In our profile series, Tell Us In Ten, we ask cast members and creatives of top London shows to tell us all about themselves in just 10 questions. From how they got their start in the industry to their favourite shows, we want to know everything.
This time we’re chatting to Jade Oswald who is currently starring as Marie in Franz & Marie – a unique and visceral musical that breathes new life into Georg Büchner’s classic German tragedy, Woyzeck, with soul-rattling Indie Raw Folk.
1) My route into theatre was…
I’ve loved storytelling and singing for as long as I can remember, and I honestly don’t think there was ever a world where I wasn’t going to try to pursue performing as a career — cliché, I know! I was very lucky to grow up doing lots of amateur dramatics and school productions, so I got to immerse myself in theatre from a young age and learn from some wonderful teachers.
I then joined National Youth Music Theatre, which was where my decision to pursue it professionally really solidified. I had the most phenomenal experience working on two new musicals, and I think that’s where my love for originating new work really began.
From there, I trained at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance (gosh, that’s a mouthful) but unfortunately part of my training was disrupted by the Covid pandemic and moved online. I felt I’d missed out on some of the experience I really wanted, so I went on to do my Master’s at the Royal Academy of Music, which was genuinely life-changing. It was a course that really valued individuality, truth and storytelling, and it completely changed the way I approached my work.
During training, I also took part in the Stephen Sondheim Society Student Performer of the Year competition (another mouthful!) which really began my deep love and appreciation for Sondheim. Anyone who knows me knows I’m a total Sondheim nerd, so now we just have to manifest actually being in one of his shows… And the rest is history!
2) My West End idol is…
I’m not really someone who tends to have idols, but I have such a sincere appreciation for Alex Young’s work. Every time I’ve seen her perform, she brings so much nuance, truth and soul to what she does. Her character work always feels incredibly detailed and specific, and she makes bold choices without ever losing the humanity of the person she’s playing. I also love that her singing feels completely driven by emotion and character rather than simply by making a beautiful sound – although, of course, her voice is stunning.
There’s something really exciting to me about watching a woman on stage be fearless, funny, messy, strange and complicated, and not feel boxed into one particular type of femininity.
3) My colleagues would describe me as…
I think they’d probably describe me as hardworking, positive and quite brave in the choices I make as a performer. I’m not particularly interested in fitting into a traditional musical theatre mould if it doesn’t feel truthful to the character, and I’m always more drawn to honesty, specificity and telling the story as fully as I can.
4) My favourite show (that isn’t one I star in/work on) is…
I’m not really a “favourite” person because I tend to go through phases of being completely obsessed with different shows, but I think I’d probably have to say ‘Into the Woods’.
For me, Sondheim is second-to-none when it comes to writing about people. His characters are flawed, funny, selfish, loving and contradictory, which feels very true to life. Into the Woods is so clever and theatrical, but underneath that it says something really simple and moving about growing up, disappointment, responsibility and the fact that life very rarely gives us neat endings. That combination of wit, darkness, humanity and hope is probably what keeps me coming back to it.
5) The career moment I’m most proud of is…
This is such a difficult one because every step in my career has felt important in getting me to where I am now and shaping where I’m going next.
But I think, at the moment, it would probably be ‘Franz & Marie’. I feel incredibly proud and grateful to be working with such an exciting creative team on a piece that feels very aligned with the kind of work I love; story-led, emotionally complex and unafraid of difficult things.
I also feel very lucky to be playing a woman who is strong, complicated, flawed and nuanced. Those are the kinds of female characters I’ve always been drawn to, so getting to explore someone like Marie means a lot to me.
6) The hardest part about my job/role is…
With Marie, I think the biggest challenge is finding the balance between honouring the emotional weight of her story while still keeping it sustainable across a run. She goes through a lot, so it’s been important to find ways of accessing that truthfully without holding onto it afterwards.
I’ve actually found that process really interesting, and I’ve learnt a lot about how to switch off from the character at the end of the show and come back to myself.
7) If I wasn’t an actor, I would be…
There are honestly so many jobs I’d love to do! I think it would still have to be something creative and varied because I love work where no two days feel exactly the same. I also really love working with children; their joy is totally infectious, so something that combined creativity with education would make me very happy.
8) Something people don’t know about me is…
I have a slightly obsessive love of finding interesting rocks, crystals and fossils. If I’m on a beach, I can happily spend hours staring at the ground looking for something exciting while everyone else has moved on with their day.
I once spent ages at Charmouth trying to crack open rocks and eventually found a fossil that I was so proud of I named him Rodger. He now lives at home and is, obviously, a very important member of the household.
9) The best piece of advice I’ve ever been given is…
I’ve been given lots of brilliant advice over the years, but one thing that really unlocked something in me as a performer was: “Don’t be afraid to be ugly on stage.”
Particularly as a woman in musical theatre, I think there can sometimes be a pressure to look beautiful, sound beautiful and behave in a way that feels very contained. But people aren’t like that. Women are funny, strange, angry, vulnerable, messy and complicated; in the best possible way, so I’ve always tried to honour this in performance.
10) The one thing I wish I could tell my younger self is…
Don’t spend so much time trying to please everyone. I was very much a Type A, overachieving people-pleaser growing up, and for a long time I equated being “good” with always doing the right thing, giving 100% to everyone and making sure everyone around me was happy, sometimes to the detriment of my own peace. My mum once said to me, “You are worth loving even when you’re grumpy, angry, messy or make mistakes,” and what a great reminder that was. Over the last few years, I’ve become much better at understanding what actually feels true to me rather than what I think other people want from me.
I think that shift has brought me a lot more peace and joy, and has helped me live in a way that feels much more truthful to who I am and the life I want to lead. I feel much more comfortable being a whole person rather than a perfect one.
Get your tickets to see Jade in Franz & Marie at the Charing Cross Theatre below!
