THISISPOPBABY is a theatre and events production company that rips up the space between popular culture, counter culture, queer culture and high art.

Multi-award winning designer Niall Sweeney is joined by THISISPOPBABY co-Director Jennifer Jennings to tell the tale of the decade-long collaboration with these Irish theatre renegades.

From the fields of Electric Picnic and the belly of the Abbey Theatre to touring the world with international smash-hit RIOT-incorporating giant inflatable babies, protests over Pope posters, high heels in low places, gold medal-winning seagulls, and more – How to Make A Popbaby illustrates how Niall’s design has been fundamental to THISISPOPBABY’s story.


Niall Sweeney, Pony Ltd.
THISISPOPBABY associate artist, designer and art director.

Niall was part of a ground-breaking collective that emerged in Dublin during the 1990s, forging cross-disciplinary projects in art, technology, activism and nightclubbing. In 2000 he founded Pony Ltd in London with Sheffield-born designer and electronic musician, Nigel Truswell. With that same cross-disciplinary outlook, the award-winning studio produces work internationally — in print, theatre, film, performance, installation, music, publishing and writing. Niall has been collaborating with THISISPOPBABY since her very beginnings — creating golden nightclubs, sonic boat trips around the solar system, one giant inflatable baby and the ecstasy of tomorrow!


Jennifer Jennings
THISISPOPBABY co-director.

Jennifer Jennings is co-Director of pop culture outfit THISISPOPBABY, best known for international smash-hit show RIOT, electro-pop musical Alice in Funderland, the Where We Live programme around St Patrick’s Festival and their notorious POPTENT arena at Electric Picnic from 2008-2010. Jennifer has previously been Arts Director of Neon Lights Festival (Singapore), Arts Programme Director of Harvest Festival (Australia), Programme Director for Dublin Fringe Festival and Marketing Director for the Festival of World Cultures.