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The Beauty Queen of Leenane at fortyfivedownstairs. In the weathered, forced-perspective kitchen, Noni Hazlehurst as Mag sits in her armchair in a cardigan and red skirt while Michala Banas as Maureen stands in a brown knitted turtleneck.
The Beauty Queen of Leenane at fortyfivedownstairs. In the weathered, forced-perspective kitchen, Noni Hazlehurst as Mag sits in her armchair in a cardigan and red skirt while Michala Banas as Maureen stands in a brown knitted turtleneck.

The Beauty Queen of Leenane

The Beauty Queen of Leenane

by Martin McDonagh

by Martin McDonagh

Set in the bleak, unforgiving hills of Connemara, Ireland, Martin McDonagh's "The Beauty Queen of Leenane" is a darkly comedic exploration of the dysfunctional relationship between Maureen Folan, a lonely and embittered woman in her early forties, and her manipulative, aging mother, Mag. As Maureen's chance at love and escape emerges, the play delves into the depths of familial resentment, desperation, and the devastating consequences of unfulfilled dreams.

Starring beloved Australian actors Noni Hazlehurst and Michala Banas, the costume design transformed these recognisable television personalities into the bleakly ordinary, distinctly 1990s characters. The set design sought to emphasise the hothouse-like claustrophobia between mother and daughter, with a forced perspective interior placed on a diagonal, thrusting out into the audience and emerging from a watercolor backdrop of peat-stained fog. This visceral and immersive environment drew the audience into the characters' suffocating world, underscoring the play's themes of isolation and familial dysfunction.

Presented as one installment of The Leenane Trilogy, a repertory season of all three Martin McDonagh Leenane plays at fortyfivedownstairs, the set featured a revolving show deck and modular flattage that could be reconfigured into distinctive and bespoke configurations for each play with an economy of time. This adaptable design allowed for seamless transitions between the plays during the ambitious 7+ hour-long event on Sundays, when all three plays were presented back-to-back, showcasing the ingenuity and practicality of the design in service of the trilogy's unique presentation format.

Role

Set & Costume Designer

Producer

Kin Collective

Venue

Fortyfive Downstairs

Collaborators

Director: Declan Eames
Lighting Designer: Kris Chainey
Sound Designer: Nick McCorriston
Design Assistant: Alexandra Hiller
Set Construction: Samuel O'Donnell, Colin Orchard

Photography: Lachlan Woods

Set model for The Beauty Queen of Leenane: a forced-perspective kitchen set on the diagonal, with stove, armchair and dresser, beneath a torn watercolour backdrop of peat-stained fog.
Set model for The Beauty Queen of Leenane: a forced-perspective kitchen set on the diagonal, with stove, armchair and dresser, beneath a torn watercolour backdrop of peat-stained fog.
Michala Banas as Maureen, in a brown patterned turtleneck and jeans, leans over Noni Hazlehurst as Mag, who holds out her reddened hands from her armchair.
Michala Banas as Maureen, in a brown patterned turtleneck and jeans, leans over Noni Hazlehurst as Mag, who holds out her reddened hands from her armchair.
Noni Hazlehurst as Mag clutches her throat in her armchair, in a knitted cardigan, red skirt and slippers, a portable television in the foreground.
Noni Hazlehurst as Mag clutches her throat in her armchair, in a knitted cardigan, red skirt and slippers, a portable television in the foreground.
Linc Hasler as Pato Dooley, in a striped shirt and jeans, sits at the kitchen table as Michala Banas as Maureen, in a black dress, leans in close beneath a crucifix.
Linc Hasler as Pato Dooley, in a striped shirt and jeans, sits at the kitchen table as Michala Banas as Maureen, in a black dress, leans in close beneath a crucifix.
Noni Hazlehurst as Mag weeps in her armchair, mug in hand, as Michala Banas as Maureen, in a patterned grey jumper, leans in beside a dresser of blue-and-white plates.
Noni Hazlehurst as Mag weeps in her armchair, mug in hand, as Michala Banas as Maureen, in a patterned grey jumper, leans in beside a dresser of blue-and-white plates.
Linc Hasler as Pato Dooley, in a brown suede jacket, gestures across the empty armchair while Michala Banas as Maureen, in a black dress, gathers a coat by the door.
Linc Hasler as Pato Dooley, in a brown suede jacket, gestures across the empty armchair while Michala Banas as Maureen, in a black dress, gathers a coat by the door.
Michala Banas as Maureen, in a grey diamond-knit jumper, glances sideways from the kitchen table and a packet of Kimberley biscuits, with Mag out of focus in the foreground.
Michala Banas as Maureen, in a grey diamond-knit jumper, glances sideways from the kitchen table and a packet of Kimberley biscuits, with Mag out of focus in the foreground.
The full kitchen set: Linc Hasler as Pato at the table, Noni Hazlehurst as Mag in a pink nightdress in her armchair, and Michala Banas as Maureen in a white bra and slip by the range.
The full kitchen set: Linc Hasler as Pato at the table, Noni Hazlehurst as Mag in a pink nightdress in her armchair, and Michala Banas as Maureen in a white bra and slip by the range.
Dylan Watson as Ray Dooley, in a black Kappa track top and a Manchester United cap, rests his cheek on his hand at the kitchen table.
Dylan Watson as Ray Dooley, in a black Kappa track top and a Manchester United cap, rests his cheek on his hand at the kitchen table.

Reviews

"A masterful domestic interior, in which the minutiae of daily life plays against the distressed aesthetic of decay, rain and cold."
– Australian Stage

"Fantastic, gritty and lived in."
– Time Out

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Occasional notes on new work and whatever else has caught my eye.

© Casey Harper-Wood 2026

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Colophon

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I acknowledge the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation, the traditional custodians of the unceded land on which I work. I pay my respects to Elders, past and present, and acknowledge their connection to creativity, culture and storytelling. Sovereignty has never been ceded.

Casey Harper-Wood

Subscribe to my newsletter

Occasional notes on new work and whatever else has caught my eye.

© Casey Harper-Wood 2026

|

Colophon

|

I acknowledge the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation, the traditional custodians of the unceded land on which I work. I pay my respects to Elders, past and present, and acknowledge their connection to creativity, culture and storytelling. Sovereignty has never been ceded.

Casey Harper-Wood

Subscribe to my newsletter

Occasional notes on new work and whatever else has caught my eye.

© Casey Harper-Wood 2026

|

Colophon

|

I acknowledge the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation, the traditional custodians of the unceded land on which I work. I pay my respects to Elders, past and present, and acknowledge their connection to creativity, culture and storytelling. Sovereignty has never been ceded.