Written by Max Dickins (The Man on the Moor, Kin, The Trunk) and directed by five times Fringe First award-winner Hannah Eidinow, Love Them To Death explores Fabricated and Induced illness (previously known as ‘Munchausen’s syndrome by proxy’), a rare form of behaviour where care givers exaggerate, feign or induce illness in their children.
A mother keeps pulling her ill son out of school. But is everything as it seems? School Attendance Officer Kelly isn’t so sure. Exploring who is telling the truth, how we come to that decision, and whether the truth even exists, most of the time, Love Them To Death is a dark and twisty tale set in the borderlands between love and violence – inspired by real events.
This striking new production stems from a conversation Dickins had with an Attendance Officer at a school in the South of England, who explained she was dealing with multiple cases of suspected FII. Subsequent research* showed that experts believe that FII is much more common than previously thought.
‘Suspected’ was the key word in the Attendance Officer’s testimony. One reason FII is under-reported is that it is hard to prove and this is the impossible dilemma for the likes of doctors and school workers: the line between fact and fiction is blurred. And there are other lines, too: between ‘normal’ and ‘abnormal’ parenting; between love and abuse; between illness and health. But where do we draw them? And who gets to decide?
Director Hannah Eidinow comments, I’m really excited to work with Max on his compelling and vital play, and explore the strength and confusion of unconditional love, and the extreme behaviours it can drive us to. Both women are driven by the power of their convictions to protect their child in the way they know best. Why do we do what we do? Can we trust ourselves? How do we know what’s right? It’s a truly relevant topic, and I can’t wait to mine this drama about the fundamental questions of the human psyche.
