Set and Costume Designer

**Role Introduction**:
The Set and Costume Designer (Designer from hereon) works alongside the team of theatre professionals to provide at least ten productions within the academic year as part of a fully programmed season. The Designer will take full design responsibility for the set and costume design for at least four of these productions and will assist on all other productions. This role is key in effectively delivering the artistic and creative teams’ vision to the stage. It entails detailed collaboration with directors, colleagues and students, working on a wide range of plays and styles, in a variety of performance spaces. The ability to lead, develop and enthuse a team of students, to remain calm and focused under pressure, to meet deadlines and have flair and a creative approach to design is essential.

The Designer will work alongside another Designer and the Assistant Designer in a collegiate way assisting on all productions that are produced by the theatre. The Designer will offer scenic, construction, costume, wig and make up support where required.

The Designer will act as a joint mentor to an Assistant Designer, supervising their work on a day-to-day basis and offering them support and guidance.

We are aware the breadth of the skills set out in this role profile are wide-ranging and that you might not currently meet all of them, but professional development opportunities will be available to upskill in the relevant areas.

**Main Duties**:

- Designing the set and costumes for allocated productions in the Main House Theatre, Caccia Studio and other spaces across the school;
- Identifying any extra support required with set and/or costume construction and wigs and make up for productions and working with the Production Manager and Director of Drama to source that support;
- Assisting on all productions produced by the theatre;
- Working within production budgets;
- Meeting production deadlines;
- Advising on the design for productions in other College venues including but not limited to Independent plays and curricular drama productions;
- Co-ordinating the student led Stage Management and Wardrobe teams on productions, alongside the rest of the theatre team;
- Motivating, guiding and working with students by providing opportunities for them to upskill in areas such as painting techniques, costume alterations and stage management of shows;
- Supervising students working in the theatre spaces and other College venues used for performance;
- Maintaining and encouraging good housekeeping practices throughout the theatres, including wardrobe, make up, green room and dressing rooms, prop & furniture stores, workshop and paint areas along with the rest of the creative team;
- Assisting with fit-ups and get outs as part of the theatre team;
- Supervising the work of the Assistant Designer on a day-to-day basis, and overseeing their design work on the productions where they act as the lead designer;
- Maintaining excellent working relationships with all staff across the theatre;
- Offering pastoral support for any student teams you work with;
- Supporting the Head of Theatre Studies in a non-teaching capacity in the delivery of the academic programme;
- Undertaking any other reasonable task as requested to ensure the effective running of the theatre;
- Where required, undertake regulated activity, such as unsupervised contact with students, ensuring that safeguarding procedures are followed and providing safe and effective care at all times;
- Good understanding and effective implementation of Child Protection procedures;
- Commitment and promotion of equality, diversity & inclusion;
- Commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of students, including but not limited to, completing safeguarding training as required, and ensuring any safeguarding updates issued by the College are read and understood;
- Understand and comply with procedures and legislation relating to confidentiality.

**Please refer to the attached job description for the full list of responsibilities.**

To be successful in this role, you will need to be able to demonstrate the following:

- Relevant hands-on professional theatre experience with a creative, resourceful and stimulating approach to design;
- Good working knowledge and experience of producing scaled plans and technical drawings using design-related software;
- Experience of designing, producing and painting sets and props. If you also have experience of prop and furniture sourcing and providing design advice then this would be particularly advantageous;
- Traditional fine arts skills of sketching, rendering, and painting. Also, ideally be well versed in techniques such as marbling, ragging, and wood graining and texturing, and should have a good understanding of art history, period styles, motifs and architecture;
- Experience of making sets;
- Proficient sewing/alteration skills for making/altering costumes;
- A working knowledge of sewing machines, overlo