Steven Atkinson is an award-winning producer and arts consultant with 20 years of experience producing content and projects in digital, film and theatre.

He is the founder of Long Acre Arts, a consultancy, project management and producing company for clients in the UK creative industries, and Roots, Yorkshire's queer international touring theatre company.

Currently, he is Head of Producing & Partnerships at the Royal Court Theatre, and a member of BAFTA Connect and UK Theatre.

His recent theatre work includes GIANT (Royal Court Theatre 2024), HAPPY MEAL (Fringe First Award) on tour in the UK, Sydney Festival and Perth Festival (2022/3), SOVEREIGN (York Theatre Royal 2023), THE INTERVIEW (Park Theatre 2023) and HUMAN NURTURE (Sheffield Theatres and UK tour 2022).

His recent film work includes PREY (BFI, OutFest 2023), THREE (Underwire Festival 2022), and he has a feature film in development with Air Street Films.

As Producer at Original Theatre (2021-24), across digital, broadcast and theatre he produced THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING OSCAR (2024), DAVID SUCHET - POIROT AND MORE (2024), THE SHAPE OF THINGS (2023), THE TIME MACHINE (2023), Agatha Christie's THE MIRROR CRACK'D (2023), ORIGINALS LIVE FROM RIVERSIDE STUDIOS (2022), THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES (2022) and INTO THE NIGHT (2021) winning a 2022 Critics' Circle Award for Exceptional Theatre Making During Lockdown. This content has been viewed by over 40,000 registered users in 57 countries including America, India, Canada and Australia.

Steven's previous work includes Community Producer at York Theatre Royal (2023), Senior Producer at Dash Arts on the found space production DIDO'S BAR, and Producer at Theatre Centre (2019-22).

In 2007, Steven co-founded and led HighTide for twelve years, establishing it as one of the UK's leading theatre production companies. He produced over sixty new plays with theatres including the National Theatre, The Old Vic, Royal Court Theatre, Young Vic, in the West End, throughout the UK, and Off-Broadway. They won Manchester Evening News Awards, Fringe First Awards, and received nominations in The Evening Standard Theatre Awards and WhatsOnStage.com Awards. He also produced fourteen HighTide festivals in Suffolk and London.
 
“Under 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.
 
He has produced and championed many of the leading writers of recent times, including Anders Lustgarten, Luke Barnes, Tallulah Brown, E V Crowe, Rob Drummond, Kieran Hurley, Theresa Ikoko, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Ella Hickson, Eve Leigh, Vinay Patel, Nick Payne, Beth Steel, Al Smith, Sam Steiner and Jack Thorne. 
 
Steven’s 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.