1 June 2025

WE ARE CASTING!

‘I Love You Mum - I Promise I Won't Die’ by Mark Wheeller, 

Autumn Term Tour Scotland, 2025

Casting Breakdown

- 1 x FEMALE performer

- 1 x MALE performer

- Age: 20s who can play ages of 16 to 45

- Key skills: multi-role; good physical theatre/movement; emotional depth, comedy

- Accent will be natural Scottish and minor variations on this depending on casting

- Any ethnicity: we welcome submissions from ethnically diverse/global majority performers

- Must be confident and experienced in creating exciting ensemble performance work

- Must be a strong, supportive, team member

- Ideally, based in Glasgow/Central Belt/Edinburgh

- Driver – prepared to drive the company crew van

An advantage but not essential:

- Workshop and facilitation experience

- Experience of delivering theatre in education and/or working with a 13-18 years’ audience 

- DBS check

- First aid training

Closing date for submissions: 6pm, 13 June 2025

20 June – invitations to self-tape

6pm, 30 June – self-tape deadline

4 Jul - invitations to in-person auditions

19 Jul – auditions, Glasgow

Actors will not be required to be off-book for the casting, but are expected to be familiar with the text/scenes provided.

The Play

Sixteen-year-old Daniel Spargo-Mabbs died in 2014 after taking a lethal dose of MDMA (ecstasy) at a rave.Playwright Mark Wheeller worked closely with Daniel's family and friends to create ‘I Love You Mum – I Promise I Won’t Die’, a verbatim play written from the testimonies of his loved ones and titled with the last words Daniel said to his mother, Fiona, before he died.

The result is a powerful and emotional piece of writing produced with the aim of informing young people, their parents and a wider audience, about the impact of drug use. It is a work of depth, touching on the importance of friendship, family and the emotionally-charged ’teen years.

The events leading up to and beyond Dan’s death are retold from different points of view, giving insight into this popular boy’s personality and his important contribution to the lives of those around him.s will not be required to be off-book for the casting, but are expected to be familiar with the text/scenes provided.

The play runs at just under an hour and is a four-hander (2f & 2m). Watch the trailer for ‘I Love You, Mum…’

Background

In July 2016, a drug education charity set up by Dan’s parents, the Daniel Spargo-Mabbs Foundation, commissioned Mark Wheeller to adapt ‘I Love You, Mum – I Promise I Won’t Die’ for touring to schools, colleges and the community as a Theatre in Education tour. The production is aimed at students aged 13 to 18. The play explores issues of choice, risk and consequence, but also friendship, love and loss and the impact of our choices on others.

The 30-minute post-show drug education workshop - delivered by the cast - focuses on informed decision making and risk awareness. It aims to leave no student in any doubt that they always have a choice about the decisions they make and the high risks associated with illegal substance use. Students learn key facts that will help them make informed decisions and arm them with additional tools to put their decisions into practice in a pressured situation. It is definitely not a “just say no” preaching message. The workshop has been developed on strong, evidence-based research.

TiE It Up Theatre 

We have been creating high quality professional touring theatre for secondary schools across the UK since 2018. This autumn’s tour of our acclaimed production of ‘I Love You, Mum – I Promise I Won’t Die’, will be the fifth to visit Scottish schools. To-date thousands of young people have seen the play and the overwhelming response to the work has been positive and life-changing. 

Director: Sands Stirling, who has performed in the two most recent Scottish ILYM tours and is also an actor/director with Saltire Sky Theatre. 

Producer: David Chafer – who has produced every TiE It UP Theatre tour/project to-date and who is also an actor.

The Daniel Spargo-Mabbs Foundation is our partner. DSMF is a leading national, evidenced-based, drug education charity. We work closely with them to deliver the play and drug education workshops.

Dates

Rehearsals: 8-13 September, 6 days, (Glasgow), 10am to 6pm

Tour Wk 1: w/c 15 Sep

Tour Wk 2: w/c 22 Sep

Tour Wk 3: w/c 29 Sep

Tour Wk 4: w/c 6 Oct

   OFF w/c 13 Oct (uncontracted week)

Tour Wk 5: w/c 20 Oct

Tour Wk 6: w/c 27 Oct

Tour WK 7: w/c 3 Nov

Tour Wk 8: w/c 10 Nov [TBC]

The tour is still being booked and depending on demand may extend into an additional 8^th week. Tour locations already include: Moray, Aberdeen/Aberdeenshire, Fife, North Ayrshire, Glasgow, Argyll & Bute & West Dunbartonshire.

The working day usually consists of a morning performance in a school, before moving onto a second school relatively nearby for an afternoon performance. There are some days where the team will deliver two performances in the same school. There is a set to unload, build and take down for each performance. Once the unload is done, the set-up takes approximately 15-20 mins. The team will usually arrive approximately one hour to 45 mins before the start of the performance.

As the touring week usually begins with an AM performance in a school, expect to travel to location on a Sunday evening, paid at 0.5 of the day rate. By contrast, many Friday afternoons are for travel home only.

Pay & Tour Conditions

£115 per day = rehearsals

£115 per day = performance days. There will be no more than 2 x performances on any given day.

Additional pay can be earned if tour managing (£15/day) or driving (£10/day).

Per diems up to £25/day will be provided when away overnight or on double delivery days. Touring will take place in a company provided vehicle, with some additional travel allowance provided where necessary and agreed beforehand.

Accommodation for the rehearsal period may also be available. 

Accommodation will be provided for all tour locations away from our nominal base of Glasgow.

Please apply via your agent or directly with your CV, Spotlight link (if applicable) and headshot to: David Chafer, Producer, TiE It Up Theatre, david@tiu-theatre.co.uk

This casting breakdown has also been listed on Spotlight.