Theatre designer Grace Smart has been thinking a lot about the relentless pursuit of ‘better’. Are all those minute changes worth it, or are they just annoying?

Designer Grace Smart has been thinking a lot about problem solving, and how theatremakers often go to an extreme, slightly bizarre place in order to find a solution

“You probably want to get into film, don’t you?”, people ask designer Grace Smart. But her answer is always no. She says theatre provides an outlet for expression that the silver screen does not

The slow reveal of a set design’s concept is an ephemeral moment of wonder, says Grace Smart

What happens to women in theatre design when they are repeatedly told they’re in the room for PR ballast or because someone fancies them? Set designer Grace Smart says she’s tired of having to navigate so many misogynistic obstacles

For the first time ever, designer Grace Smart is in the rehearsal room every day and the experience has been revelatory, both creatively and from a work-life balance.More shows should put designers in the room where it happens, she says.

Faced with a ’minefield of double red lines’, everyone connected to the theatre probably feels in need of a bit of praise right now, says designer Grace Smart

Be more chipper? While going back to work has been a revitalising experience, it’s been hard to retain a ’before Covid-era’ spark, says designer Grace Smart

Design work isn’t dispensable depending on budget demands, says designer Grace Smart

Theatre design is like Married at First Sight, says Grace Smart. You don’t want to show up at a venue, look down that central aisle and realise there’s been a huge mistake

The fusion of art and craft is theatre’s great strength, says Grace Smart, so why do we think there’s some kind of contradiction between being creative and technical?

With stepping-stone spaces such as Trafalgar Studios 2 closing, it will become harder for young talent to break through, says designer Grace Smart. And turning to found spaces won’t solve the underdog issue

The aesthetic concept of the sublime loomed large in 2020, says set designer Grace Smart, as everything felt huge and frightening, but at some point we’ll return to the delectable version of the sublime that exists in theatre

Who we are, what we worked so hard to be and the art we create isn’t being erased – it’s being solidified and bolstered. Creatives have proven their mettle this year, says Grace Smart

As designers return to their model boxes and theatre makes moves to return, Grace Smart says the only way to fix its peeling paint is to put people first