ‘I Love You, Mum – I Promise I Won’t Die’ for use in schools, colleges and beyond. There are two versions, one with actors drawn from across England and the second with a Scottish cast. For information about live performances of the play, click here.
As with live performances, there are reflection activities that follow, but in this case they have been specially designed for delivery by school staff. It is essential these are used as they are a vital part of Theatre In Education: not only do they help students process the story and its messages, but they also take away tangible learnings through furthering their knowledge of drugs and finding out about safety strategies that will help them look after themselves and each other in the future.
There are various packages available:
- The full film plus accompanying workshop, featuring either the English or Scottish cast. Note that the film is nearly an hour long, so this usually requires a double lesson slot to be allocated within the timetable in order for both the performance to be viewed and the accompanying reflection activities delivered.
- The film broken down into three sections (featuring the English cast), each of which has an accompanying reflection resource. This is designed for delivery across three 30 minute sessions (for example, during form tutor time), and it is essential that all three are delivered.
Versions are available with and without subtitles.
Just as with live performances of the play, the filmed version really lands with those who watch it, with students responding to its messages of love and loss as a result of drug use, and commenting on how real and emotional it feels. Teachers also respond to it favourably, with one saying: “Loved it, very engaged and moving.”
Dan loved drama, and shortly after he died his school drama teacher Izzy Forrester suggested to Dan’s parents that a dramatization of Dan’s story could be used as a means of communicating important messages to young people. She proposed the playwright Mark Wheeller, as she had taught his plays for many years and witnessed the power of his writing on young people; Dan himself had studied ‘Legal Weapon’ at school. An email kicked off the process, and the result is ‘I Love You, Mum – I Promise I Won’t Die’, this moving piece of theatre that beautifully captures the joyful life and tragic death of Dan, and captivates audiences of all ages.
For more information or to purchase the play film for use with young people, please contact bookings@dsmfoundation.org.uk.
