Steven Atkinson

Steven Atkinson (born 4 May 1984) is a British producer working in theatre and film.

He co-founded and led HighTide, one of the UK's theatre companies, 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, Royal Court Theatre, Young Vic, and Off-Broadway.

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

Atkinson graduated from the University of Reading in 2005 with a B.A. in Film & Theatre.

Atkinson's career first started in script development working at the Donmar Warehouse under Michael Grandage.

He worked in the Royal Court under Ian Rickson and Hull Truck Theatre under John Godber.

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

In 2007, Atkinson co-founded and became artistic director of HighTide, 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.”"

In Atkinson's opening season at HighTide, he produced Adam Brace's Stovepipe. The production was then transferred from the HighTide Festival to London through the National Theatre and Bush Theatre, where it was critically 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 awards.

In the same season, Atkinson also produced Joel Horwood's I Caught Crabs In Walberswick, which transferred to the Bush Theatre.

He also produced 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 2009, he received another award by Esquire magazine as one of the 60 Brilliant Brits Shaping 2009.

In 2016, Atkinson gave an interview to The Stage where he spoke of his ambitions for HighTide Festival: ‘We want to be theatre’s Sundance.’

Atkinson has been awarded twice for the Emerging Producers Bursary by the Society of London Theatre for his work on Stovepipe and Lidless.

In 2019, Atkinson stepped down from HighTide after twelve years to pursue new opportunities.