Do You Come From Gomorrah? Assistant Set Designer Application Form

Open Call for an Assistant Set Designer on

Do You Come From Gomorrah? 

by Frank McGuinness

Directed by Sarah Baxter

Set and Costume Design by Alyson Cummins

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The Abbey Theatre's world premiere production of Do You Come From Gomorrah? by Frank McGuinness and directed by Sarah Baxter will be performed on the Peacock Stage from 10th April to 9th May 2026.

The Abbey Theatre seeks an emerging Set Designer to assist the Set and Costume Designer, Alyson Cummins, on the production. The Assistant will work with the designer to support and deliver the set design. 

The role is an opportunity for an emerging Set Designer who has recently graduated or is in the early stages of their career, to gain further understanding of the process of creating and realising designs for theatre.

The Assistant will have the opportunity to support and assist Alyson, whilst engaging with the various in-house departments of the Abbey Theatre. The successful applicant will be responsible for supporting the design, technical rehearsal and preview process.

This position aims to create a development pathway for a designer, who is in the early stages of their career, to gain experience through working as an assistant to an established designer on an Abbey Theatre production.

The full creative team are:

·         Playwright: Frank McGuinness

·         Director: Sarah Baxter

·         Set and Costume Designer: Alyson Cummins

·         Lighting Designer: Sinéad McKenna

·         Composer: Tom Lane

·         Sound Designer: Martha Knight

The Position

Please note this position will start at the beginning of February and conclude on 17th April 2026.

Across a 3-month period, the Assistant Set Designer will work with Alyson Cummins on the production and learn how she interacts and communicates with technical departments and the creative team to achieve her design.

The position will begin with occasional interactions with Alyson, and with the Abbey personnel, in February and March, during early rehearsals and during the set building stage. The majority of the work will take place between 30th March and 16th April, when the assistant is expected to be fully available to participate in the technical rehearsal and preview process at the Abbey Theatre.

The Selected Candidate

The successful candidate will have the following:

• Must be fully available 30th March – 16th April 2026. 
• Experience as a Set Designer on productions inside and outside of an academic setting, and a strong motivation to develop their craft.
• The ability to communicate reliably and thoughtfully with the designer (remotely and in person) and with the team at the Abbey Theatre, both in conversation and through design paperwork, answering emails promptly and communicating clearly about schedules.
• Experience of working in a rehearsal environment, the ability to work courteously and clearly with all members of the in-house departments, and the ability to deal with challenging situations in a professional manner.
• An interest and enthusiasm for solving design problems and the desire to be mentored in the development of craft and communication skills by both the designer and the in-house team.

 

Application Details: 

• Please provide your portfolio as part of your application. This can be shared via the below application. For larger files this can be facilitated by link via sharing platforms such as WeTransfer, Google Docs etc.
• Please include contact details for two professional referees in your application.
  The closing date for applications is 12th January 2026, interviews will take place the week of 19th January 2026.
• This is a paid role with a remuneration of €3,000. Payments will be made in two instalments, via invoice.
  Any issues with the form or uploading items, please contact: aoife.mccollum@abbeytheatre.ie