September 2024

There’s plenty coming up over the next couple of months including Dublin Fringe Festival, Dublin Theatre Festival, and a few ISPD events. So keep reading to hear all about it and make sure to mark your calendars!

Explore Design · 14 September

The final session of our flagship Explore Design programme takes place later this week. This mentorship programme, curated by Pamela McQueen, focused on connecting award-winning designers with emerging playwrights & theatre-makers to encourage design thinking and scenography skills in writing practice. We look forward to sharing our findings from this exciting pilot programme soon.

Join the Dots · 2 November

Save the date! Our next Join the Dots gathering will be taking place on Saturday 2 November in Belfast as part of the Belfast International Arts Festival. So bundle up and join artist & designer Lian Bell for a stroll through the city streets where we’ll get to know one another and expand our professional network in a lively, informal setting. Keep an eye on social media for more event details & information on how to sign up coming soon!

Model box for *The House*, Dublin Theatre Festival 2024

Behind the Scenes: Francis O’Connor

In an exciting new features series, we’ll get to know ISPD members a little bit better through essays, production diaries, interviews, and more. In this first instalment, Francis O’Connor discusses resourcefulness, repurposing, and sustainability in set design for the upcoming production of The House, running from 26 September – 6 October as part of Dublin Theatre Festival 2024.

“It’s great to revisit The House. I designed the original production at The Abbey in 2000. I loved the play then so it’s a privilege to reimagine it now in 2024.”

Click here to read the full feature.

Festival Season

Many of us have been hard at work creating spectacular sets, colourful costumes, and more for shows coming up at Dublin Fringe Festival & Dublin Theatre Festival. We’ve rounded up a few of the shows you definitely don’t want to miss; so grab your tickets before they’re gone and go see your fellow designers’ work in action!

As part of Dublin Fringe Festival, Afterwards, a timely new play exploring the ongoing worldwide turmoil surrounding reproductive rights, features set & costume design by LaurA Fajardo as well as lighting design by Suzie Cummins. You can see more of LaurA’s costume work at Amelia, kicking off later in the month as part of Dublin Theatre Festival.

An ode to self-preservation and resilience, Suckin Diesel features costume design by Juliana Schmidt. This darkly comedic satire follows GOOD GURL as she comes to terms with her personal failings and the crimes against the State that landed her in a Tallaght hospital ward. Meanwhile, if you’ve ever wondered if bad things happen because you’re a bad person or if it’s the other way around, you won’t want to miss Bitch, a new drag cabaret featuring musical direction by HK Ní Shioradáin and lighting design by Suzie Cummins.

In Bird About Town, featuring set design by Dylan McGloin, the seagulls are out to get you and life moves like a nightmare in this one-woman show about life, loss, and unraveling. And wrapping up our Fringe picks, don’t miss Cortisol, a queer coming of age rollercoaster ride featuring set & costume design by Jenny Whyte.

Dublin Theatre Festival kicks off later this month, and with so many of our ISPD family working on shows, it’s guaranteed to be a feast for the senses. On the Abbey Theatre mainstage, Grania brings three legendary Irish figures – Gráinne, Diarmuid & Fionn – to life and features costume design by Catherine Fay. You can see more of Catherine’s costume work in Content, a darkly comic new play about the toxic landscape of social media, which also features lighting design by Ciaran Bagnall.

Shades Through A Shade takes Beckett’s character Belacqua on a journey to the source in Dante while Grace explores ideas of family and communication; both feature costume design by Valentina Gambardella. Meanwhile, in Safe House, song, music, recorded voice and film offer insight into the world of Grace, a young woman living alone in an outdoor handball alley; featuring set design by Katie Davenport.

If you’re working on a show in Dublin Fringe Festival or Dublin Theatre Festival, let us know and we’ll help you spread the word!

#bratsummer showcase

Thanks to everyone who has submitted their work for our August – September member showcase, inspired by Charli XCX’s iconic brat album cover and celebrating bright & bold, lemony & limey shades of green. If you have a vivid design you’d like us to share, you can submit your work until Monday 23 September! And keep your eye on our socials for a new showcase theme coming up in October, just in time for spooky season 👻🎃 🦇