Jacqueline has a Master of Theatre Arts in Directing from Victoria University of Wellington and Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School. Since graduating she has established her name creating works for such national companies and festivals as the NZ Festival of the Arts, NZ Opera, Wellington Opera, Victorian Opera (Australia), Capital E National Theatre for Children, Circa Theatre, Voices NZ, Wanderlust Opera, Cuba Duba, Hamilton Arts Festival, Opera Otago, Orchestra Wellington, and Auckland Philharmonic, winning accolades from the NZ Fringe, Wellington Theatre Awards, and Dunedin Theatre Awards.
In 2019/20, Jacqueline was the Pettman DARE Fellow at Opera North and NZ Opera, gaining a postgraduate diploma (with distinction) in Arts Education Management from the University of Leeds. Since this time, she has generated a reputation for creating celebratory participatory work within communities, including creating dramatic staged concerts for choirs, orchestras and festivals. She has been the Stagecraft Director at NZ Opera School since 2000, and co-ordinates youth programmes and performances for organisations such as NZ Opera, Marlborough Opera Festival, Shakespeare Globe Centre NZ and Orchestra Wellington, including the 2005 NZ Opera in Schools’ tour of The Elixir of Love, and recent acclaimed productions of Lucy Mulgan’s Red!, and Noye’s Fludde by Benjamin Britten.