TiE It Up Theatre returns to London touring
12 June 2025
TiE It Up Theatre (TiU) is delighted to announce that it will be once again touring to London schools. On behalf of the UK’s leading drug education charity The Daniel Spargo-Mabbs Foundation, from January 2026 TiU will be touring with its acclaimed production of ‘I Love You, Mum - I Promise I Won’t Die’, by Mark Wheeller.
Funded by the Foundation, TiU will embark on a six-week tour of London secondary schools. Students will watch a performance of the play and then take part in an evidence-based, informative and interactive drug education workshop.
As ‘I Love You, Mum..’ is a set text on the Eduqas GCSE Drama syllabus, London schools can also book the TiU-designed, interactive drama workshop, which until now has only been widely available to schools outside of the capital.
Speaking both as Director and Founder of the DSM Foundation and as Dan’s mum, Fiona Spargo-Mabbs said: “Mark Wheeller’s play that tells Dan’s story, has been at the heart of our drug education programme since it began touring London schools in 2017. We’re very excited now to be bringing the well-loved, powerful TiU production to Dan’s home city this spring, stepping into the legacy left by the moving Stopwatch and then Wizard Theatre productions. TiU has toured our play so successfully across Scotland and the rest of England over the years, and we know it will make a difference to hundreds of young people’s lives across London, helping them stay safe.”
TiU Artistic/Education Director Elliot Montgomery, commented: “After a six-year absence, it is so good to be able to tour again in London. We are so proud to have developed such a close relationship with the DSMF team, who, along with writer Mark Wheeller, have placed such faith in our production since we first made the work in 2020.”
“It means that students in schools across all areas of England, Scotland and Wales - whether they are studying the play as part of their PSHE or GCSE Drama studies - will be able to experience our production and re-telling of the tragic story of young Daniel Spargo-Mabbs. It is a privilege to tour this play.”
Mark Wheeller - who has written a string of powerful plays for secondary school students - said: “TiE It Up have long toured my work. Their acclaimed production of my ‘Hard to Swallow’ was filmed and is now available in schools. I am delighted by their interpretation of ‘I Love You, Mum’. It offers opportunities to explore theatrical style in addition to the substance abuse messages. It is a compelling watch not only for students who study drama, but those that don’t.”
TiU Producer David Chafer, added: “In the 2025-26 academic year, TiU will deliver three tours of ‘I Love You, Mum..’: this autumn there will be an 8-week tour across Scotland, employing a cast of Scottish actors; from mid-January a London-based team will deliver the DSMF-funded tour; and from mid-February a team of Northern-based actors will tour across the rest of England and Wales.”
“This new London venture is a further development of the company’s growth since we began touring in 2018 and will mean a TiU team will be on the road for at least 20 weeks of the next school year.”
Booking for the London tour is now open and interested schools who wish to book the play for PSHE purposes (with the optional addition of a drama workshop) should contact DSMF directly at: play@dsmfoundation.org.uk
If you wish to book a delivery in your school for drama only, please contact TiU at: info@tiu-theatre.co.uk
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Further information:
TiE It Up Theatre is a Yorkshire-based company specialising in producing high quality drama for performance in schools, online and in theatres. The company also delivers informative, interactive and fun workshops for students, accompanied by effective supporting teacher resource packs.
I Love You, Mum – I Promise I Won’t Die, by Mark Wheeller, tells the story of how popular London schoolboy Daniel Spargo-Mabbs attended an illegal rave and as a result of taking a powerful dose of MDMA (ecstasy) he collapsed and later died in hospital. This verbatim play, now a set text on the Eduqas GCSE Drama curriculum, tells the story of what happened to Da, the decisions he made and how his death affected his family and friends.
The DSM Foundation is a drug education charity, working with young people, parents/carers, teachers and professionals across the UK. They have an evidence-based, evaluated programme consisting of interactive workshops for students, workshops and webinars for parents and carers, training for professionals, planning and resources for drug education lessons and form-time sessions in schools and colleges, a Youth Ambassador programme, and a touring Theatre in Education production of ‘I Love You, Mum – I Promise I Won’t Die’, a verbatim play by Mark Wheeller, commissioned by the DSM Foundation, which is currently a GCSE Drama set text. They also provide information and resources online for parents and carers, professionals and young people.
Contacts:
David Chafer, Producer, TiE It Up Theatre: david@tiu-theatre.co.uk
Asha Fowells (for media), DSM Foundation Head of Education and Engagement: media@dsmfoundation.org.uk
Go to our 2026 England & Wales Schools Tour page for more details
