Catherine Fay
Selected credits
- The Crucible National Theatre/ West End
- The Quare Fellow/ Somewhere Out There You/ Portia Coughlan/ iGirlAbbey Theatre
- The United States vs Ulysses Once Off Productions
- PiafThe Gate
- Gold in the WaterMermaid Theatre/ Project Arts Theatre
- TranslationsAbbey Theatre/ Tour
- Outrage/ The TreatyFishamble
- ElektraIrish National Opera
About
Catherine is an award winning Costume Designer for theatre, dance and opera. She was selected as one of the artists to represent Ireland at The Prague Quadrennial 2019. Her extensive experience has seen her design for most of Ireland’s major companies including Abbey Theatre, Liz Roche Dance Company, Irish National Opera, Gate Theatre, Landmark Productions and Emma Martin Dance.
Most recently Catherine designed costumes for The Crucible (Gielgud Theatre, West End/ Olivier Stage, National Theatre, nominated for Best Revival, Olivier Awards 2023), directed by Lindsey Turner (Top Girls, Under Milk Wood) and starring Erin Doherty, The Quare Fellow and Somewhere Out There You (Abbey), Piaf (The Gate) and Gold in the Water (Mermaid Theatre/ Project Arts Theatre).
Awards include, Winner for Best Production for Dogs for Emma Martin Dance and Best Design at the ABSOLUT Fringe Festival 2012. Catherine received nominations for Best Costume Design Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards in 2017 for Abbey Theatre production of Sean O’Casey’s The Plough and The Stars, and in 2014 for Breaking Dad (Landmark Productions) and Our Few and Evil Days (Abbey Theatre).
Featured work
The Crucible
Olivier Theatre, National Theatre/ Gielgud Theatre, West End
Director: Lindsey Turner
Set Design: Es Devlin
Costume Design: Catherine Fay
Lighting Design: Tim Lutkin
Sound Design: Tingying Dong
NOMINATED FOR BEST REVIVAL, OLIVIER AWARDS 2023
“The National at its best”
★★★★★ The Telegraph
“This is the National firing on all cylinders”
★★★★★ LondonTheatre
“Enduring relevance and power”
★★★★ The Arts Desk
“Thrillingly gripping” ★★★★ The Stage
The Quare Fellow
Main Stage, Abbey Theatre
Directed by Tom Creed
Set Design by Paul O’Mahony
Costume Design by Catherine Fay
Lighting Design by Stephen Dodd
Sound Designer & Composer: Mel Mercier
‘Stylish, moving and memorable’
★★★★ Irish Examiner
★★★★ The Irish Times
★★★★ The Financial Times
The United States vs Ulysses
Written by Colin Murphy
Directed by Conall Morrison
Set Design by Liam Doona
Costume Design by Catherine Fay
Lighting Design by John Comiskey
Composition & Sound Design by Simon Kenny
★★★★ The Irish Times
Somewhere Out There You
Abbey Theatre
Writer: Nancy Harris
Director: Wayne Jordan
Set Designer: Maree Kearns
Costume Designer : Catherine Fay
Lighting Designer: Sinéad McKenna
Composer and Sound Designer: Sinéad Diskin
‘Catherine Fay’s costumes…. add Rom Com, Hollywood razzmatazz to Harris’s unconventional tale of boy meets girl.’
★★★★ The Arts Review
★★★★★ The Irish Mail
★★★★ The Irish Times
Gold in the Water
Mermaid Theatre/ Project Arts Theatre, Dublin
Writer: Shane O’Reilly/ Paul Curley
Composer: Denis Clohessy
Director: Ronan Phelan
Set Design: Maree Kearns
Costume Design: Catherine Fay
Lighting Designer: Sarah Jane Shiels
‘Catherine Fay’s costumes pop with vibrant patterns and colours, and the animal attire in particular is brilliantly realised.’
★★★★ The Irish Times
Translations
Abbey Theatre, Dublin/ Tour
Writer: Brian Friel
Director: Caitríona McLaughlin
Set Design: Joanna Parker
Costume Design: Catherine Fay
LX Design: Paul Keogan
Sound Design: Carl Kennedy
‘skilfully crafted production of Brian Friel’s mighty play’
★★★★ The Stage
‘a timeless study of change and identity’
★★★★ The Guardian
‘a poignant revival’ The Sunday Times
iGirl
Abbey Theatre, Dublin
Writer: Marina Carr
Director: Caitríona McLaughlin
Set and Video Design: Joanna Parker
Costume Design: Catherine Fay
Lighting Design: Sinéad Wallace
Sound Design and Composer: Carl Kennedy
Video Design: Daniel Denton
‘a Boudica- dressed-by-Chanel in Catherine Fay’s bare-breasted costume’
The Irish Independent
‘Stylish, mysterious, and with a soaring imagination’
The Sunday Independent
Portia Coughlan
Abbey Theatre, Dublin
Writer: Marina Carr
Director: Caroline Byrne
Set Design: Chiara Stephenson
Costume Design: Catherine Fay
Composer and Sound Design: Mel Mercier
Lighting Design: Paul Keogan
‘this unforgettable story remains searing in its relevance’
★★★★ The Irish Times
‘powerful […] devastatingly honest’
The Sunday Times
Embargo
Fishamble: The New Play Company
In association with Iarnród Éireann and Dublin Port Company
Written by Deirdre Kinahan
Directed by Maisie Lee
Lighting & Set: Zia Bergin-Holly
Music & Sound: Denis Clohessy
Produced by Eva Scanlan
Bastard Amber
Liz Roche Company
Choreography and concept: Liz Roche
Set Design: Paul Wills
Lighting Design: Lee Curran
Music Composition: Ray Harman
Co-commissioned by the Abbey Theatre, Dublin Dance Festival and Kilkenny Arts Festival the work’s premiere at Dublin Dance Festival in May 2015 was the first time ever for an Irish choreographer to be commissioned to create a full length dance work for the main stage of Ireland’s National Theatre.
The Threepenny Opera
Gate Theatre, Dublin
Director: Wayne Jordan
Music Director: Cathal Synnott
Set Design: Ciarán O'Melia
Lighting Designer: Simon Mills
Choreographer: Philip Connaughton
The Return of Ulysses
Opera Collective Ireland/Kilkenny Arts Festival
Conductor: Christian Curnyn
Director: Patrick Mason
Set & Lighting Design: Paul Keogan
‘… a Ulysses to remember, which is unlikely to be equalled on these shores for some time’ ★★★★★ Financial Times
‘The musical equivalent of the world’s best chef using just a clutch of the finest ingredients’ The Irish Times
‘A multiplicity of elements that made for a rare and memorable night of music and drama’ ★★★★ Irish Examiner
Tundra
Emma Martin Dance Company
Dublin Dance Festival/Samuel Beckett Theatre
Created by Emma Martin
Producer: Jen Coppinger
Lighting: Sarah Ann Shiels
Set: Sarah Jane Shiels & Emma Martin
Music and live performance: Nick Roth, Francesco Turrisi, Olesya Zdorovetska, Oleg Ponomarev
Performed by and created in collaboration with: Neil Brown, Justine Cooper, Oona Doherty, Simon Jaymes Humphrey, Raymond Keane.
Photography: Luca Truffarelli and Ros Kavanagh