Erin James

Erin James is a director, choreographer, performer and educator with over two decades of experience working across Australia and internationally in professional music theatre.

A graduate of the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (Music Theatre), Erin has worked extensively as a Choreographer, Dance Captain, Director and Resident Director across commercial and institutional productions. Erin’s practice is grounded in collaboration and movement-led storytelling and continues to evolve through her ongoing advanced training in Intimacy Coordination for stage and screen.

Erin holds a Graduate Diploma of Education (Music) and she is currently Program Director and Head of Music Theatre at Elder Conservatorium of Music & School of Performing Arts (Adelaide University) where she leads the Bachelor of Music Theatre Program as a Senior Lecturer. Alongside her academic role she operates as Executive Producer across the program’s public-facing productions, which function as industry-standard, work-integrated learning projects.

As a stage performer Erin has appeared in major Australian and international productions including CATS, Fiddler on the Roof, Love Never Dies, Blood Brothers, Me and My Girl, South Pacific, The King and I, My Fair Lady. In 2023, she played the leading role in Welcome to Your New Life, a new Australian work by Anna Goldsworthy, for State Theatre Company South Australia.

Her screen work includes the feature film The Little Death, for which she received Best Supporting Actress nominations from both the AACTA Awards and the Film Critics Circle of Australia, as well as roles in short films, TV series, commercials and documentary style programs.

In 2018 Erin made her directing debut at the Hayes Theatre Co with the acclaimed production of She Loves Me. Other directing credits include Mamma Mia (2019), Chess (2021), Superstars (2024), and Superstars Vol. 2 (2026) for the Very Popular Theatre Company, alongside major works at the Elder Conservatorium of Music such as Cabaret, Les Misérables, On The Town, Shrek, Little Women, and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. She also directed and choreographed the South Australian premiere of Alice by heart (2024) and A Grand Night For Singing (2022).

Her assistant and associate directing credits include Stalking the Bogeyman (The Old Fitz), Vernon God Little, and Moon for The Australian Voices. Erin also recently served as Casting Director for Stoddart Entertainment Group’s production of Frozen.

Erin has an extensive history with Opera Australia working as a Performer, Dance Captain, Staging Supervisor, and Resident Director, most recently on the national tour of The Phantom of the Opera (2022–23) and the audition tour of Hadestown (2024). She is thrilled to be returning to the company as Associate Choreographer for the 70th anniversary of My Fair Lady.