This is why Billy's 30th birthday party at the Pavilion Theatre, Worthing, will ultimately save so many young lives
Hundreds of people packed the Pavilion Theatre in Worthing on November 9 to celebrate a young man’s 30th birthday at a special film premiere.
They bought the birthday boy beers.
They waved illuminated sticks.
His family and friends were all there. Crowds of others too – from across the Worthing community. Of all ages. From all backgrounds.
One party. A shared love.
But Billy Mullin – in whose honour the whole occasion had been staged – could not attend.
Billy lost his life six years ago this week from an accidental drugs overdose at the age of 24.
Since then, his amazing mum Nicci Parish, his family, and their friends, have worked tirelessly to prevent other young people suffering the same fate.
She founded the organisation Billy and Beyond and this week the educational project reached a new, extraordinary milestone with the premiere of a specially commissioned film of the same name.
The Morgan Andrews short independent film is inspired by the true story of Billy. It explores memory, grief, forgiveness and the choices that define us.
It was a privilege to be a guest in my capacity as High Sheriff of West Sussex and also representing the Lord-Lieutenant of the county.
I had not been certain what to expect. Would we be presented with a chronological portrayal of his life and untimely death? Would the production feel a little flimsy, inevitably restrained by budgets around the quality of its cut? Would it sermonise in a way that young people would find difficult to accept?
Well, from the opening moment when we saw the amazingly talented Bruno Cryan emblazoned against a bleached white background as Billy, it was clear this was a production of sublime quality and extraordinary understated surprise.
Lewis Sycamore as Blissistant – a curious mix of God and AI portrayed via a mobile phone – was the perfect companion, giving Billy the opportunity to revisit fragments of the joy and pathos that construct every individual life, like a stained glass portrait.
So from the corridor of the subconscious, we glimpsed the small cherished moments of childhood – all drawn from the flickers of a real life story.
Then we faced that moment of death. Of the family’s agonising wait for positive news in the hospital waiting areas. Of standing beside the grave.
There are many messages here.
Let’s continue the conversation … in other words, let’s talk about drugs and those critical moments in a young person’s life when they will need to weigh all the options. The courage to say ‘No’.
Of the importance of family. Of love, often in the context of the everyday rituals and challenges of school, of home, of rolling tyres at friends, of playing the idiot. Of being real, and three dimensional.
Of not always behaving well but of always being fundamentally good.
I have reviewed theatre and to a lesser extent film for half a century.
This is a masterpiece. It is ingenious, inventive, created not out of commercial design but personal, passionate desire. That desire is to save other lives.
In her beautiful, powerful, moving speech to launch the film, mum Nicci said: “Tonight, I don't want you to just remember Bill for the way that we lost him. I want you to remember the person he was, his personality, his humour, his cheekiness, his friendships, his memories, and the love that he gave us. Morgan, I honestly don't know how to thank you enough for taking Billy's story and bringing it to life in this way.
"You've created something that allows people who never knew Billy to get glimpses of him, and allow those of us who loved him to see his story shared with the world. To all the cast and the crew, everyone involved in making this film: Thank you.
"You have given so much of yourselves to something incredibly personal to our family, and I will always be grateful. To everyone who has sponsored, donated, shared our campaign, brought a ticket, or simply just encouraged us when we needed it: Thank you for helping us get here.
"This film will be another fantastic way of raising awareness. We know sometimes a film can reach people in ways that words alone can't. It will allow young people to connect emotionally with a story, see things from a different perspective, and perhaps hear a message they might otherwise have missed.”
She thanked BBC Radio Sussex’s Sarah Gorrell who hosted the question and answer session and has been on the family’s journey since the launch of Billy and Beyond.
In the audience as someone who never knew Billy, it was impossible not to be overwhelmed by the occasion.
This was Billy’s birthday party.
Not there? Of course he was. Somewhere unseen, but proud beyond measure at his wonderful family for ensuring that his memory will live on not merely through the film we saw but the many lives that it will inevitably save.