Steven Atkinson (born 4 May 1984) is a British producer working in theatre and film. He co-founded and led

HighTide HighTide is a theatre company based in Aldeburgh, Suffolk. It is one of the UK’s leading producers of new plays, and the only professional theatre company focused on the production of new playwrights. The company produces around six new prod ...

, one of the UK's

theatre companies Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

, as well as the National Portfolio Organisation of Arts Council England. Atkinson has commissioned and produced more than 80 new plays in theatres, including the National Theatre,

The Old Vic The Old Vic is a 1,000-seat, not-for-profit producing theatre in Waterloo, London, England. Established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre, and renamed in 1833 the Royal Victoria Theatre. In 1871 it was rebuilt and reopened as the Royal Vi ...

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a West End theatre#London's non-commercial theatres, non-commercial West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal ...

Young Vic The Young Vic Theatre is a performing arts venue located on The Cut, near the South Bank, in the London Borough of Lambeth. The Young Vic was established by Frank Dunlop in 1970. Kwame Kwei-Armah has been Artistic Director since February 20 ...

, and

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer th ...

. In addition, he has produced at least 14 HighTide festivals in Suffolk and London.

Education

Atkinson graduated from the

University of Reading The University of Reading is a public university in Reading, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1892 as University College, Reading, a University of Oxford extension college. The institution received the power to grant its own degrees in 192 ...

in 2005 with a B.A. in Film & Theatre.

Career

Early career

Atkinson's career first started in script development working at the

Donmar Warehouse The Donmar Warehouse is a 251-seat, not-for-profit theatre in Covent Garden, London, England. It first opened on 18 July 1977. Sam Mendes, Michael Grandage and Josie Rourke have all served as artistic director, a post held since 2019 by M ...

under

Michael Grandage Michael Grandage CBE (born 2 May 1962) is a British theatre director and producer. He is currently Artistic Director of the Michael Grandage Company. From 2002 to 2012 he was Artistic Director of the Donmar Warehouse in London and from 2000 to ...

. He worked in the

Royal Court A royal court, often called simply a court when the royal context is clear, is an extended royal household in a monarchy, including all those who regularly attend on a monarch, or another central figure. Hence, the word "court" may also be appl ...

under

Ian Rickson Ian David Rickson (born 1963) is a British theatre director. He was the artistic director at the Royal Court Theatre in London from 1998 to 2006.

and

Hull Truck Theatre Hull Truck Theatre is a theatre in Kingston upon Hull, England, which presents drama productions, and also tours. In March 2022, the theatre's original premises on Coltman Street, Hull, was recognised by a blue plaque to coincide with the theatr ...

under

John Godber John Harry Godber (born 18 May 1956) is known mainly for observational comedies. The ''Plays and Players Yearbook'' of 1993 rated him the third most performed playwright in the UK after William Shakespeare and Alan Ayckbourn. He has been crea ...

. Atkinson produced Hull Truck's first new writing festival in 2007.

HighTide

In 2007, Atkinson co-founded and became artistic director of

, quickly establishing the theatre company as one of the leading production firms in the UK.

“Under artistic director Steven Atkinson, the festival – a tempting mixture of new productions, readings and discussions - has grown to become one of the little gems of the artistic calendar in Britain. And, with alumni such as Ella Hickson and Nick Payne poached in the past for shows at the National Theatre in London and the Public Theatre in New York, it has become a real hunting-ground for new talent.” ''The Telegraph''

In Atkinson's opening season at HighTide, he produced

Adam Brace Adam Brace (born 1980, London, England) is a British playwright and director. Brace is the resident associate dramaturg of Soho Theatre in London. His play ''Stovepipe'', performed in promenade, premiered at the HighTide festival in Suffolk bef ...

's ''Stovepipe.'' The production was then transferred from the HighTide Festival to London through the National Theatre and

Bush Theatre The Bush Theatre is located in the Passmore Edwards Public Library, Shepherd's Bush, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It was established in 1972 as a showcase for the work of new writers. The Bush Theatre strives to create a sp ...

, where it became widely acclaimed. ''The Sunday Times'' praised Atkinson's ''Stovepipe'' as 'a five-star production in its power and ambition', while ''The Independent'' called it 'exhilaratingly convincing. The production was ranked in The Sunday Times Best Theatre Productions of the Decade as well as nominated for Best Off-West End Production in the

Whatsonstage WhatsOnStage.com is a London-based website that provides information about, and offers tickets for, theatrical performances in the United Kingdom. It also organises the annual WhatsOnStage Awards. Founded in 1996, it has been owned by the Ameri ...

awards. In the same season, Atkinson also produced

Joel Horwood Joel Horwood is a British playwright. He has been a member of the Royal Court/ BBC 50 scheme and has also been on attachment at Hampstead Theatre. His plays include ''I Caught Crabs in Walberswick'', ''Mikey the Pikey'', ''Food'', and ''I Hea ...

