History of the show

Dandelions in the Wind started life as Freedom Sings. The initial development work caught the attention of the West Yorkshire Playhouse, Britain's largest repertory theatre outside of London and Stratford. The Playhouse, with its national and international reputation as one of Britain's most exciting producing theatres, invited the community cast to stage six shows in 2003. This was the first experience of theatre for most of the inner-city youth, yet the show was incredibly powerful, evoking much emotion from cast and audience alike.

UK Review

"I was moved like never before . . . to say that this musical is powerful does not begin to describe what I saw . . . I guarantee that if you are lucky enough to find a ticket you will leave the theatre a changed person. This is a play that the world needs to see . . . it holds up a mirror and shows us the error of our ways, shows us where hate can lead us and the damage it can do. It also shows us the power of love and the necessity of it today"
- Nick Ahad, Theatre Critic

The Journey to Toronto

The musical's journey to the Toronto stage was a long one. Jennifer wrote and rewrote the script and music many times, reaching out to multiple producers without success. As the years passed, she became an award-winning author of books for young adults but despite her accomplishments there was always a hole in her heart for Keith and the musical she had written to to immortalize him ... to give meaning to his life and death ... to make the world a better place because of him.

In 2014, Quisha Wint read Jennifer's script and fell in love with the story. She and Jennifer formed KJ Group in 2016, and in 2017 Quisha led a diverse company of thirty in the Canadian premiere at Daniels Spectrum, Regent Park. During the 2-week run, matinees were performed for students, and a Teachers' Guide was provided so that the learning experience could be continued in the classroom. Evening and weekend performances were offered for the general public. The response was overwhelming. (See reviews). Jennifer and Quisha realized that the musical had a place in educating and inspiring youth.

In 2020, with Quisha at the helm, Dandelions in the Wind was incorporated as a Not-For-Profit business, reaffirming the mission to reach youth. Plans were made to restage the show, but COVID-19 locked down theatres. Wanting to keep the vision alive, the audio theatre concept was born, followed swiftly by the Perfomance edition which fufilled the dream of bringing this musical into schools and communities.