Screen or Live Performance Designer

A screen or live performance designer creates and realises the visual and spatial concepts for theatrical, dance, music, film, or television productions in Australian venues and broadcast settings. They translate creative briefs and directorial vision into detailed production designs, managing budgets, liaising with construction and technical teams, and ensuring designs meet safety standards and production timelines.

Develop conceptual design proposals and mood boards in response to director or producer briefs for theatrical, dance, film or television productions. Create technical drawings, floor plans and 3D visualisations using design software such as SketchUp, AutoCAD or specialised theatre design tools. Establish colour palettes, lighting schemes and material selections that support narrative and aesthetic vision. Manage design budgets and cost estimates, obtaining quotes from suppliers and construction contractors. Liaise with stage managers, technical directors and construction teams to ensure designs are buildable and meet production schedules. Conduct site surveys and technical assessments of venues to understand spatial constraints, load-bearing capacity and available technical infrastructure. Prepare design documentation including scaled drawings, material specifications and construction schedules for handover to build teams. Attend production meetings and provide design revisions based on feedback from directors, producers and other creative stakeholders.

The standard entry pathway requires a bachelor degree or higher (ABS Skill Level 1). Specific qualification requirements vary by employer and state. Some employers may accept equivalent experience. Check yourcareer.gov.au for available courses and dewr.gov.au/skills-reform/free-tafe for subsidised training options.

Work is project-based and irregular, so income is unpredictable. You'll have feast-or-famine periods between productions. Rates vary wildly depending on venue size and budget. Many designers work part-time or take other jobs to steady their income. You also need serious software skills (CAD, SketchUp, 3D rendering) that take time to build, and tight production timelines mean stressful problem-solving under pressure.

Reality is: major productions happen in cities; regional work is sparse and seasonal. Some remote design work exists, but you typically need to be on-site during build and technical rehearsals.

Published for ANZSCO unit group 2123, the wider group this job sits in, not for this job on its own.

This is the median for full-time employees who are not managers and are paid at the adult rate, before tax and salary sacrifice. It is a guide to what the work pays, not a wage rate.

Source: ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.

• Adapt designers’ work to the performance venuecore
• Adapt to artists' creative demandscore
• Adaptability and Flexibilitycore
• Attention to Detailcore
• Coordinate technical teams in artistic productionscore
• Coordinate with creative departmentscore
• Digital Literacycore
• Negotiationcore
• Organise rehearsalscore
• Problem Solvingcore
• Promote health and safetycore
• Research and Analysiscore
• Stakeholder Communicationcore
• Team Collaborationcore
• Theatre techniquescore
• Time Management and Prioritisationcore
• Verbal Communicationcore
• Workload Self-Managementcore
• Write risk assessment on performing arts productioncore
• Written Communicationcore
• Continuous Learning and Upskilling
• Coordinate charity services
• Correspondence Drafting
• Cultural Awareness and Sensitivity
• Engage artistic staff
• Entertainment industry
• Fine arts
• Goal Setting and Planning
• Invoicing and Billing Administration
• Manage creative department
• Microsoft Office Suite Proficiency
• Music and video industry
• Negotiate health and safety issues with third parties
• Organise creative performance
• Philanthropy
• Process Documentation
• Represent artistic production
• Risk Identification
• Supervise art gallery staff
• Supplier Communication
• Write technical riders

• ABS OSCA 2024, occupation definition and task statements
• ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.
• ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on usual place of residence (Custom Report). OSCA Experimental Estimates.

Role data is drawn from official Australian Government sources, and each figure names where it comes from. Where a role is not in the ABS classification, the page shows no government figures for it. Data may not reflect every local variation.

Where our numbers come from.

Last updated: 30 October 2026