's ''I Caught Crabs In Walberswick'', which transferred to the Bush Theatre. He also produced ''Switzerland'', the first play by

Nick Payne Nick Payne (born 1984) is a British playwright and screenwriter. Early life and education Payne studied at the University of York and subsequently at the Central School of Speech and Drama. He is also a graduate of the Royal Court Young Writ ...

who then went on to win the

George Devine Award George Alexander Cassady Devine (20 November 1910 – 20 January 1966) was an English theatrical manager, director, teacher, and actor based in London from the early 1930s until his death. He also worked in TV and film. Early life and education ...

. At HighTide, Atkinson produced and championed many of the leading new writers of the last decade, including

Anders Lustgarten Anders Lustgarten is a British playwright, who resides in London. Early life Lustgarten is the child of progressive American academics; his mother is Donna Dickenson. He read Chinese Studies at Oxford before heading to Berkeley in California to ...

, Luke Barnes, Tallulah Brown, E V Crowe, Elinor Cook, Rob Drummond, Kenny Emson, Kieran Hurley,

Theresa Ikoko Theresa Ikoko is a British playwright and screenwriter of Nigerian descent. Her play ''Girls'', about three girls abducted by terrorists in northern Nigeria, won the Alfred Fagon Award and other awards. Ikoko later gained greater nationwide rec ...

Branden Jacobs-Jenkins Branden Jacobs-Jenkins is an American playwright. He won the 2014 Obie Award for Best New American Play for his plays ''Appropriate'' and ''An Octoroon''. His plays '' Gloria'' and ''Everybody'' were finalists for the 2016 and 2018 Pulitzer Pr ...

Ella Hickson Ella Hickson (born 1985) is a British playwright and theatrical director, living in London. Early life Hickson was brought up in Guildford in Surrey and educated at Guildford High School from 1996 to 2003. Career Hickson's first play, ''E ...

, Eve Leigh,

Vinay Patel Vinay Patel (born 1986) is a British-Indian screenwriter and playwright. He is best known for writing the BBC drama '' Murdered by My Father''. Career Before writing, Patel worked as a corporate filmmaker and then a technician at the London-bas ...

, Beth Steel,

Al Smith Alfred Emanuel Smith (December 30, 1873 – October 4, 1944) was an American politician who served four terms as Governor of New York and was the Democratic Party's candidate for president in 1928. The son of an Irish-American mother and a ...

, Sam Steiner, and

Jack Thorne Jack Thorne FRSL (born 6 December 1978) is a British playwright, television writer, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for writing the stage play '' Harry Potter and the Cursed Child'', the films '' Wonder'' and '' Enola Holmes'', a ...

. In 2016, Atkinson gave an interview to

The Stage ''The Stage'' is a British weekly newspaper and website covering the entertainment industry and particularly theatre. It was founded in 1880. It contains news, reviews, opinion, features, and recruitment advertising, mainly directed at those wh ...

where he spoke of his ambitions for HighTide Festival: ‘We want to be theatre’s Sundance.’ Atkinson has twice been awarded the Emerging Producers Bursary by the

Society of London Theatre The Society of London Theatre (SOLT) is an umbrella organisation for West End theatre in London. Founded in 1908, as Society of West End Theatre Managers, then Society of West End Theatre in 1975, changing to its current name in 1994, the (SOLT) ...

for his work on ''Stovepipe'' and ''Lidless''. In 2009, he received another award by ''

Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentleman ...

'' magazine as one of the ''60 Brilliant Brits Shaping 2009''. In 2019, Atkinson stepped down from HighTide after twelve years to pursue new opportunities.

London Theatre credits

;

* ''I Caught Crabs In Walberswick'' by

, directed by Lucy Kerbel (2008) * ''Mudlarks'' by Vickie Donoghue, directed by Will Wrightson (2012) * ''Moth'' by Declan Greene, directed by

Prasanna Puwanarajah Prasanna Puwanarajah ( ta, பிரசன்னா புவனராஜா; born 1981) is an English actor, director, writer, and former junior medical doctor. Early life Puwanarajah was born at Ipswich Hospital in Suffolk to Eelam Tamil par ...

