Jessica Rookeward is originally from Sydney Australia, now living and working in both New York, NY, and Los Angeles, CA as a performer in Musical Theatre, Voice-Over, Film and TV.
Jessica Rookeward has been performing since a very young age and since then has accomplished a rather impressive resume.
From multiple accents to shooting bows and arrows off horseback. She can do it!
NEW YORK:
Since moving to New York to study at AMDA – the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, where she graduated in 2017 with a degree in Musical Theatre, she has performed in NYMF – The New York Musical Festival in UNITED WE STAND as a soloist; FREDDIE – as Stacey, a new play; Equity stage reading of MARGIE DITCHES THE EXPANDABLE PIG – Louise; THE DIVINE MISS BETTE (American Tour) – Harlot (Neil Gooding Productions); ASCAP/TDP Scholarship Cabaret at Don’t Tell Mama; FIREFLY: Bluegrass Cabaret (Inara), WILDHEART: A New Superhero Musical - Bucktooth Becky, The Frog Prince - Princess Jillian (Original Cast Recording) Zucchini Girl and the Valley of the Trolls - Zelda (Original Cast Recording); Broadway Around the World Concert - representing Australia and appearing as herself; The Australian Theatre Festival NYC online Cabaret 2020 appearing as herself.
She has also done a few tv appearances as extras on THE GRAND TOUR add for Amazon Prime; and an extra on LOVE IN NEW YORK – a Chinese tv show. Most recently Miss Rookeward will appear in the upcoming TV History Channel mini THE FOOD THAT BUILT AMERICA as Factory Girl and was Stand-In for Hershey.
Also, the Columbia Pictures movie LITTLE WOMEN where she plays PRETTY MOFFAT GIRL directed by Greta Gerwig. (Now on DVD and streaming services).
LOS ANGELES:
Jessica moved to LA due to the pandemic and has had a very exciting turn in her career ever since.
A month into moving to the west coast, Jessica wrote her first short film and a month later it was green lit. Now "THE OUT-FIT" has now won over 30 awards! Jessica wrote, produced, and starred in the film. Her next film SAVAGE DAWN also did very well in the festival circuit and
She has also found great success in the Voice Over world. Her credits include; Octonauts: Above and Beyond (Dashi's Singing Voice NETFLIX), Knights of Castlecorvo (English Dub - Giulia, DISNEY), Parot (English Dub - Elena, AMAZON PRIME), The Hookup Plan (English Dub - Suzanne, NETFLIX), Laetitia (English Dub - Lola, HBO Max), Paraiso Season 1 (English Dub - Sandra, NETFLIX), Nortel Season 2 (English Dub - Tattiana, NETFLIX), Summertime Season 2 (English Dub - Ludovica, NETFLIX), Entralazados (English Dub - Young Greta, DISNEY)
She continues to grow her skills in these areas as well as now training in the stunt world! She has been trained in archery since she was 2 years old and now specializes in Horse Bow archery and traditional. She is currently training in film stunt work at Joining All Movement (JAM) under Phillip Michael. Get this girl in a corset any day and watch her fierce power in action.
AUSTRALIA:
Highlights of her career thus far have been playing the lead role of WENDLA in the prestigious ATYP’s Australian production of SPRING AWAKENING, with which she was nominated for two Sydney Theatre Awards – Best Newcomer and Best Performance by a Female in a Musical.
She got her professional stage debut at 16 as TRACY TURNBLAD in Australia’s leading Pro-Am company PACKEMIN PRODUCTION’s of HAIRSPRAY staring some of Australia’s leading Musical Theatre performers.
Other productions include MARY POPPINS (Ensemble – Packemin Productions), PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (Ensemble – Packemin Productions), THE WIZARD OF OZ (Dorothy – Starpower Studios), BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (Silly Girl – Packemin Productions), ONE FINE DAY (Janice – Newtown Musical Productions – Australian Premier), DNA (Cathy – NSW State Drama Company), MILLENNIUM MAYHEM (Jess Lo – Australian Premier), THE GREAT AUSTRALIAN ROCK MUSICAL (Karen Hogan – Model Farms Productions).
She also toured with GIGGLE AND HOOT the ABC TV program for their Christmas show as Tinsel the elf. Miss Glenn was a part of the SCHOOLS SPECTACULAR, an arena show showcasing Australias top talent, she was a featured artist from 2012-2015 representing Musical Theatre.
WHAT PEOPLE SAY
“Led by Jessica Rookeward as Tracy – who is astonishingly only sixteen and already a force of nature on stage – she is raucous, relentlessly positive, and a little ribald, and it really works.”
— Cassie Tongue, Aussie Theatre
(Hairspray 2015)