Having Mark Wheeller’s interviewer words written into the script gives as a clever narration that helpfully shaped the dialogue into a narrative helping the audience follow the story.

The character of Dan had to be removed from the play shortly before the first performance, which became the catalyst for what Mark describes as ‘the iconic idea from the production’. Mark Wheeller is familiar to most Drama teachers, whether through his most well-known play Too Much Punch For Judy, his drama schemes and lesson plans, or from his inclusion on set text lists with Missing Dan Nolan (OCR), Hard To Swallow and, most recently, I Love You, Mum – I Promise I Won't Die (both Eduqas). The title takes Dan’s joking last words to his mum, Fiona, before he left home for what turned out to be the last time: ‘I Love You, Mum – I Promise I Won’t Die’. We’re delighted that from September 2022 the play will be one of seven set texts on the Eduqas GCSE drama syllabus, alongside Shakespeare, JB Priestly, Malorie Blackman and Benjamin Zephaniah. The moving performances combined with Daniels’ parent’s filmed conversations explaining how they felt about their son and their depth of grief explores in detail the devastating impact and void which is felt by everyone who knew him.She had taught his plays for many years – Dan had studied ‘Legal Weapon’ himself at school – and she had witnessed the power of his writing on young people. This play, which runs at around 90 minutes with no interval, is a love letter to Daniel Spargo-Mabbs. In January 2014 16-year-old Daniel Spargo-Mabbs went to an illicit all-night rave, overdosed on ecstasy and died. The upstage screens also projected text message conversations and photographs of Dan throughout which disintegrated into flying sycamore seeds – symbolic of growing goodness from such sadness.

It is deeply moving, truly heartbreaking, and challenging as it touches on what we can do to help stop this happening to others.A spine chilling monologue about the funeral is well acted and so poignant that it could stand alone. With two Edinburgh Fringe seasons behind me and a huge variety of Theatres visited things have grown beyond my wildest dreams. I was sitting in the same row as the people who were being re-created on stage and it was an unusual experience.

The Dan his parents knew was the real Dan, but not the complete Dan, and a wretched mistake ended his life. Paul Ibbott - Composer of the underscore for the OYT production This book offers a unique and fulsome guide for teaching/studying this play and includes a detailed scheme of work for teachers using the play as a set text in the GCSE Drama examination. The play tells the tragic, true story of Daniel Spargo-Mabbs from Croydon who died from an accidental MDMA overdose at an illegal rave in 2014. Being able to spread the sycamore seeds has had a more profound impact on our students than I could have hoped for. I Love You, Mum – I Promise I Won't Die is the true story of Daniel Spargo-Mabbs, just 16 years old when he died of an MDMA overdose – the title being his final words to his mum.It is far from a preachy ‘Don't Take Drugs’, PSHE-style lecture though, and as a dramatic work it serves as much more.