I Love You, Mum - I Promise I Won't Die

I'd had a conversation specifically with Dan about ecstasy. It's one of the things you do as a parent, isn't it? Wear your helmet when you're out on your bike, you know, don't take drugs. To be honest, I was more worried about him being safe on his bike than at a party with his friends.

The words of the title are the last ones spoken by sixteen-year-old Daniel Spargo-Mabbs to his mother. In January 2014, Daniel's parents thought he was going to a friend's house. He actually attended an illegal rave and later died after taking MDMA.

That fateful evening is told through the words of his school friends and family, divided into two hard-hitting acts in Mark Wheeller's verbatim play.

I Love You, Mum - I Promise I Won't Die was commissioned by the charity set up in Daniel's memory to raise awareness about the danger of party drugs. It is a fast-paced, tragic, vibrant piece of verbatim theatre, which should engage teenage readers, audiences and performers alike.


About the Author
Since 2003, Mark Wheeller's plays have been routinely set for Edexcel GCSE Drama examinations, making him one of the most-studied contemporary playwrights alongside Alan Ayckbourn and John Godber. His plays include Hard to Swallow, Missing Dan Nolan and Too Much Punch For Judy. His play One Million To Stop The Traffik, about human trafficking, won the All England Theatre Festival. Wheeller has close associations with Edexcel: he is co-author of Edexcel GCSE Drama: Teacher Guide (2009) and has been an Assistant Principal Examiner for the board. He has worked extensively in schools, both as a teacher and teacher-trainer.