Joan O’Clery is an established, award winning Costume Designer and trained seamstress.

She has recently designed costumes for two feature films: Conor McDermott Roe’s Swansong and Snap by Carmel Winters both for Samson Films.

Joan has twice been awarded Costume Designer of the Year by the Irish Times Theatre Awards, for The Pinter Festival at the Gate Theatre Dublin 1997 and for a commedia de l’arte production of Lolita at The Peacock Theatre in 2002. She received two further nominations, Kevin’s Bed for The Abbey Theatre in 1998, and The Wake, also for the Abbey in 2001.

In Theatre, she has designed the costumes for The Last Days Of The Reluctant Tyrant and Christ Deliver Us both at the Abbey Theatre; The Taming of the Shrew for the Royal Shakespeare Company in May 2008 and La Traviata for the English National Opera at the London Coliseum.

In 2007 her work was seen on the Abbey Theatre Stage, Dublin, in The Big House in Belfast Waterfront Hall, for Scenes From The Big Picture and a sell out production of Macbeth for the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon. Joan also designed the costumes for the Opera Ireland Winter Season productions of Dead Man Walking and Turandot. A Number by Caryl Churchill opened at the Peacock Theatre Dublin, Feb ’07.

Joan has enjoyed a long association with The Abbey Theatre, Dublin, both as Head of Costume Dept, and as Costume Designer for numerous productions there, including World Premiers by major writers including Seamus Heaney, Brian Friel, Tom Murphy, and Frank McGuinness, and has also worked with many acclaimed directors including Joe Dowling, Robin le Fevre, Conall Morrisson,
John McColgan, Laszlo Martin, Lorraine Pintal and Karel Reisz among many others.

Notable productions for The Abbey include HAMLET, A DOLL’S HOUSE, THE DANDY DOLLS, THE SHAUGHRAUN (also West End), an all-male version of THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST, THE TEMPEST, A WHISTLE IN THE DARK, THE BURIAL AT THEBES,
THE WILD DUCK and THE COLLEEN BAWN, which transferred to The Royal National Theatre’s Lyttleton Stage.

Outside of The Abbey, notable work includes contemporary dance pieces THE RITE OF SPRING, TOUPEES AND SNAREDRUMS and SWEPT for Cois Ceim Dance Theatre, PEER GYNT for The Royal National Theatre Olivier Stage, London, and COPENHAGEN and the award winning THE SUGAR WIFE (Dublin and London) for Rough Magic Theatre Company.

In 2006/7 Joan Costumed the dramatized sections of Cathal Black’s IFTA nominated documentary THE UNDERTAKING for Littlebird films and a short film BRIXTON BOB by Devin John Doyle for Fastnet Films. She has also created stage clothing for U2’s Bono.

A full portfolio is available on request. Please click here to visit her website for examples of her work.