Molly O'Cathain

WINNER BEST PRODUCTION AND BEST DESIGN ENSEMBLE AT DUBLIN FRINGE FESTIVAL 2023

Originally scheduled to premiere in March 2020 – this is a new play with songs and a ship's captain pulling the strings. Ruth in 1969 refuses to eat sandwiches with lettuce in them. Ali in the present day goes on a cruise to say goodbye to the ice. A parent 100 years in the future tells their child it gets better, even though we're pretty sure they're lying. HOTHOUSE is about horny songbirds, parents, love, legacy, and wanting to change, but not knowing how.

With HOTHOUSE, MALAPROP once again make big ideas urgently human. And funny! This show is not just One More Thing to Feel Scared About. We promise. Climate breakdown is so huge that feeling bad is too small a feeling to really do it justice. So why not laugh about death? Why not do a drag cabaret about bees going extinct? Why not play some banging tunes while the ship sinks?

Come along: Laugh. (Loudly.) Panic. (Controlledly.) Think about needing to change (desperately), but not knowing how. Written by Carys D. Coburn with MALAPROP, HOTHOUSE is a new play with songs – about cruise ships, horny songbirds, parents, love, legacy, horny rabbits, Minnie Riperton, and whether things can ever get better.

Written by Carys D. Coburn with MALAPROP
Directed by Claire O’Reilly
Cast: Peter Corboy, Thommas Kane Byrne, Bláithín Mac Gabhann, Maeve O'Mahony, Ebby O'Toole Acheampong
Set & Costume Design by Molly O'Cathain
Composition, Musical Direction and Sound by Anna Clock
Lighting Design by John Gunning
Choreographer Deirdre Griffin
Assistant Director Ellen Buckley
Associate Sound Designer & Sound Engineer Eóin Murphy
Produced by Carla Rogers & Caoimhe Whelan
Costume Supervisor Mary Sheehan
Stage Manager Evie McGuinness
Assistant Stage Manager Dragana Stevanic
Production Manager Pete Jordan

Promo Photography by Pato Cassinoni with Art Direction by Molly O’Cathain

ORIGINALLY COMMISSIONED BY THISISPOPBABY FOR WHERE WE LIVE 2020. FUNDED BY THE ARTS COUNCIL

A Irish National Opera and Royal Opera House co-production

CREATIVE TEAM

Conductor Peter Whelan

Director: Daisy Evans

Set & Costume Designer: Molly O'Cathain

Lighting Designer: Jake Wiltshire

Movement Director: Matthew Forbes

Assistant Director: Christian Hey

Répétiteur & Assistant Conductor: Oliver-John Ruthven

Written by Dan Colley

with Osaro Azama, Venetia Bowe, Karen McCartney & Maeve Stone

Music by Maeve Stone

Directed by Dan Colley

Produced by Matthew Smyth

Performed by Osaro Azams, Venetia Bowe, Karen McCartney

Set and Costume Design Molly O'Cathain

Sound Design Alma Kelliher

Lighting Design Suzie Cummins

Dramaturg Amanda Piesse

Costume Supervisor/ Assistant Costume Designer: Saoirse O'Shea

Hair and Makeup Design: Michelle Ruane

All photos by Ros Kavanagh

* Writer: Branden Jacobs-Jenkins

* Director: Anthony Simpson Pike

* Set Designer: Sabine Dargent

* Costume Designer: Molly O’Cathain

* Lighting Designer: Stephen Dodd

* Sound & Composition: Giles Thomas

* Movement Director: Annie Lunnette Deakin-Foster

* Costume Supervisor: Síofra Ní Chiardha

* Assistant Director: Esosa Ighodaro

* Assistant Designer: Choy-Ping Clarke-Ng

* Dramatherapist: Wabriya King

* Hair and Makeup: Leonard Daly

* Hair Assistant: Stephanie Nwambu

* Costume Makers: Tara Mulvilhill and Breedge Fahy.

Photo: Ros Kavanagh

/////RITUALS/////
Body & Soul 2019

Costumes I designed, made and styled for Body and Soul 2019, working with Algorithm and Tenth Man.

