Institute of Art Design + Technology Dún Laoghaire
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Em Mc Loughlin 

Design for Stage + Screen

Em McLoughlin is a Dublin based Costume Designer with a passion for bringing characters to life on the stage or screen via interesting and impactful costuming. They hold a degree in Costume Design for Stage and Screen from IADT which has allowed them to gain invaluable experience participating in all aspects of the research, design, and making process for costumes, as well as working on various sets. The skills gained from these experiences will stand to them as they go forward into the industry, and allow them to bring characters to life.

Costume for "We're in The Money" from 'Gold Diggers of 1933'. Photography by Sarah Lordan.
Side view of costume for "We're in The Money" from 'Gold Diggers of 1933'.
Back view of costume for "We're in The Money" from 'Gold Diggers of 1933'.
Front view of costume for "We're in The Money" from 'Gold Diggers of 1933'.
Cinderella's dress for the RIAM opera 2024 "Cendrillon." Made from satin and stardust tulle.
Cinderella's dress in motion.
Photo taken at the performance of the RIAM opera 'Cendrillon', featuring Cinderella's transformation for the ball. Photograph courtesy of RIAM
Photo taken at the performance of the RIAM opera "Cendrillon", featuring the entire ensemble of characters. Photograph courtesy of RIAM.
Pushing Boundaries Project, this piece was inspired by one Richard Sweeney's paper sculptures. Made from hand pleated calico.
Front view of Pushing Boundaries piece.
Gold Diggers of 1933

For their Final Project, Em chose to design for the film Gold Diggers of 1933, a film about three out-of-work showgirls living together in New York City during the Great Depression, who get involved with a runaway millionaire and his family’s affairs. They chose this film as it features a range of strong female characters as well as impactful musical numbers directed by Bugsy Berkley.
The setting of the film was changed from New York City to Moscow in the same era as this allowed for the themes of classism within the piece to be reimagined in a unique and interesting way.
The technical make was for Carol in the opening number of the film “We’re in The Money”, this design was chosen as it encapsulates everything that a “gold digger” is, and works as a contrast point of the idea of a showgirl versus the reality of the time.


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The Spaces of Performance Created by Contemporary Irish Artists

This dissertation examines of how a variety of contemporary Irish Performance Artists use space in their works and how the space chosen for a performance affects both the audience and the artists’ vision of the piece. This was accomplished by attending a variety of performances by several Irish artists, in order to personally witness the different ways these artists set up their spaces, so that I had a first-hand experience as an audience member.
The research is split into the categories of performance art in a public space, in an installation space, and through film and media, as they encapsulate the design decisions an artist may have when choosing where their piece would be best performed. These spaces can be used in a variety of ways to enhance the performance, and each draw a different audience, which changes the perception of the piece.
Through this dissertation I seek to examine how important of a factor the use of space is within the realm of performance art and the many different ways an artist may choose to wield this space to further embody their work and evoke certain reactions from the audience, as well as the different types of audiences that these spaces may attract. It also serves to investigate how performance art has evolved over time and how performance artists have used the expanded opportunity of spaces available to them overtime to their advantage in order to get the most of the space in which they choose to perform.


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Costume Design
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