Banished

Costume Design and Construction​

Opera by Stephen McNeff

IADT and RIAM (Royal Irish Academy of Music) Co-production

Kilmainham Gaol, Dublin January 2019

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Director: Caitriona McLaughlin

Set Design: Jack Rogers and Fauve Byrne

Character Make-up Design: Fionnuala Devins and Clodagh McLoughlin

Lighting Design: John Crudden

Performance Photography: Colm Hogan

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In 2019 I was picked to be part of the design team for my Year 3 design and professional practice module, taking on the role of co-costume designer with Bobbie McDonnell. ‘Banished’ was performed in the historic site, Kilmainham Gaol and was opened by President Michael D. Higgins. We worked in collaboration with RIAM students and a professional production team.

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The opera takes place on an all female prisoner ship bound for Australia in 1807. The costumes designs were based on this period with a slightly stylised wrap and rope motif. Bobbie and I dyed our fabrics to give ourselves complete control of the colour palette. Out of the cast of sixteen, I personally designed five principle and three ensemble characters and constructed two principle costumes, along with performing other supervisory and design tasks.