Jade Franks' Journey from Cleaning Toilets at Cambridge to Creating a Hit Show
A Cambridge student living two lives was inspired by her own experiences to create a play that skewers the Oxbridge elite. Jade Franks, a working-class student with a passion for comedy, has parlayed her experience into Eat the Rich (But Maybe Not Me Mates x), an autobiographical show that explores wealth inequality and class divisions.
Growing up in Wallasey, Wirral, Franks had to fight for opportunities in the arts. She attended local drama classes while her friends got drunk in the park. Her drive and ambition took her to Cambridge, where she was secretly employed as a cleaner alongside full-time studies. However, she didn't discover bursaries that allowed students to work part-time until just before finals.
Franks' experiences with classism are deeply rooted in reality. She recounts how her sister was refused entry to a college dinner due to wearing the wrong clothes, and how professors treated working-class students unfairly. These encounters have fueled her rage at wealth inequality.
The play's protagonist is inspired by Franks herself, but the show takes creative liberties to amplify its impact. Eat the Rich has been hailed as a razor-sharp commentary on class divisions and wealth inequality. Michaela Coel's sharp wit and razor-tongued humor have influenced Franks' style, which seeks to subvert expectations while tackling tough subjects.
After graduating, Franks worked at London's Royal Court theatre, where she met the team behind Eat the Rich. However, being made redundant after a change of artistic director gave her the push to pursue her own show. The production faced several setbacks, including a private investor pulling out just before the Edinburgh festival fringe.
Franks' determination and creative resourcefulness kept the show alive. She wrote much of the script while invigilating exams, tapping ideas on her phone between breaks. The team's video explaining their situation went viral, generating support from friends, old schoolmates, and other working-class artists.
Despite Eat the Rich being a huge success at the fringe, it didn't break even due to theatre industry barriers. Franks fought to pay herself fairly and maintain accommodation that allowed her team to work together without sacrificing health for profit. However, these challenges are common in the theatre world, where accessibility is often sacrificed for financial gain.
Franks' vision goes beyond creating art; she wants to challenge the unjust model of the industry. As a freelance creative consultant, she aims to draw in more diverse audiences and make people feel welcome. She also plans to establish an outreach program that provides affordable seats at commercial theatres.
With Eat the Rich being developed for TV, Franks is poised to use her success to give others a leg-up. Working with fellow Scouser Philip Barantini, she seeks to create a show that will inspire change in the industry. The future of theatre looks brighter with Jade Franks leading the charge.
A Cambridge student living two lives was inspired by her own experiences to create a play that skewers the Oxbridge elite. Jade Franks, a working-class student with a passion for comedy, has parlayed her experience into Eat the Rich (But Maybe Not Me Mates x), an autobiographical show that explores wealth inequality and class divisions.
Growing up in Wallasey, Wirral, Franks had to fight for opportunities in the arts. She attended local drama classes while her friends got drunk in the park. Her drive and ambition took her to Cambridge, where she was secretly employed as a cleaner alongside full-time studies. However, she didn't discover bursaries that allowed students to work part-time until just before finals.
Franks' experiences with classism are deeply rooted in reality. She recounts how her sister was refused entry to a college dinner due to wearing the wrong clothes, and how professors treated working-class students unfairly. These encounters have fueled her rage at wealth inequality.
The play's protagonist is inspired by Franks herself, but the show takes creative liberties to amplify its impact. Eat the Rich has been hailed as a razor-sharp commentary on class divisions and wealth inequality. Michaela Coel's sharp wit and razor-tongued humor have influenced Franks' style, which seeks to subvert expectations while tackling tough subjects.
After graduating, Franks worked at London's Royal Court theatre, where she met the team behind Eat the Rich. However, being made redundant after a change of artistic director gave her the push to pursue her own show. The production faced several setbacks, including a private investor pulling out just before the Edinburgh festival fringe.
Franks' determination and creative resourcefulness kept the show alive. She wrote much of the script while invigilating exams, tapping ideas on her phone between breaks. The team's video explaining their situation went viral, generating support from friends, old schoolmates, and other working-class artists.
Despite Eat the Rich being a huge success at the fringe, it didn't break even due to theatre industry barriers. Franks fought to pay herself fairly and maintain accommodation that allowed her team to work together without sacrificing health for profit. However, these challenges are common in the theatre world, where accessibility is often sacrificed for financial gain.
Franks' vision goes beyond creating art; she wants to challenge the unjust model of the industry. As a freelance creative consultant, she aims to draw in more diverse audiences and make people feel welcome. She also plans to establish an outreach program that provides affordable seats at commercial theatres.
With Eat the Rich being developed for TV, Franks is poised to use her success to give others a leg-up. Working with fellow Scouser Philip Barantini, she seeks to create a show that will inspire change in the industry. The future of theatre looks brighter with Jade Franks leading the charge.
Jade Franks is literally my spirit animal - a working-class student at Cambridge who was cleaning toilets while still trying to slay in the drama department 
. And now she's got this hit show that's all about skewering the elite and tackling class divisions? 
I'm low-key obsessed! 
. The fact that she had to fight for opportunities in the arts and deal with classism from professors is just... wow 
. And can we talk about how amazing it is that she's now using her success to challenge the industry and make theatre more accessible? 
. And Jade Franks' determination is truly inspiring - who wouldn't want to be invigilating exams while writing most of the script 
? 
. i'm rooting for her big time! she deserves all the success and i hope her show inspires others to follow their dreams too 
I gotta say, Jade Franks' story is pretty inspiring, but let's get real for a sec... Creating an autobiographical show about class divisions and wealth inequality as a Cambridge student who had to clean toilets? That's already kinda privileged, you know? 
Like, I'm all for tackling tough subjects, but don't we wanna hear from someone with, like, actual systemic oppression under their belt? 
Not that her experiences aren't real, but it feels a bit... cherry-picked to be an artist and have a platform. Maybe a more nuanced approach would help her message land better? 
. but seriously, Eat the Rich is like a masterclass in how to tackle tough subjects without being preachy - Michaela Coel's influence shows 
and i love that Franks is already working on changing the theatre industry model from behind the scenes 
I'm so obsessed with this story! 
Jade Franks' journey from cleaning toilets at Cambridge to creating a hit show is EVERYTHING 
Her determination and creativity are truly admirable, and it's amazing that she fought for fair pay and accessibility in the theatre industry 
I'm rooting for her all the way! 
And yay for her new outreach program that'll bring more diverse audiences to commercial theatres - it's like, totally needed 
Can't wait to see what she does next! 
i'm rooting for her and eat the rich (but maybe not me mates) all the way 
her story is so inspiring, especially growing up as a working class kid who had to fight for opportunities. i love how she's not afraid to speak truth to power & is using her platform to challenge the industry's accessibility issues 