Campaign Co-Directed by Kevin Freeny and Richard Seabrook
Made together with Sorcha Flynn, Julia Ritcher and Natasha Bertram.
Photographs by Shantanu Starick
Make up by Paula McGylnn

Bajazet

Irish National Opera and Royal Opera House

2022

Conductor Peter Whelan

Director Adele Thomas

Set & Costume Designer Molly O’Cathain

Lighting Designer Sinéad Wallace

Associate Director Emma Woods

Fight Director Kev McCurdy

Irish Baroque Orchestra

Directed by: Marc Atkinson Borrull

Set and Costume Design: Molly O’Cathain

Lighting Design: Paul Keogan

Sound Design: Kevin Gleeson

Movement Director: Liz Roche

Photographs: Ros Kavanagh

Cast:

Marianne: Sarah Morris

Roland: Brian Gleeson

Creator and Director Philip Connaughton

Performed by Clare Adam, Philip Connaughton, Orla Dwyer, Helen Jordan, Anna Kaszuba, Isabella Oberlander, Fearghus O’Conchuir, and Anderson de Souza.

Set Design by Molly O’Cathain

Costume Design by Emily Ní Bhroin

Lighting Design by Begoña Garcia

Sound Design by Luca Truffarelli

Dramaturg Philip McMahon

Stage Manager Marella Boschi

Production Manager Veronica Foo

Line Producer Lisa Nally

Producer Maura O’Keeffe

Production Photography Patricio Cassinoni

The Playboy of The Western World at The Gaiety as part of Dublin Theatre Festival and The Lyric Theatre, September-November 2019.

Director: Oonagh Murphy

Set & Costume Design: Molly O’Cathain

Movement Director: Paula O’Reilly

Sound Design: Jane Deasy

Lighting Design: Amy Mae

MINSEACH

Images by Simon Lazewski

Draiocht , Dublin Fringe Festival 2021

CREATED AND PERFORMED BY SIBEAL DAVITT

COSTUME & SET DESIGN: MOLLY O’CATHAIN

COMPOSER: SINEAD DISKIN

LIGHTING DESIGN: SUZIE CUMMINS

CHEIF LX: FAITH BOUCHER

PRODUCER: CARLA ROGERS

★★★★★ The Arts Review | ★★★★ The Guardian | ★★★★ Feeling Good | ★★★ Sunday Times Culture

“Virginia Woolf’s modernism finds astute expression in this spectacular production

by Hatch Theatre Company and The Everyman.”

Irish Independent

”The performances are electrifying throughout…”

Sunday Independent

“Olwen Fouéré is captivating as the Tiresias-like figure of Mr Carmichael –

as is Aoife Duffin as the anxiety-ridden artist Lily Briscoe…”

The Stage

”Carr’s Lighthouse Illuminates the way.”

Business Post

Creative Team:

Adapted by Marina Carr

Director Annabelle Comyn

Set and Lighting Designer Aedín Cosgrove

AV Designer and Director of Photography José Miguel Jiménez

Music and Sound Designer Philip Stewart

Movement Director Sue Mythen

Costume Co-Designers Saileóg O’Halloran and Molly O’Cathain

First commissioned by Hatch Theatre Company in association with Project Arts Centre.

Cast: Derbhle Crotty, Declan Conlon, Aoife Duffin, Olwen Fouéré, Nick Dunning, Colin Campbell, Kyle Hixon, Maura Bird, Kwaku Fortune and Gillian Buckle.

Voices: Danielle O’Neill, Freddy Cornally and Jack Healy

Imagine you're scared for your adult sibling. They're on the brink and you want to keep them safe. You think they're mentally ill but they think they're just left wing.

To make the right choices together you'll need to know the right things. The big question: how do you know if you know the right things?

Where Sat The Lovers is about codes, hallucinations, Isaac Newton, warcrimes, seeing meaning where there's none and vice versa. It's about facing an overwhelming world and trying to make sense of it all.

WRITTEN BY DYLAN COBURN GRAY WITH MALAPROP

DIRECTED BY CLAIRE O’REILLY

CAST: JULIETTE CROSBIE, WREN DENNEHY, BLÁITHÍN MACGABHANN, MAEVE O’MAHONY

SET & COSTUME DESIGN: MOLLY O’CATHAIN

LIGHTING DESIGN: JOHN GUNNING

SOUND DESIGN: JENNIFER O’MALLEY & LEON HENRY

PRODUCTION MANAGER: GRACE HALTON

STAGE MANAGER: RACHAEL KIVLEHAN

ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER: OLIVIA DRENNAN

PRODUCER: CARLA ROGERS

Supported by the Arts Council, Dublin City Council, Cork Midsummer Festival, Carlow Arts Festival, Project Arts Centre, and field:arts.

