Remember Romeo Internship: Costume and Production Assistant – Application Pack

Dec 2026

Thank you for your interest in imitating the dog

This application pack includes:

• Welcome letter from the team
• About imitating the dog
• Job specification
• Person specification
• imitating the dog’s commitment to diversity and inclusion
• Equality and diversity monitoring form
• How to apply and key dates

This application pack is available to download in large print here:

Large Print Version

If you would like to discuss any aspect of the role before you apply, please email Creative Engagement Manager Ben Mellor at ben@imitatingthedog.co.uk to arrange an informal conversation.

Hello and thank you for your interest in the ITD Internship, an opportunity for an early-career or emerging professional from an underrepresented background based in the North of England. 

We are excited to be offering this internship. We feel that it’s become harder than ever to be an emerging or early-career professional in the arts industry, and that many without the connections that come with experience, and sometimes with privilege, have really been struggling to start or stay working in this sector. 

imitating the dog offers formal and informal opportunities for developing artists to take part in and learn from our creative production processes. But we are aware that we need to do more to make these opportunities available to people beyond the usual routes and channels, and reach those who have for too long been underrepresented in the industry.

We hope that by offering this internship, and other development opportunities, we are playing our part in making the arts sector more inclusive, more diverse and a better place to work. We are still learning about how to do this effectively however, so if there is anything we are missing in making these sorts of offers more accessible and appealing to all, please let us know. 

We look forward to reading all of your applications and speaking to those we invite to interview.

The imitating the dog team.

About imitating the dog

Who we are

imitating the dog (ITD) has been creating and touring original and ground-breaking performance work for theatres and other spaces since 1998. 

Andrew Quick and Simon Wainwright are our Co-Artistic Directors, and alongside Associate Director Pete Brooks their creative work has built a company with a popular and critical reputation in the UK, Europe and internationally. 

imitating the dog is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation.

What we do 

Our work at ITD has been seen on stages (and screens) across the world, and we have made installations for outdoor festivals and events, seen by hundreds of thousands of people. 

We’re recognised for our originality, our exploration of screen and projection technologies in live performance, accessible site responsive work and collaborations with artists and organisations. 

We like to challenge audiences to see things from a new perspective – stories, theatre, the world around them. You can get a flavour of this in our Showreel.

Creative Learning is also at the heart of what we do. We enjoy testing and sharing creative processes and tech knowledge with students, practitioners and community groups through programmes, projects and toolkits – online, in schools, in venues, wherever. 

Working with Others 

We have created shows and pieces with Leeds Playhouse, National Theatre of Greece, Oldham Coliseum, Raisin and Willow, The Singapore Repertory Theatre, the Georgian National Theatre, The Dukes Lancaster, Marche Teatro, Italy and Pinwheel.

In 2022, our creative team worked alongside Parisian haute couture house Maison Margiela, and their creative director John Galliano, to create Cinema Inferno – a unique staging of their Artisanal Collection 2022 at Paris Haute Couture Week. The work was considered a groundbreaking hybrid of fashion and theatre. 

Our most recent works include our 2026 theatre tour War of the Worlds, live performance and drone show All Change, commissioned by S&DR200 Festival in March 2025, and Homeward – a large-scale outdoor video piece and trail of indoor installations, spectacularly projected on to the exterior and interiors of Selby Abbey, featuring characters designed and inspired by local residents.

Job Specification

The ITD Internship is a development opportunity for a person from an underrepresented background to work as a Costume & Production Assistant on imitating the dog’s radical new adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Remember Romeo, co-produced by The Dukes and supported by Lancaster Arts.

Who will you be working with? 

You will be working alongside a variety of people throughout the internship, but you will most often work with: 

• Abby Clarke, the Designer on Remember Romeo
• imitating the dog Co-Artistic Directors, Andrew Quick and Simon Wainwright, and Associate Director Pete Brooks
• The cast of Remember Romeo
• The technical creative team working on Remember Romeo
• Lancaster University staff working on the production 

What will you do while working with imitating the dog during the internship? 

Your main roles and responsibilities as a Costume & Production Assistant will include:

• Working closely with the Designer, Artistic Directors and the rest of the creative and production team
• Sourcing costumes prior to and during our pre-production filming week, under the guidance of the Designer
• Undertaking running duties where appropriate, including sourcing props as well as costumes
• Undertaking some stage management duties, including assisting the Stage Manager as required
• Where appropriate, assisting the technical team
• Attending some planning meetings, remotely
• Working safely and following health and safety requirements
• Letting us know as early as possible if your availability or plans change, and what support you need, so that we can help you do the job well

What is involved? 

• You will work remotely during the sourcing days before filming
• You will be based in Lancaster during the filming week. ITD will cover your travel costs, and accommodation in Lancaster if you need to stay away from home (details below). 
• You will help source costumes prior to filming and attend the filming week in December. ITD will provide upfront payment for costumes
• You will primarily work in costume, but also across other areas of design to assist the making of the pre-production film of Remember Romeo.
• As part of the internship you will have opportunities to experience and contribute to imitating the dog’s filming processes.
• You will be supported throughout your internship by Andrew Quick – ITD Co-Artistic Director, Abby Clarke – Remember Romeo Designer, and Ben Mellor – ITD Creative Engagement Manager.

