19 January 2026
URGENT CASTING!
‘I Love You, Mum - I Promise I Won't Die’ by Mark Wheeller,
Secondary Schools' Tour England, Spring Term 2026
Casting Breakdown
- 1 x FEMALE performer
- Age: 20s who can play ages of 16 to 30
- Key skills: multi-role; good physical theatre/movement; emotional depth, comedy
- Accent will be London/S East and minor variations on this depending on casting
- Any ethnicity: we particularly 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
- MUST LIVE OR HAVE A BASE IN YORKSHIRE / NORTH OF ENGLAND
- Driving licence an advantage
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 helpful but can be obtained
- First aid training
Casting process
Closing date for submissions: 6pm, 20 Jan 2026
6pm 22 Jan – invitations to self-tape issued
6pm, 26 Jan – self-tape deadline
6pm, 28 Jan – invitations sent for Zoom or in-person audition on Saturday 31 Jan (Yorkshire location tbc)
Actors will not be required to be off-book for the casting, but are expected to be familiar with the text/scenes provided.
Dates
Rehearsals: 16-21 February, 5 or 6 working days
Tour Wk 1: 24-27 Feb, 4 working days
Tour Wk 2: Sun 1 Mar (travel to location 0.5 day); 2-6 Mar,. 5.5 working days
Tour Wk 3: 9-13 Mar, 5 working days
Tour Wk 4: 16-20 Mar, 4 or 5 working days TBC
Tour Wk 5: Sun 22 Mar (travel to location 0.5 day); 23-24 Mar, 2.5 working days (this wk is TBC)
The tour is currently being booked, so these working days are subject to change.
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, but there are also some days with only one performance in the day.
There is a set to unload, build and take down for each performance. Once unloaded, the set-up takes no more than 15 mins. The team will usually arrive approximately one hour before the start of the performance.
Schools can book a post-show drama workshop or drug education workshop to tag onto the performance. The drama and drug education workshop will be trained during the rehearsal process.
Pay & Tour Conditions
£115 per day = rehearsals
£115 per tour day = Nominally, there will be 2 x performances on any given day.
Additional pay can be earned if driving (£10/day).
There are per diems available for tour working days and all overnight accommodation is covered. Accommodation is usually in a Travelodge-style hotel, and expect some sharing of twin rooms with your fellow female colleague.
Touring will be in a company provided vehicle, with some additional travel allowance provided where necessary and agreed beforehand.
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.
The play runs at just under an hour and is a four-hander (2f & 2m). Watch the trailer for ‘I Love You, Mum…’ on our website.
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.
TiE It Up Theatre has been creating high quality professional touring theatre for secondary schools across the UK since 2018. To-date thousands of young people have seen the play and the overwhelming response to the work has been positive and life-changing.
Director: Elliot Montgomery, Artistic/Education Director, who directed TiE It Up's original version of the play in 2020 and has directed all of our England tours since.
Producer: David Chafer – who has produced every TiE It UP Theatre tour/project to-date and who is also an actor, with many years’ theatre touring experience.
The Daniel Spargo-Mabbs Foundation is our partner. DSMF is a leading national, evidenced-based, drug education charity. TiE It Up works closely with them to deliver the play and drug education workshops.
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.
