Molly lands her first paid role as a costume designer

July was a big month for Molly at Middle Child, first Fresh Ink Festival finally happened after all the build-up, then came the kind of news she's been waiting her whole life for.

Fresh Ink Festival

Molly's July started with Fresh Ink actually arriving after months of preparation. She made sure everyone's schedules were correct, sourced decor, food and drink for the launch party, and helped set up the spaces ahead of the festival, including making pin badges for the writers and actors taking part.

Across the festival days, she kept things running behind the scenes: cleaning and resetting spaces between talks, making sure there were enough chairs set up in the right places, and keeping everyone stocked with hot and cold water, tea, coffee and biscuits. During the talks and workshops themselves, she typed up reports and feedback from previous shows to keep everything current, then handed out feedback forms afterwards so audiences could share their thoughts. Once the festival wrapped, she helped clean up the space and pack everything down.

A dream job, made real

Alongside all of that, Molly was offered the role of Costume and Props Designer for Middle Child's next four upcoming short plays. It's her first ever credited and paid role as a costume designer, with full responsibility for design, resourcing clothing, and handling budgets.

It's a role she's wanted since she was little, and getting there hasn't come out of nowhere. It's the direct result of a year spent learning the ropes on someone else's production, in her own words, this was the highlight of an already strong month:

"I think the highlight of the month was the Fresh Ink festival finally happening and getting to see everything go to plan and run smoothly. It was also such a great opportunity for me to see lots of new writing all in one place. I think getting my first role as costume and prop designer is also a huge highlight as that is what I've wanted to do for as long as I can remember."

There have been no real barriers this month, just the usual balancing act between college work and an increasingly full plate, one she's managing well. With Fresh Ink behind her and a proper design credit ahead, Molly's apprenticeship has just levelled up.