Key Dates, Fees & Expenses

This is a full-time internship of around 15 working days (the equivalent of three weeks) before, during and after the Remember Romeo pre-production filming week. Exact days and dates will be agreed upon offer of contract but the key dates are: 

• Weeks beginning 30th November & 7th December (approx eight days total): Costume sourcing, prior to filming week.
• Week beginning 14th December (five days total): Costume supervision and production assistance during filming week. 
• Week beginning 21st December (approx two days): Manage costume returns.

The role is paid at the Real Living Wage rate of £504.38 per week, for a 37.5 hour week. For this engagement of three weeks the total fee will therefore be £1,513 (please note this is based on 2025-26 rates and will be updated with the new 2026-27 rates when they are released on 15th October). If you need to travel to fulfil the role, ITD will cover the costs of your travel, and the cost of accommodation in Lancaster if you need to stay away from home, as well as per diems for days worked away from home.

Person Specification

This opportunity is for an early-career or emerging arts professional based in the North of England, from an underrepresented background. We define ‘early-career’ as in the first 5 years of your professional practice (or about to start it), and ‘North’ using Arts Council England’s boundaries which can be found here.

By ‘underrepresented’ we mean a person who has been inadequately or insufficiently represented in, or supported by, the UK arts sector. This may be because of barriers arising from, for example, mental health issues, disability, long-term physical health issues or sensory impairment, learning disabilities, neurodivergence, addiction or recovery, being care-experienced, being from a low socio-economic background, identifying as LGBTQIA+, or identifying as Black, Asian, Gypsy, Roma and Traveller, mixed heritage or any other global majority background. You do not need to give us details or evidence: it is enough to tell us that you identify as underrepresented.

Minimum essential requirements

• You must be 18 years or older by the 1st of November 2026
• You must have the right to work in the UK
• There is a requirement to work flexibly which may include early mornings, evenings and weekends
• Be fully available for a total of three weeks (37.5 hrs p/w), including some Saturdays.

Desirable skills and experience – What are we looking for in this internship? 

• Some experience of working in theatre – this could include unpaid or voluntary placements, or experience in making theatre while studying
• Previous experience of at least one of the following: production assistance, stage management, costume and prop design and/or sourcing
• Good at working in a team
• A practical approach to problem-solving
• Ability to work independently
• Reliable, good at managing your own schedule, and willing to tell us early if plans change
• Respectful and receptive approach to all health and safety requirements
• Self-motivated to acquire new skills and knowledge
• A helpful, positive and proactive approach

imitating the dog’s commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

imitating the dog is committed to equality of opportunity, which is why this opportunity is specifically aimed at individuals who are underrepresented in the arts sector.

To support those experiencing barriers to applying for this internship we are committed to ensuring that:

• A Large Print version of this recruitment pack is available to download
• If you have access needs for the application or the interview, tell us and we will do what we can to meet them, including covering access costs
• Interview questions will be emailed to those invited to interview at least 48 hours prior to their interview time
• Candidates who attend an interview will then be offered the opportunity to meet a team member and gain insight into the organisation, as well as a chance to ask questions outside of the interview

How to apply

Please apply using our short online application form

You will be asked to confirm that you meet the eligibility criteria, and to answer three short questions about why you want to work with ITD and what you would bring to the role. If you like, you can also add a CV or a link to your work, but you do not need to. You do not need to send a cover letter, and you do not need to explain how you are underrepresented: we only ask you to tell us that you identify as underrepresented.

We welcome answers in any format. You can write your answers (about 150 words each) or record them as audio or video (up to two minutes each). The questions are listed at the end of this pack so that you can prepare your answers before you fill in the form. If you would prefer to apply another way, such as by email or in a phone conversation, please get in touch and we will do our best to arrange it. 

Please also fill in this (optional) Equality and Diversity Monitoring Form. It is kept separate from your application. 

If you are not using the online form, please send your application to ben@imitatingthedog.co.uk, with ITD Internship Application in the subject line and your contact details included. If you have any questions about the project or the application process, please email ben@imitatingthedog.co.uk

How we use your information: we will use what you send us only to consider your application and, if you are successful, to arrange your contract. We will keep unsuccessful applications for 12 months and then delete them. You can find out more in our Privacy Policy.

Key Dates

Applications close on Friday 23rd October at 12pm.

Applicants shortlisted for interview will be notified no later than 5pm on Tues 27th October.

Interviews will be held on Mon 2nd November. Interviews will last approximately 45 mins and will be conducted online. Interviewees will be notified of the outcome no later than Wed 4th November.

Application questions

Please answer these three questions in the online application form. Write about 150 words for each, or record an audio or video answer of up to two minutes. There are no right answers, and you can draw on experience from any setting: theatre, education, paid or unpaid work, volunteering, caring, or personal projects.

Question 1: Why would you like to do this internship with imitating the dog?

Question 2: Tell us about something practical you have sourced, made, organised or looked after, in theatre or anywhere else. What was your part in it, and what did you learn?

Question 3: Imagine you have been asked to find costumes for a film shoot, with a limited budget and a tight deadline, working mostly on your own. How would you go about it? What would you do if something you had planned to buy was not available?

You can also add a CV, a portfolio or a link to your work if you would like to, but you do not need to.