Jackie van Beek works as an actress, writer and director in theatre and film. She lives with her family in Auckland, New Zealand.
She began devising shows in Wellington, performing in theatres, schools, carparks and backyard fringe venues. She completed a Diploma in Contemporary Dance in 1995 and a Bachelor of Arts in 1998. She was part of a collaboration that won Best Original Show at the Chapman Tripp Awards for the macabre, backyard comedy Dirt.
Jackie moved to Auckland in 1999 and worked on a string of theatre commissions. She wrote The Mayfly for Young and Hungry, The Swimming Lessons for Silo Theatre and Space Migrant for Ohio Northern University where she was Writer-in-Residence.
In 2005 she paired up with comedian Jon Brugh to create the twisted comedy, My Brother and I are Pornstars. After completing a national tour they played to rave reviews at the Melbourne Comedy Festival, toured to the Edinburgh Fringe and finished up with two sell-out seasons at the Soho Theatre in London.
Jackie moved to Australia in 2006 and began making short films. Her films have played in international festivals around the world including the prestigious Berlin Film Festival, London Film Festival, Melbourne International Film Festival and the WIFT International Showcase. They have picked up a number of awards including Best Indigenous Achievement in the St Kilda Film Festival (Australia) and Kodak Best Film in the Show Me Shorts festival (New Zealand). Jackie’s films are used as educational resources in Australia, France, Denmark and the UK and have sold to networks in Australia and Germany. She is currently in development with her feature film, In the Roar.
Back home in NZ, Jackie continues to work as an actress, writer and director whilst she also enjoys running theatre and film projects in schools.
Jackie was awarded the SPADA New Filmmaker of the Year Award in 2013.