Steven Atkinson


Steven Atkinson is an award winning British producer working in theatre and film.
He co-founded and led HighTide, one of the UK's leading theatre companies, and a National Portfolio Organisation of Arts Council England. He commissioned and produced over eighty new plays in theatres including the National Theatre, The Old Vic, Royal Court Theatre, Young Vic, in the West End, and Off-Broadway. He produced fourteen HighTide festivals in Suffolk and London.

Education

Atkinson read Film & Theatre at the University of Reading, graduating in 2005.

Career

Early career

His career started in script development working at the Donmar Warehouse under Michael Grandage, the Royal Court under Ian Rickson, and Hull Truck Theatre under John Godber. He produced Hull Truck's first new writing festival in 2007.

HighTide

In 2007 Atkinson co-founded and became artistic director of HighTide, quickly establishing it as one of the UK's leading theatre production companies.
“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 his opening season he produced Adam Brace's Stovepipe, which transferred from the HighTide Festival to London with the National Theatre and Bush Theatre. Stovepipe was widely acclaimed and called 'a five-star production in its power and ambition' by The Sunday Times and 'exhilaratingly convincing by The Independent. The production was ranked in and it was nominated for Best Off-West End Production in the Whatsonstage awards. In that season he also produced Joel Horwood's I Caught Crabs In Walberswick, which transferred to the Bush Theatre, and Switzerland, the first play by Nick Payne who then went on to win the George Devine Award.
At HighTide, Atkinson produced and championed many of the leading new writers of the last decade, including Anders Lustgarten, Luke Barnes, Tallulah Brown, E V Crowe, Elinor Cook, Rob Drummond, Kenny Emson, Kieran Hurley, Theresa Ikoko, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Ella Hickson, Eve Leigh, Vinay Patel, Nick Payne, Beth Steel, Al Smith, Sam Steiner, and Jack Thorne.
In 2016 Atkinson gave an interview to The Stage where he said of the HighTide Festival: ‘we want to be theatre’s Sundance.’
He has twice been awarded by The Society of London Theatre with their Emerging Producers Bursary for Stovepipe and Lidless. In 2009 he was awarded by Esquire magazine as one of the 60 Brilliant Brits Shaping 2009.
In 2019 he stepped down from HighTide after twelve years to pursue new opportunities.

London Theatre credits

[Bush Theatre]

[Nottingham Playhouse]

[59E59 Theaters]

[BBC Radio 4]

YearAwardStage PlayResult
2009Society of London Theatre New Producers' AwardStovepipe
2009Whatsonstage Award for Best Off West End ProductionStovepipe
2010Fringe First AwardLidless
2011Society of London Theatre New Producers' AwardLidless
2012Fringe First AwardEducating Ronnie
2016Manchester Evening News Awards Best ProductionSo Here We Are
2016Manchester Evening News Awards Best PlaySo Here We Are
2017Evening Standard Theatre Awards Charles Wintour Award for Most Promising PlaywrightHarrogate