About me and CV.

I am a Swedish-Irish set and costume designer working across theatre, dance, and opera. I thrive in the collaborative nature of performance, where artistic and technical crafts meet, and I’m drawn to intelligent, hardworking, and kind collaborators who share my passion for pushing creative boundaries.

My design ethos is bold and playful, with intricate layers of meaning. I love work that is visually striking but deeply integrated into a production’s storytelling, rather than simply decorative. I bring an energetic, analytical, and intuitive approach to my work, valuing collaboration that happens through conversation, hands-on workshops, and the exchange of ideas. Ethical integrity is central to my process—I believe in kindness, respect, and inclusivity, and environmental responsibity and I’m not afraid to speak up for what’s right.

I’ve worked with institutions like The Abbey Theatre, The Royal Opera House, and Irish National Opera, as well as directors including Claire O’Reilly, Oonagh Murphy, Marc Atkinson, Daisy Evans and Adele Thomas. My designs have been seen on stages all over Ireland as well as, London, New York, and Beijing.

I’m also a co-founder of MALAPROP Theatre, where we make bold, genre-spanning work with design at its core, past productions include HOHOUSE, Everything Not Saved, Jericho, BlackCatfishMusketeer, and LOVE+. As a small, independent company, we’ve successfully toured to London, New York, Manchester, Edinburgh, and Beijing, bringing our unique work to audiences around the world.

Some of my set and costume design credits include Constellations (The Gate), Tempesta (Cork Midsummer Festival), Playboy of the Western World (The Gaiety Theatre/The Lyric Theatre), It Was Easy (in the end) (The Abbey Theatre), Ask Too Much of Me, La Liberazione di Ruggiero, and A Holy Show (Peacock Theatre), Serious Money and The Ash Fire (The Lir), Mr Burns (Rough Magic). Set designs include Emma (The Abbey Theatre) and Lovesongs (Philip COnnaghton Dance), Whilst costume designs include Danse, Morob (The Emergency Room), Recovery (One Two One Two), An Octoroon and The Sugar Wife (The Abbey Theatre), and To The Lighthouse (Hatch/Everyman).

My opera designs include Bajazet and L’Olimpiade for Irish National Opera, both of which were nominated for Best Opera Production at the Oliviers, and The Magic Flute for Sofia Opera in Bulgaria.

Between 2017-2019 I assisted incredible designers such as Chloe Lamford, Bunny Christie, Paul Willis, and Fly Davis. In 2019–2020, I was the Production Design Assistant at the National Theatre (UK), where I worked on The Welkin and Ocean at the End of the Lane. I was Artist-in-Residence at Mermaid Arts Centre in 2020 and received the Arts Council Theatre Bursary in 2024.

I hold a First-Class Honours BA in Drama & Theatre Studies from Trinity College Dublin and am currently the Chairperson of the Irish Society of Performance Designers, having served on its committee since 2021.

Above all, I believe in lasting collaborations, making theatre that is both imagistically thought-provoking and emotionally engaging, and I strive to create work that is accessible and exciting for a wide range of audiences.

Interview with me about design process from Totally Dublin 2019

Download my CV here

Contact: molly.ocathain@gmail.com

Instagram: @mollyocathain

Agent: Jasmine Daines Pilgrem at Lisa Richards Agency

Jasmine@lisarichards.co.uk // +44 (0)2072871441