Q&A: “It’s how we all bonded”: Friends take to the stage in Kezia’s memory

For one group of Jersey friends, performing together is about far more than putting on a show… It was how they met Kezia Mason, how they grew up together… and, tonight, it will be how they celebrate her memory, as one explained…

Friends of the 14-year-old who died by suicide in 2023 are reuniting on stage for the second Summer Daze Cabaret, an event created by one of Kezia’s friends after asking how they could continue raising money in her name.

Last year’s inaugural show sold out and raised more than £3,000 for Kezia’s Fund, which was launched one year after her death to support youth mental-health and wellbeing initiatives across the Island in tribute to the teen.

Ahead of tonight’s show at the Best Western Royal Hotel at 7pm, Express spoke to friend and organiser Ella du Feu about bringing Kezia’s friends back together, the moment from last year’s sell-out show that has stayed with her – and why they hope Summer Daze will become an annual tradition…

Tell us about the inspiration behind the Summer Daze Cabaret…

The event this year is our second annual cabaret. I started the Summer Daze Cabaret because we ended the Run for Kezia last year, in 2024, so we didn’t have any more fundraising events or anything for Kezia’s fund upcoming.

The idea came about when I was just brainstorming with my mum and some of our friends, and there was a discussion about an open mic night, a karaoke event, sort of similar things.

In the end, we settled on the fact that it would be really nice to get all of Kezia’s friends together to perform.

Why a Cabaret?

I had always wanted to do something to do with the performing side of fundraising because that’s how we all bonded with Kezia. We all grew up together performing, and that’s a really strong part of our friendship and how we all met each other.

The Summer Daze Cabaret is to keep her memory alive with all her friends celebrating her life.

I think it’s really important that we’re all performing together again, even though it is under these circumstances. It’s a nice way of getting to see each other again.

What can audiences expect from the evening?

We will have four different solo performers who are currently being announced on our social media platforms, and we’ll also have lots of fun games to help raise money.

We’ve also got an ensemble. We had this last year as a sort of surprise flash mob at the end, but this year we’ve announced it because lots of people saw it coming.

This year, the ensemble will perform three different songs as a finale to the show.

There will be drinks at the bar, as well as sweets and confectionery items for guests.

There will be a lovely raffle held at the interval, which so many people have helped contribute to, but we are still kindly asking Islanders for any more donations.

We are kindly asking Islanders for any more raffle prizes they’d like to donate. Please contact the Summer Daze email at summerdazecabaret@gmail.com or contact us via social media as we’d really appreciate it.

How successful was last year’s event?

Last year was a major success in our books. We ended up raising just over £3,000 for Kezia’s Fund.

It was a sell-out performance. We had people trying to buy tickets on the door, but sadly the hotel wouldn’t allow us to let some extra people in.

Therefore, if you do plan on getting tickets this year, make sure that you purchase them online because you won’t be allowed in on the day unless it’s not sold out.

We had loads of lovely feedback and lovely comments from people who didn’t even have a connection to Kezia but still ended up coming to the event because they saw it advertised online.

It was a lovely way of getting the community together. As the event is set up in a table-style cabaret setting, people ended up bonding, chatting, and making connections to people they might not have known beforehand but all through the memory of Kezia.

It was really successful, and we thought it would be amazing to make it an annual event. It raised a lot of money for Kezia’s fund, and we all really enjoyed being a part of something so dear to so many people’s hearts.

What is Kezia’s Fund?

Kezia’s Fund was set up by her brother, Ben Mason, and her mother and father, Esther and Rob Mason. It is such an important fund as it aims to improve the mental health of young people in Jersey.

It is a dedicated grant program which was established in her memory, and it’s administered alongside the Jersey Community Foundation, helping to support finances for young people in Jersey and their families as well.

The grants considerably range from £5,000 to £20,000, and it’s for preventative work for mental health. There’s lots of therapeutic and creative art approaches that have been funded as well as suicide prevention training.

It’s raised over £250,000 overall, which is just such an amazing amount.

We continue to raise more money every single day, which is just amazing. And it’s such a great way to keep our memory of Kezia alive as well.

What was a particular highlight from last year’s event?

Last year my highlight was the start of the ensemble number when everyone just came out of their seats and started moving towards the stage, in a flash mob style to “Don’t Stop Believing.”

It is a moment that definitely sticks with me, as seeing all Kezia’s friends stand up and singing all in her memory was a lovely moment and atmosphere.

What do you hope people take away from the Summer Daze Cabaret?

I think it’s really positive for people in Jersey to support local live performances, theatre, and music. It is super amazing when people do come out to these events and support local talents.

Even though it is under sad circumstances, I hope people find the joy in music again and just take away how important it is to talk and to communicate with your friends, your family, and even strangers.

Get your ticket from Eventbrite here.