Set and costume design career case study: Peter Butler

When I think back to the shows that ignited my love for theatre, I land on a handful of productions that I can still recall with detail. Of course, I can remember some standout performances from actors, but what stays with me year after year is the impact of set design and its potential to transport an audience.

As an A Level Drama student in 2014, the National Theatre's production of A Small Family Business blew me away. A life-sized replica of a detached house sat in the centre of the Olivier Stage's famous revolve, sliced open on one side so you could see the actions of the family inside. In the same year, the immersive set of Punchdrunk's The Drowned Man made the impossible possible, with a large room full of sand on the top story of a warehouse in central London, alongside a makeshift saloon, 60s television studio and a labyrinth of dimly lit green-tiled dining rooms.