Meet Orla Long | Irish Costume Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Orla Long and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Orla, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I think every one of us is creative, it’s intrinsic to being human. To be able to be a storyteller as a career is a great privilege that I have an entire community of people to thank for. I pursued costume design while studying a BA in Drama and French at Trinity College, Dublin and fell in love with the process. Reading a script or collaborating on a devised piece of theatre, trying to dig deep and figure out who all the characters are, discovering and playing with what they wear and how they might wear it, coming up with a design and THEN handing it over to the individual actor in fittings and the rehearsal room collaborating on the final look of this person while keeping the entire visual of all the bodies on stage in balance. It’s a psychological gold mine and for me – a creative process that demands deep empathy for the human condition.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
There’s a sense of joy and deep curiosity I try to bring to my work always. My creativity as a costume designer starts with people – every human that has ever existed or will exist is on my list to figure out. Their desires, impulses, personality traits, how external factors influence their very being. No stone can be left unturned if I’m to truly understand a character in a story before I can begin to even think about what clothes they might be wearing and why. I’m very proud of the new musical ‘The Butcher Boy’, based on the novel by Patrick McCabe that premiered at The Irish Repertory Theatre, NY this summer. To work on such a vibrant, thrilling production with a truly collaborative and considerate cast and creative team mere weeks after graduating from NYU was a deeply moving experience.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I live in Brooklyn so prospect park is always going to be a favorite for me. Walking through there on a crisp early morning and taking a stroll through the dog park during off leash hours is my idea of bliss. I’m not fussy about my coffee so a $2 deli coffee is the icing on the cake.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are so many people to extend my deepest gratitude to. I’m beyond lucky to have a community of family and friends that stretch far and wide who support me without fail. To the friends I made in my hometown Baltinglass, the deep connections made from my time at Trininty College, the many friends and mentors from freelancing in Ireland, the hundreds of people who contributed to my gofundme so I could cross the pond and study at NYU, the artists and newfound friends I now have from my time at NYU, the creatives I’ve had the pleasure of collaborating with since graduating from the MFA and of course my family who’ve done nothing but encourage me to pursue my dreams.

Website: www.orlalong.com

Instagram: orlalong1

Image Credits
Headshot – Maria Baranova-Suzuki Butcher Boy production shot – Carol Rosegg In the blood production shot – Ella Bromblin