Arnott trained originally as an English teacher in Scotland, and subsequently worked in professional theatre in Edinburgh for six years. This was first as a puppeteer with Purves Puppets, a children’s theatre company, and then as Stage Manager for the Royal Lyceum Theatre Company and the Edinburgh International Festival.

In NZ Arnott has worked with various local theatre companies as Director, Set Designer and Stage Manager, and was Technical Director for the Montana NZ World of WearableArt Awards from 1996–2006. He was also employed as Venue Manager (Founders Mainstage) by the Nelson Arts Festival from 2016–2019.

Directing credits include productions of Ophelia Thinks Harder (Willpower Productions); Dancing At Lughnasa (Fawlty Productions); The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, Stones in his Pockets and One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (Theatre Alive Nelson); God of Carnage (Ruby Red Productions); Dinner with Friends (Nelson Theatre Collective).

Design credits include Gulliver’s Travels, The Selfish Giant (Hunter Puppet Co, Edinburgh); Much Ado About Nothing, Romeo & Juliet (Willpower Productions); Wavebreaker, The New Rocky Horror Show (Nelson School of Music); Shakers, Sperm Wars, Extremities (Fawlty Productions); Kiwifruits, Shop Till You Drop, The Big OE, Amadeus, Ladies Night (Theatre Alive Nelson).