(2013) * ''True Brits'' by

, directed by Tanith Lindon (2014) * ''Incognito'' by

, directed by Joe Murphy (2014) * ''Forget Me Not'' by Tom Holloway, directed by Steven Atkinson (2015) * ''Rust'' by Kenny Emson, directed by Eleanor Rhode (2019) * ''The Trick'' by Eve Leigh, directed by Roy Alexander Weisse (2019) * ''Collapsible'' by Margaret Perry, directed by Thomas Martin (2020) ;

* ''See Me Now'' by Molly Taylor, directed by Mimi Poskitt (2017) ;

* ''Harrogate'' by Al Smith, directed by Richard Twyman (2016) ;

Soho Theatre The Soho Theatre is a theatre and registered charity in the Soho district of the City of Westminster, in London, England. It produces and presents new works of theatre, together with comedy and cabaret, across three performance spaces. The the ...

* ''Boys'' by

, directed by Robert Icke (2012) * ''Pastoral'' by

Thomas Eccleshare Thomas Eccleshare is an English playwright. He won the 2011 Verity Bargate Award for his debut play ''Pastoral A pastoral lifestyle is that of shepherds herding livestock around open areas of land according to seasons and the changing avai ...

, directed by

Steve Marmion Steve Marmion is an English theatre director. He trained at the University of Glamorgan and the Welsh College of Music and Drama. He was the artistic director of the Soho Theatre The Soho Theatre is a theatre and registered charity in the Soho ...

(2013) * ''Bottleneck'' by Luke Barnes, directed by Steven Atkinson (2013) * ''Smallholding'' by Chris Dunkley, directed by Patrick Sandford (2014) * ''Lampedusa'' by

, directed by Steven Atkinson (2015) * ''Girls'' by

, directed by Elyace Ismail (2017) ;

Royal National Theatre The Royal National Theatre in London, commonly known as the National Theatre (NT), is one of the United Kingdom's three most prominent publicly funded performing arts venues, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House. I ...

* ''Stovepipe'' by Adam Brace, directed by Michael Longhurst (2009) ;

Old Vic Theatre The Old Vic is a 1,000-seat, not-for-profit producing theatre in Waterloo, London, England. Established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre, and renamed in 1833 the Royal Victoria Theatre. In 1871 it was rebuilt and reopened as the Royal V ...

* ''Ditch'' by Beth Steel, directed by Richard Twyman (2010) ;

Trafalgar Studios Trafalgar Theatre is a new West End theatre in Whitehall, near Trafalgar Square, in the City of Westminster, London. It is set to open in spring 2021 following a major multi-million pound restoration project aiming to reinstate it back to its o ...

* ''Lidless'' by Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig, directed by Steven Atkinson (2011) ;The Yard Theatre * ''BRENDA'' by E V. Crowe, directed by Caitlin McLeod (2015) * ''Pilgrims'' by Elinor Cook, directed by Tamara Harvey (2016) ;

Arcola Theatre Arcola Theatre is an Off West End theatre in the London Borough of Hackney. It presents plays, operas and musicals featuring established and emerging artists. The theatre building, in the former Colourworks paint factory on Ashwin Street, Dals ...

* ''Peddling'' by Harry Melling, directed by Steven Atkinson (2014) * ''The Sugar Coated Bullets Of The Bourgeoisie'' by

, directed by Steven Atkinson (2016) ;

Gate Theatre The Gate Theatre is a theatre on Cavendish Row in Dublin, Ireland. It was founded in 1928. History Beginnings The Gate Theatre was founded in 1928 by Hilton Edwards and Micheál MacLiammóir with Daisy Bannard Cogley and Gearóid Ó Lochlainn ...

* ''Pink Lemonade'' by Mika Johnson, directed by Emily Aboud (2019) * ''Since U Been Gone'' by Teddy Lamb, directed by Billy Barrett (2019)

Regional Theatre credits

;

Live Theatre Live Theatre, formerly Live Theatre Company, is a new writing theatre and company based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. As well as producing and presenting new plays many of which go on to tour nationally and internationally, it seeks out an ...

* ''Pops'' by Charlotte Josephine, directed by Ali Pidsley (2019) ;

Nottingham Playhouse Nottingham Playhouse is a theatre in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England. It was first established as a repertory theatre in 1948 when it operated from a former cinema in Goldsmith Street. Directors during this period included Val May and F ...

