Jake Smart is a set and costume designer, theatre collaborator and art director. Based in London, Jake has worked across the UK and internationally. Most recent credits include Jake’s Polish debut, as set designer for ‘Bitwa o Tron’ at the Syrena Theatre, Warsaw and as art director for short film, ‘NN’ by Marta Muszynska.

During the pandemic, Jake spent two years based in Warsaw, Poland. Now primarily based once again in London, Jake continues to work closely with the theatre and film industries in Poland. 

With a background in both Fine Art and Theatre Studies, my love of theatre design was born organically, eventually combining the two practices on the Theatre Design course at Wimbledon College of Arts (UAL) from I graduated with a first class degree.
In my practice, I strive to create sets that spring to life when inhabited, revealing pockets of detail that add deeper perspective, even if just to a few members of the audience who catch them. I like theatre that primarily provokes and challenges expectations and presents new ideas and perspectives. There is no other medium I believe like live theatre that is able to achieve such results and with such power.
2019 was a busy year for me, designing (and building!) my first large scale design, Private Lives at The Questor’s Theatre, working on the Pendley Shakespeare Festival as well as building my portfolio and connections in a variety of fringe theatres across London. The pandemic inevitably slowed things down a little during which time I was based and working in Warsaw. Coming out the other side of the pandemic, I designed my Polish debut, Bitwa o Tron on Poland’s second largest musical theatre stage which won Best Musical at the National Theatre Awards, Poland, 2021.
I am now back in London to re-establish links and connections in the most exciting theatre capital in the world.

Currently Showing

Bitwa o Tron directed by Jacek Mikołajczyk (Teatr Syrena, Warsaw)

University of the Arts London BA Theatre and Screen - Theatre Design (First Class Honours, 2018)

Creative Alliance Education CAD for Backstage Theatre Course (2023)

Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama MA Design for Performance (Starting Sep 2025)

Education and Training

April in Paris directed by Leigh White (Little Theatre, Leicester, 2024)

Bitwa o Tron directed by Jacek Mikołajczyk (Teatr Syrena, Warsaw, 2022)

Othello directed by Jan Orszulak (University of Gdansk, 2022)

Series of Gameshows produced for Stuart Burton and TEAM X (Youtube, 2021)

Private Lives directed by Francesca Mcinally (Questors Theatre, 2019)

As You Like It directed by Shayde Sin’Claire (The Cockpit, 2019)

The Half Moon Shania directed by Hannah Benson (The Vaults Festival, 2019)

Set Design

The VR Diary of Attica Lehane directed by Sophie Flack (Drama Studio Sheffield, 2023)

Lust and Lies: Repeat directed by Don Allen (English Touring Theatre Company Poland)

Leaving directed by Emma Baggott (The Bunker, 2019)

The Interview directed by Emma Baggott (The Biscuit Factory, 2018)

Dreamland directed by Samuel Edmunds (Zoo Venues Southside, Ed Fringe, 2018)

The Half Moon Shania directed by Hannah Benson (Zoo Venues Southside, Ed Fringe, 2018)

Acknowledgements directed by Molly Byrne-Shore (Corbett Theatre, 2018)

Set and Costume Design

Assisting

Morgan Large Draughtsperson (For Sunset Boulevard Australia + Chitty Chatty Bang Bang UK Tour, 2024)

Basia Binkowska Draughtsperson + Model Maker (For Die Fledermaus, Stuttgart 2024)

Grace Smart Set Design Assistant (For Spring Offensive, 2017)

Lucy Algar Set Design Assistant (For The Invisible Effect, 2028)

Es Devlin Studio Model Maker (Various - One Week Placement)

Rebecca Erratt Set Design Assistant (For Merry Wives of Windsor and Macbeth - Pendley Shakespeare Festival, 2019)

NN directed by Marta Muszynska (a short film, 2022)

Art/Creative Direction