Search results for ""Author Mark Wheeller""

I'd had a conversation specifically with Dan about ecstasy. It's one of the things you do as a parent, isn't it? Wear your helmet when you're out on your bike, you know, don't take drugs. To be honest, I was more worried about him being safe on his bike than at a party with his friends. The words of the title are the last ones spoken by sixteen-year-old Daniel Spargo-Mabbs to his mother. One evening in January 2014, Daniel's parents thought he was going to a friend’s house. He actually attended an illegal rave and later died after taking MDMA. That fateful evening is told through the words of his school friends and family, divided into two hard-hitting acts in Mark Wheeller's verbatim play. I Love You, Mum - I Promise I Won't Die was commissioned by the charity set up in Daniel’s memory to raise awareness about the danger of party drugs. It is a fast-paced, tragic, vibrant piece of verbatim theatre, which should engage teenage readers, audiences and performers alike.

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New revised 2020 version Set text for OCR GCSE 9-1 Drama exam This play tells the tragic true story of Dan Nolan, a teenage boy who went missing on the 1st January 2002 after a night out fishing with his best friends. The play explores the mystery of Dan’s disappearance and the tragic events that occurred that night; raising issues concerning personal safety and the importance of looking out for each other. A verbatim play, it uses only the words of his family, friends and the Detective Superintendent in charge of the police investigation. This revised 2020 edition of the play includes a new foreword reflecting on the original production by Mark, a new interview with the original cast and a new note on the original lighting design by Danny Sturrock. Suitable for: Key Stage 3/4, GCSE, BTEC, A-Level to adult 
Duration: 60 minutes approximately
 Cast: Up to 18, or 2 female, 2 male with doubling.
 "Heart-rending, bold, direct and simple. Even on the bare page this is a powerful piece of drama...” 
 Paul Fowler, GODA 2003
 "This play is not just about Dan Nolan, it's about all of us and our responsibility to and for each other."
 David Dykes, Head of Creative and Performing Arts, King Edward VI School, Southampton (Dan's former school)

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Revised and expanded 2021 edition Race To Be Seen was nominated as the Scottish Evening News Critics Choice Best Play and Pick of the Fringe by Radio Forth at the 1984 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Race To Be Seen tells the story of how an award-winning play came to be written about the amazing World Champion Blind Athlete Graham Salmon MBE, who tragically died in 1999. It charts his parents story when, as a baby, Graham had to have both eyes removed due to an incurable eye cancer. It follows his schooldays and how he was expelled for running a book as well as his trials in trying to secure a job and finally, his incredible sporting success! Graham went on to play golf for the international visually impaired team. He hit the headlines again for hitting a «hole in one». His final battle was against cancer. Graham surrendered first his leg and then his life … but never became downcast … he wanted his autobiography to be called “Wide Eyed And Legless”! Graham Salmon is the most inspiring athlete I have met; I say this without a moments hesitation even though I have enjoyed the rare privilege of sharing the company of Muhammad Ali, Stanley Matthews, Gary Sobers, Martina Navratilova, Nadia Comaneci, Arnold Palmer and countless others in the course of my job. – Robert Philip Daily Telegraph. A remarkable play ... a story of great courage and dedication; It is also entertaining and good Theatre, with plenty of scope for imaginative direction. – Amateur Stage Book Review (of the original Race To Be Seen). Snappily written episodes ... a moving, eminently performable show. Get this book if you are looking for something of real substance. – H. Wright National Association of Drama Teachers Broadsheet (of the original Race to Be Seen). Duration: 55 minutes Cast: 6 (3m 3f with doubling). Can be performed with a cast of up to around 30. (10m, 8f & 12 m or f)

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Game Over tells the harrowing true story of teenager Breck Bednar, who was groomed over the internet and brutally murdered on 17 February 2014 by a supposed ‘friend’ that he met online. Breck's story is told in Mark's potent verbatim style, using the words of his family, friends and the killer. It's a shocking but deeply powerful play, with a unique 21st-century message. The play is particularly suitable for ‘socially distanced’ or online performances in students’ own homes and can be easily adapted to suit this medium. Suitable for: Key Stage 3/4, GCSE, BTEC, A-Level to adult Duration: 75 minutes approximately
 Cast: 24 characters total. 8 male, 9 female and 7 male or female. The play is suitable for a large cast and multi-roling is also possible. “[A] chilling and harrowing tale, skilfully written using the words of Breck’s family, friends and his killer. It deals with the potentially disastrous effects of social media and how to keep safe online by recognising the signs of grooming and exploitation.” Vivienne Lafferty, Trustee National Drama

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New edition with bonus features This hard-hitting verbatim play is based on a tragic drink drive accident that results in the death of the vehicle’s front seat passenger, Jo. Her sister Judy, driving the car, escapes physically unhurt – but can never escape the consequences of her own reckless behaviour. Since its initial performances in 1987, Too Much Punch for Judy has toured non-stop all over the world to schools, colleges, prisons, young offenders’ institutes and army bases. Astonishingly, it is now one of the most performed contemporary plays, with 6058 licensed performances between 1987 and 2020. The play has been cited in Chief Examiner’s reports for GCSE Drama to be an example of a play that gives students ample opportunity to achieve across the criteria. Suitable for: Key Stage 3/4, BTEC, A-Level to adult Duration: 60 minutes approximately Cast: 6 male, 6 female, 1 male or female, or 2 male, 2 female with doubling. "The audience I sat in was patently out for some whooping Friday night fun watching their mates on stage. At the end there was a horrid silence."
Nick Baker, Times Educational Supplement

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Widely studied, frequently staged—verbatim theatre is everywhere. In this new book, Mark Wheeller, the author of verbatim hits Too Much Punch for Judy, Hard to Swallow, Missing Dan Nolan and Game Over, and the most performed living playwrights in the UK, takes a personal journey through the form, and demystifies the making process. For Mark, his verbatim theatre journey all began with a man called Graham Salmon – the world's fastest blind runner. Verbatim: The Fun of Making Theatre Seriously is a perfect handbook for teachers, educators, students and anyone interested in the creative process.

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Revised 2022 version including additional testimony from Ruth Dearnley (CEO of STOP THE TRAFFIK) One Million to STOP THE TRAFFIK tells true stories of people who are trafficked. Sunni and Whinney, at just six and eight years old, were sold by their parents and their story inspired the formation of the charity STOP THE TRAFFIK. Their mantra? ‘People should not be bought and sold’. One Million to STOP THE TRAFFIK goes on to tell the incredible true story of the charity’s determined quest to get 1,000,000 signatures to enable them to go to the United Nations and call on governments to fight human trafficking. ‘I was blown-away. It was like watching Slumdog Millionaire only this was live theatre... the young actors’ hearts are beating and breaking in front of you. One Million to STOP THE TRAFFIK should be recognised as Mark Wheeller’s most far-reaching, insightful and accomplished play to date.’ Paul Mills, Head of Drama, Westgate School, Winchester ‘The hour long show was spellbinding and quite disturbing... it was one of the best productions I have seen in a long time, anywhere.’ Ian Murray, Chief Editor Daily Echo Duration: 70 minutes approximately Cast: 20 characters The play is suitable for a large cast and multi-roling is also possible.

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