Erin Meek - Creating Spaces to Be Seen

Watching a full-scale production come to life on opening night, for a director, is like opening the floodgates of relief and pride all at once. Add to that the knowledge that, nine years earlier, you were the one on stage performing for the same audience, and the moment carries something deeper.

College alumna Erin Meek (2017) experienced this intimately as the Senior Production of Footloose opened its four-show run in March. Having been part of the last three productions as a choreographer, this one held added significance as her first in the director’s chair. In many ways, it was a culmination of every piece of experience since graduation poured back into the show, the performers, and the College itself.

In her final year, Erin was known for both academic excellence, achieving top of NCEA, and a deep commitment to the performing arts. She recalls productions as a defining part of her time at the College, not only for the performance, but for how they shaped her character.

Central to that experience were two influential teachers. Erin’s first drama experiences came through itinerant teacher and alumni Ashton Brown, before later being shaped by her drama teacher Naomi Wilson. Erin remembers the feeling Naomi created in her class, an environment where students felt recognised beyond their roles. It was not simply about performance, but about being seen.

It is a feeling she never forgot.

Returning to the Saint Kentigern productions has brought this journey full circle. Remembering how she felt as a student, Erin is intentional about creating that same environment for those now in her care.

“I’m really passionate about it being a space where they feel they can be fully themselves,” she says. “As a performer, you do your best work when you feel comfortable to share all parts of yourself.” It is a direct reflection of what she once experienced, now consciously passed on.

Following graduation, Erin moved into the New Zealand School of Dance, later completing The Actors’ Program in 2022. Alongside this, she explored English and Media through her Arts degree, broadening her understanding of storytelling. “Creative spaces aren’t limited to just the arts,” she says, reflecting on how those skills continue to shape her work.

Her early career has been defined by range: devising independent shows at the NZ Fringe Festival, working at Pop-up Globe as a swing in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, learning twelve roles simultaneously, and dancing in World of Wearable Arts can all be seen on her resume.

More recently, her focus has shifted toward choreography and teaching. Now working with Norris and Chandler Dance Studios, alongside her work as a qualified Pilates instructor, Erin balances these jobs with creative projects that allow her to tell stories in new ways.

That care for the performers extends beyond the rehearsal room and into the production itself. Speaking about Footloose, Erin describes her desire for the story to feel continuous and immersive. “I really wanted the story to never stop… you’re along for the ride,” she explained, making deliberate staging choices to hold attention and momentum. Her creative decisions reflect a view of theatre not as a sequence of moments, but as a shared human experience.

Creativity appears to run through the Meek family’s blood. Her brother, Michael Meek, has built a career leading digital storytelling for the One New Zealand Warriors, playing a key role in the club’s rapid growth in recent years. While the vehicle differs, both reflect a love of connecting with people through story.

For Erin, it has always been about the people.

The environments she creates are not defined by the final performance, but by how people, whether audience or performer, feel within them. In many ways, the most important part of the production happens long before the curtain rises.

And for our students who now step into those spaces, that is where her impact is felt most.