Ailsa completed the Bachelor of Dramatic Art in Design (NIDA) in 2003. She has worked extensively as a set and costume designers in theatre, opera, dance, film and TV. Design credits for Slingsby include Ode to Nonsense, Mouse, Bird and Sausage, Emil and the Detectives, You, Me and the Bloody Sea and Songs for Those Who’ve Come Across the Seas. Ailsa was the Resident Designer for the State Theatre Company of SA in 2019. Recent credits for the State Theatre Company of SA include Ripcord, Gaslight, Jasper Jones, The 39 Steps, End of the Rainbow and Pride and Prejudice.