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ILYM Theatre in Education tour 24/25 - Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland school tour Feb/March 2025

We are delighted to be launching our first Theatre in Education tour of ‘I Love You, Mum – I Promise I Won’t Die’ in Northern Ireland, working with Ever Unique Productions

The tour is a collaboration between drugs education charity the DSM Foundation, set up in 2014 by Fiona and Tim Spargo-Mabbs following the death of their 16 year old son Daniel from an accidental overdose of ecstasy, and Sandra Larmour, mum of 18 year old Jeni who died after taking ketamine in 2020 on her first night at university. Jeni was from County Armagh, and her mum wants to do everything she can to educate young people in Northern Ireland about drugs and their consequences. While ‘I Love You, Mum – I Promise I Won’t Die’ by award winning playwright Mark Wheeller tells Dan’s story in the words of his family and friends, Jeni’s story will be entwined with it to make it feel local and therefore relatable for the Northern Ireland audience. 

 

I Love You, Mum – play book

Key information

Dates: Upcoming tour dates to be confirmed soon

Duration: total time is 80 minutes – each performance lasts 50 minutes immediately followed by a drug education workshop of 30 minutes 

Suitability: the play is appropriate for students in school years 9-13

Cost: Fully-funded (see above), though donations will be greatly appreciated. For reference, each performance is estimated to cost around £1,200.

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

“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

Sponsorship

Please see our Thank You page for acknowledgement of our sponsors.

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

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I Love You, Mum - I Promise I Won't Die
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Registered Charity no. 1158921 (CCEW) and SC052164 (OSCR)
The Daniel Spargo-Mabbs Foundation is a company limited by guarantee Reg. No. 08863937

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