Loading
Set designers create the worlds a story unfolds in for theater, film, and events — a creative, spatial craft where a portfolio and credits, not a degree, get you hired. Here's the roadmap, with where to learn in Arizona and the local stages that build credits.
Where to learn in Arizona
Build drafting and model-making through ASU's theatre and design programs or a Maricopa college, and learn by designing or assisting on student, community, and small productions. Arizona has working stages to get real reps on.
Credentials in Arizona
There's no license for set design in Arizona — your portfolio of designs, renderings, and models, plus credits, are the credential. For bigger productions, designers join the union (USA829).
Where the Arizona work is
Arizona's theater and live-event scene — Arizona Theatre Company, the Phoenix Theatre Company, Ballet Arizona, Arizona Opera, and ASU productions, plus corporate events and trade shows at the Phoenix Convention Center and themed environments — gives set designers real credits. Assisting in the art department is the usual way in.
Ready to start? Browse live Arizona opportunities — apprenticeships, training programs, and scholarships across the state.
Your portfolio and credits are the credential — assisting is how you break in
Set design rewards a strong eye and a buildable vision, not just a diploma. Learn drafting, model-making, and how a set serves a story, and design or assist on small productions to build a portfolio. Credits, relationships, and eventually joining the union are what open the door to bigger theater, film, and event work.
Keep going: see whether an art degree is worth it, compare becoming a prop maker, and check if it will pay off.