Malaprop Theatre

Project Arts Centre, 2017

Directed by Claire O’Reilly

Set, Costume, Graphic Design by Molly O’Cathain

Lighting Design by John Gunning

Devised by the company with Dylan Coburn Gray

Cast: Peter Corboy, Breffni Holahan, Maeve O’Mahony

★★★★ A fascinating, maze-like meditation on reminiscence and record – Irish Times

Superb. A flash of theatricality this awesome isn’t as easy to forget – Exeunt Magazine

Clever, irreverent and thought-provoking – The Independent

It makes you think, it makes you remember and it makes you laugh. – NoMoreWorkHorse

★★★★ Funny and sparky – The Reviews Hub

It certainly isn’t forgettable. – Meg.ie

BlackCatfishMusketeer was first performed at Lir Studio 1 as part of the Tiger Dublin Fringe Festival 2016. The team was as follows:

Poster, Set, Costume Design by Molly O’Cathain

Directed by Claire O’Reilly
Written by Dylan Coburn Gray
Lighting Design by John Gunning

Cast: Aoife Spratt, Catherine Russell, and Ste Murray

Project Arts Centre, 2016

Directed by Zoe Ni Riordain

Costume Design - Molly O'Cathain

Set Design - Ger Clancy

Lighting Design - Ilo Tarrant

LOVE+

Samuel Beckett Theatre

February 2015

Direction: Claire O'Reilly
Design: Molly O'Cathain
Lighting: John Gunning

Set and Props Design

Created by Just The Lads

Directed by Darren Sinnott and Liadain Kaminska

The New Theatre as part of the Tiger Dublin Fringe Festival 2014.

8-13TH September 2014

Serious Money

Set and Costume Design: Molly O’Cathain

Director: Oonagh Murphy

Lighting Design: Paul Keoghan

At The Lir, October 2018

Photographs by Keith Dixon

Danse, Morob

The Emergency Room

Project Arts Centre

January 2017

Directed by Emma Martin and Olwen Fouéré

Costume Design by Molly O'Cathain

Lighting Design by Sinead Wallace

by Gavin Kostick

Directed by: Maisie Lee

Set and Costume Design: Molly O’Cathain

Lighting Design: Sarah Jane Sheils

The Lir Studio 2, May 2018

Photographs by Keith Dixon

Rough Magic SEEDs Showcase

Project Arts Centre

Director Ronan Phelan

Set and Costume Design by Molly O'Cathain

Lighting Design Dara Hoban

Photographs by Ste Murray

A new comedy based on the 1981 hijacking of an Aer Lingus plane, by an ex-Trappist monk, with a bottle of water as his weapon, the Pope as his nemesis, and a burning desire to know The Third Secret of Fatima.

The Peacock Stage @ The Abbey Theatre, September 2018.

Set & Costume Design: Molly O'Cathain

Lighting Design: Sinéad Wallace

Sound Design: Ivan Birthistle

AV Design: Neil O'Driscoll

Producer: Niamh O'Donnell

Photography: Ste Murray

SET AND COSTUME DESIGN BY: Molly O’Cathain

LIGHTING DESIGN BY: John Gunning

WRITTEN BY: Maeve Binchy

DIRECTED BY: Maisie Lee
 

The Half Promised Land was Maeve Binchy’s first full-length stage play adapted from a story in her collection My First Book, from 1970.

Influenced by time she spent in Isreal, Binchy’s play revolves around two Irish schoolteachers’ experience on a working holiday spent in a rural community on a kibbutz in Israel in 1966.
Binchy explores their actions and emotions as they are confronted with issues of tolerance, belonging and forgiveness, abortion, mental illnesses, and racism.

Performed by graduating students of the BA Drama (Performance) at DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama.

PHOTOS: STE MURRAY

Set Design

Stockholm by Briony Lavery

Directed by Claire Hallybone

Samuel Beckett Theatre

November 19th - 21st

Directed by Claire O'Reilly

Set and Costume Design by Molly O'Cathain

Lighting by John Gunning

Written and performed by Fionn Foley

Photographs by Ste Murray

Set and Costume Design

pool (no water) by Mark Ravenhill

directed by Oonagh O'Donovan

Samuel Beckett Theatre

November 2014

Set Design

ISDA Nominated for Best Set Design

Directed by Claire O'Reilly

Written by Stephan Berkoff

Lighting by Jonathan Shanahan

Set Design

April 2014: Baby Grand Theatre, Belfast

March 2013: Players Theatre, Dublin

Written and Directed by Paul Testar

Winner of the Irish Student Drama Award for Set Design 2014

Director and Set Designer 

Boys by Ella Hickson

Players Theatre, February 2014

Costume Design

Directed by Darren Sinnott

Samuel Becket Theatre February 2013

Winner of Best Costume Design at Irish Student Drama Awards 2013