Scene Unseen
Jessica Walker, writer and performer
Joseph Atkins, composer and pianist
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Scene Unseen is presented as part of the 2026 Queerscore Festival.
Scene Unseen is a powerful new staged song cycle. Part cabaret, part art song, it explores gender identity, sexuality, and ancestry, through the lens of Jessica’s fractured relationship with her birth father. As the narrative unfolds, she goes on a journey of discovery about her true self, including the extraordinary secret at the heart of her heritage.
It is an intimate, personal story with universal themes, expressed through Atkins and Walker’s uncategorisable musical mix of humour, classicism, torch, and a touch of Eighties synth.
Scene Unseen was originally conceived as a film, released in September 2022, directed by James Dacre, and produced by Royal and Derngate theatre and ETO at Home. Its staged premiere was at JW3 in 2024.
“original, thought-provoking, and funny with a refreshing new slant on gender identity” Musical Theatre Review“Walker….sings with a spontaneity that perfectly dovetails with Atkins’ composition” The Reviews Hub