Coleraine theatre group to tour NI schools with powerful anti-drugs play 'I Love You, Mum - I Promise I Won't Die'

Ballymoney woman Martina McAfee and her business partner Hannah Reilly’s theatre company Ever Unique Productions have been commissioned by The Daniel Spargo-Mabbs (DSM) Foundation to tour the play ‘I Love You, Mum – I Promise I Won’t Die’.

This verbatim play tells the true story of the joyful life and tragic death from MDMA of sixteen-year-old Dan Spargo-Mabbs, whose loss left his parents with a commitment to prevent any harm happening to anyone else’s child, and led them to start a drug education charity in his name.

The DSM Foundation has now commissioned Ever Unique Productions to create a new production for Northern Ireland schools, based on the highly successful production which their two youth theatre groups performed in 2023.

The play had such a profound impact on their young cast members, as well as their audiences, that Ever Unique Productions co-founders and co-directors Hannah and Martina, were keen to bring it to more young people in Northern Ireland.

Martina, co-founder and director, said: “Getting to perform the Irish premier of the play was something our young people welcomed with open arms.

"They truly became invested in telling Dan’s story. Additionally, all the drug education workshops we did around the play inspired them to be more open and honest with their peers and parents about the topic of drugs.

"We knew as soon as our project was over that we weren’t ready to finish shouting about Dan. He had found a place to live in our hearts and he wasn’t going to be leaving anytime soon. We knew this story was not just one that needed to be heard by our young people but indeed, all young people across Northern Ireland.”

This project is being supported by Sandra Larmour from County Armagh, whose daughter Jeni sadly died, aged 18, on her first day at Newcastle University after taking ketamine.

Sandra has been working closely with Fiona Spargo-Mabbs, Dan’s mother and director and founder of the DSM Foundation, as fellow bereaved mums, both determined to prevent anyone else suffering in the way their families have.

The tour will run in February and March 2025.