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ILYM Theatre in Education tour 2024/25 - Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland school tour Feb/March 2024/25

We are delighted to have completed our first year of Theatre in Education Northern Ireland tours of I Love You, Mum – I Promise I Won’t Die, in collaboration with Ever Unique Productions. In this inaugural year, we reached numerous schools across Northern Ireland, engaging with over 4,467 students. 

This first tour in Northern Ireland was promoted and supported by Sandra Larmour from County Armagh, whose daughter Jeni sadly died when she was 18 on her first day at Newcastle University, having taken ketamine.  Sandra has worked closely with Fiona, as fellow bereaved mums, both determined to prevent the harm that happened to their own children from happening to anyone else’s.  The tour was funded by Christmas in the Barn at Larchfield and by local Police and Community Safety Partnerships (PCSPs) across Northern Ireland and we commissioned Ballymena and Coleraine-based educational theatre company, Ever Unique Productions, to create a new production for Northern Ireland schools, based on the highly successful production their two youth theatres performed in 2023. The incredibly positive response of schools to the offer of performances for pupils saw the tour rapidly booked out, with additional days needing to be added to meet demand. 

I Love You, Mum – play book

Tour Highlights

We delivered 29 performances across 27 schools over a period of 3 weeks.  

We reached over 4,467 students.

FAQs for Teachers 

Please download the Information for Teachers sheet for details about: 

  • What is ILYM?
  • How does each performance work?
  • What will the students learn?
  • What do I need to do on the day?
Download Information for Teachers (pdf)

How to book

If you would like more information about the theatre in education tour or to be placed on the tour waiting list for a performance please email play@dsmfoundation.org.uk

We are excited to share a short film about the ‘I Love You, Mum – I Promise I Won't Die’ NI Tour. Watch the film here.
“You could have heard a pin drop throughout the entire performance, it very much resonated with our students.”
Teacher, Nov 2023 (Scotland tour)
“It was all really sensitively done, well-paced, hard to forget… the fact that the words were the actual words spoken by real people is what made is particularly powerful.”
Teacher, Dec 2023 (Scotland tour)
“Not one single person could say they did not identify with any of the characters… it was their everyday experiences lived out on stage… I genuinely believe that watching this will save lives.”
Teacher, Dec 2023 (Scotland tour):
“Clear, loud, message very clear, not talking down to the students… very important to note that Daniel was not the typical person one might associate with drugs - made students think 'it could be me' rather than 'I'm not like that'.”
Teacher, March 2024 (London tour)
“The play was genuinely incredible, the actors were phenomenal… I liked that the script was based off the exact words of those involved, rather than twisting the story into fiction… Seeing the photos of Dan was also very impactful, as you could put into perspective what really happened.”
Student, Nov 23 (Scotland tour)
“Thank you very much for coming – I thought this was an amazing piece of theatre that really had me captivated and is still on my mind, even a week after.”
Student, Nov 23 (Scotland tour):
“The play was absolutely brilliant… for me as a 14 year old girl, it showed me how actions and decisions can have a huge impact… not only how things can impact yourself but your friends and family too. I think it was an important life lesson and I will carry the messages with me.”
Student, March 24 (London tour)
“I have been in situations similar or friends have, but not realised how lucky we’ve been since now. Learnt about the risk more than I have before… Messages and conversations being real were really impactful because it’s not a made up scenario, it literally happened.”
Student, March 24 (London tour)
"It is sensational - so moving and well done. I was blown away and speechless."
Beth Willan, Drama Teacher
"Incredibly powerful and moving piece of theatre. An important piece for young people and adults alike to see."
Drama teacher, Oldham school
"Real, relevant and impactful Young people will respond to this "it could happen to me!".
School nurse, Oldham school

Acknowledgements

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our funders and partners. Your support has been instrumental in making this tour a success.

 If you would like to contribute financially to the tour, please see our donation page or contact admin@dsmfoundation.org.uk 

Looking ahead to the 2025/26 tour

Planning is underway for our next tour. Schools interested in participating can expect: 

Tour Period: Spring 2025/26. 

Booking Information: Details on how and when to contact us for bookings will be provided soon. 

For more information or to express interest, please contact us at play@dsmfoundation.org.uk 

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