* ''LIT'' by Sophie Ellerby, directed by Stef O’Driscoll (2019) ; Nuffield Theatre * ''Neighbours'' by

, directed by Steven Atkinson (2013) ;

Paines Plough Paines Plough is a touring theatre company founded in 1974 by writer David Pownall and director John Adams. The company specialises exclusively in commissioning and producing new plays and helping playwrights develop their craft. Over the past ...

* ''Chicken'' by Molly Davies, directed by Steven Atkinson (2015) ;

Royal Exchange Theatre The Royal Exchange is a grade II listed building in Manchester, England. It is located in the city centre on the land bounded by St Ann's Square, Exchange Street, Market Street, Cross Street and Old Bank Street. The complex includes the Royal ...

* ''So Here We Are'' by Luke Norris, directed by Steven Atkinson (2015) ;

Sheffield Crucible The Crucible Theatre (often referred to simply as "The Crucible") is a theatre in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England which opened in 1971. Although it hosts regular theatrical performances, it is best known for hosting professional snooker's ...

* ''Stuart: A Life Backwards'' by

, directed by Mark Rosenblatt (2013) ;

Theatr Clwyd Theatr Clwyd () is a regional arts centre and producing theatre from Mold, Flintshire, in North East Wales. It opened as Theatr Clwyd in 1976, but was known between 1998 and 2015 as Clwyd Theatr Cymru, before reverting to its original name. His ...

* ''Pilgrims'' by Elinor Cook, directed by Tamara Harvey (2016) * ''Heroine'' by Nessah Muthy, directed by Steven Atkinson (2017) ;

Traverse Theatre The Traverse Theatre is a theatre in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was founded in 1963 by John Calder, John Malcolm, Jim Haynes and Richard Demarco. The Traverse Theatre company commissions and develops new plays or adaptations from contemporary p ...

* ''In Fidelity'' by Rob Drummond, directed by Steven Atkinson (2016) * ''Mouthpiece'' by Kieran Hurley, directed by Orla O’Loughlin (2018) ;

Ustinov Studio The Ustinov Studio is a studio theatre in Bath, Somerset, Bath, England. It is the Theatre Royal, Bath, Theatre Royal's second space, built in 1997 at the rear of the building on Monmouth Street. It is named after the actor Peter Ustinov who led ...

Theatre Royal Bath The Theatre Royal in Bath, England, was built in 1805. A Grade II* listed building, it has been described by the Theatres Trust as "One of the most important surviving examples of Georgian theatre architecture". It has a capacity for an audienc ...

* ''The Big Meal'' by Dan LeFranc, directed by Michael Boyd (2014) ;

Watford Palace Theatre Watford Palace Theatre, opened in 1908, is an Edwardian Grade II listed building in Watford, Hertfordshire. The 600-seat theatre on Clarendon Road was refurbished in 2004. It houses its own rehearsal room, wardrobe, cafe and bar. History The ...

* ''Dusk Rings A Bell'' by

Stephen Belber Stephen Belber (born March 3, 1967) is an American playwright, screenwriter and film director. His plays have been produced on Broadway and in over 50 countries. He directed the film adaptation of his Broadway play, ''Match'', starring Patrick S ...

, directed by Steven Atkinson (2012)

Off-Broadway Theatre credits

59E59 Theaters 59E59 Theaters is a curated rental venue located in New York City that consists of three theater spaces or stages. It shows both off-Broadway (in Theater A) and off-off-Broadway plays (in Theaters B and C). The complex is owned and operated by ...

* ''Peddling'' by Harry Melling, directed by Steven Atkinson (2014) NYT Critics' Pick

The Public Theater The Public Theater is a New York City arts organization founded as the Shakespeare Workshop in 1954 by Joseph Papp, with the intention of showcasing the works of up-and-coming playwrights and performers.Epstein, Helen. ''Joe Papp: An American L ...

* ''The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs'' by Mike Daisy, directed by Jean-Michelle Gregory (2012)

Radio credits

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of Talk radio, spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history fro ...

* ''The Afghan and The Penguin'' by Michael Hastings, directed by Steven Atkinson (2012) * ''The Shores'' by Vinay Patel, directed by Jessica Dromgoole (2019) * ''Silver Darlings'' by Tallulah Brown, directed by Jessica Dromgoole (2019)

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...

* ''Lampedusa'' by Anders Lustgarten, directed by Steven Atkinson (2015)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* *
Steven Atkinson interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Atkinson, Steven 1984 births Living people English theatre managers and producers English film producers