Jessica Sedler's "Do You See?"

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We live in a hyper connected age but seem to be lonelier than ever. Do you SEE? And let yourself be seen?

I’m Jess: I sing, write and coach relationships. Though not usually at the same time. I’ve seen how many of us aren’t as connected to ourselves and others as we might like - after all we didn’t learn how to do relationships at school. So I’ve become an emotional intimacy activist, on a mission to help us improve the quality of our relationships and therefore, the quality of our lives. Relationships are all we have - will you join my protest? 

‘Do You See?’ is a live intimacy experiment: a work in progress evening of original songs, touching personal stories and practical relationship ideas to take away. Join me for this eye-opening ‘TEDtalk cabaret’ about seeing and being seen.

Writer and performer: Jessica Sedler

Director: Imogen Bond

Co-music writer, musical director and Pianist: Ross Lorraine.

Jess trained as an actress at LAMDA and worked in theatre including at the Old Vic (24 hour plays), Lyric Theatre West End, and touring Shakespeare around Europe. She co-founded cabaret ensemble The Ruby Dolls in 2010 (‘Elegant, inventive and absorbing’ - Time Out). They have written, performed and produced five full length cabaret theatre shows in four part harmony to sold out audiences across London, as well as critically acclaimed runs at the Edinburgh Festival in 2012 and 2014. They secured Arts Council funding for a national tour in 2016.

Jess also works as a Leadership and Communication Skills coach. She has trained in integrative psychotherapy, NLP, non-violent communication and recently, as an fully accredited systemic coach. She works with business teams and family systems to build emotionally intelligent relationships.

This is her first ’Tedtalk Cabaret’.

Imogen specialises in making theatre for young people that places the audience at the heart of the experience; encouraging empathy, inspiring curiosity and sparking change. Imogen is currently Education Director at the Orange Tree Theatre where she creates productions and projects that enable over 10,000 young people every year to understand themselves and the world around them a little better. For the Orange Tree, as Director and Dramaturg: Can’t Wait for Christmas!, Extra Yarn, The Tempest, The Merchant of Venice, Macbeth, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo and Juliet and King Lear, Joanna Baillie’s De Monfort and Arthur Miller’s Clara. Previous credits include: Words, Words, Words and Birdsong at the New Wimbledon Studio, Cigarettes and Chocolate at the Edinburgh Fringe.

As Assistant Director credits include: As You Like It, Shakespeare’s Globe, All My Sons, Manchester Library Theatre and Little Voice, Hull Truck.

Imogen was a Trainee Director at the Orange Tree Theatre, 2005 -2006 and Assistant Director 2007 – 2008.

Ross Lorraine is a composer, song-writer and jazz pianist. He composed the score for a musical, Ex, performed at the Soho Theatre, and has written music for plays at The Almeida Theatre and elsewhere. His classical pieces have been performed all over the world, and broadcast on Radio 3, BBC World Service, and on European radio, and he has taught composition at King’s College London and Goldsmith’s College.

As a pianist he has performed at many famous London venues (Dean Street Pizza Express, The Pheasantry, The Forge, Spice of Life, Green Note etc.). Upcoming recordings of his songs are to be made by several singers including Emilia Martensson and Linley Weir, accompanied by pianist Nikki Iles.

He co-writes with singer-songwriter Melissa James, with whom he has performed in the London Jazz Festival, Cheltenham Jazz Festival, and on BBC London. Tom Robinson (BBC 6 Music) said of their debut album Day Dawns “They don’t write ‘em like that any more - except they do!”