Soon after we arrived in St Ives in January 2013 we
learned about the Kidz R Us Theatre from our next
door neighbor, Sheryl Smallwood, who is very
involved with them. And living next door we have the
privilege of knowing how hard her daughter Melissa,
a Kidz R Us star, works at preparing for
performances. We can hear her practice – although
very faintly!

In our first summer in St Ives, we went to productions
of The Wizard of Oz and Les Miserables. They were so
impressive. We felt this must be the most incredible
experience for the youngsters who have the
opportunity to take part. Since then, we have gone to
virtually every production and they have never
disappointed. There have been so many talented
youngsters – a really scary witch in the Wizard of Oz,
an utterly convincing inn keeper’s wife in Les
Miserables, to mention just two. And the finale of
Joseph and His Amazing Technicolour Dream Coat
was a major starting point for the inspiration of my
textile art piece ‘Any Dream …’ Kidz is a theatre of
dreams.

‘Any Dream …’ will be exhibited at the Festival of
Quilts at the NEC Birmingham 11th-14th August this
summer. After that I want to find a way for this quilt
to raise money for Kidz.