On the 13th March 2023, all Year 10 Drama students across the trust attended Thrybergh Academy to watch Mark Wheeller’s I Love You Mum… I Promise I Won’t Die, presented by TIE it Up Theatre company.
The performance, a reduced version of the original play text, took us through the tragic events leading up to the death of Daniel Spargo-Mabbs, in January 2014, after attending an illegal rave and taking MDMA. The cast of 4 introduced us to multiple characters using multi-role, excellent characterisation skills, physical theatre and a variety of symbolically used costumes. Their energetic performance included recorded interview material of Dan’s parents and friends, a technique often included in the documentary-style elements of Mark Wheeler plays.
The Year 10 students watched and listened impeccably, representing themselves and each of our 5 secondary schools excellently. They will all study the play in detail later this year, practically and theoretically, in preparation for their written exam in May 2024.
