About
Steve has spent three decades at the heart of British physical theatre and dance, creating original roles in some of the most iconic productions of the late 1980s and 1990s — a key figure in one of the most influential eras of British dance. A founder member of The Featherstonehaughs and a performer with The Cholmondeleys — Lea Anderson's pioneering all-male and all-female companies — Steve collaborated with many of the artists who defined the period.
He went on to perform with Lloyd Newson's DV8 Physical Theatre and joined the original casts of three Matthew Bourne productions, including the groundbreaking Swan Lake. He played the lead actor in the world premiere of Rufus Wainwright's debut opera Prima Donna at the Manchester International Festival. Alongside his stage work, Steve has appeared as both actor and dancer in major studio and independent films.
Alongside performing, Steve has worked across theatre, film and television in senior creative roles — Resident Tour Director with Matthew Bourne's New Adventures across world tours of Swan Lake and Edward Scissorhands. Associate Choreographer at the National Theatre and in the West End. Movement Associate on The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and ongoing facilitator for Frantic Assembly. Assistant Choreographer across major film and television.
Now back as a performer.
Drawn to character work, physical theatre, comedy and drama — the kind of role that needs someone who knows how to fall over, get up, and make it look like the plan.
— I
Founder Member · The Featherstonehaughs
Founder member of Lea Anderson's all-male company The Featherstonehaughs in 1988, and performer with her all-female Cholmondeleys. Original cast in over fifteen pieces across twelve years. The Show won a Time Out Award in 1990. Extensive international touring.
Performer · DV8 Physical Theatre
World premiere at the Festival d'Été de Seine Maritime in Rouen, June 1990. Co-produced by Glasgow City of Culture, Festival d'Été and the South Bank Centre. Toured Australia as part of the Melbourne International Festival of Arts where it won the Golden Pegasus Award. Also toured Europe and the UK with London performances at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. Studio portrait by Chris Nash.
Original Cast Cygnet · The Private Secretary · Resident Tour Director
From original Cygnet, to The Private Secretary, to Resident Tour Director. Premiered at Sadler's Wells in 1995, the production that took the dance world by storm with its all-male corps de ballet. Olivier Award for Best New Dance (1996) and three Tony Awards on Broadway (1999). Returned as The Private Secretary for the 2003 international tour. Came back as Resident Tour Director and Private Secretary for the 2010/11 world tour — including a four-week season at New York City Center. Tour culminated in the 2011 Sadler's Wells film, broadcast on Sky Arts as Swan Lake in 3D.
Original Cast · Prentice
A groovily shagtastic and blazingly original cracker — funny, sexy, sinister, nostalgic, brilliantly stylish.— The Daily Telegraph
Original cast as one of three Prentices. Premiered at the National Theatre's Lyttelton in August 2002 as part of the Transformations season — the major success of that season. Returned to the National in repertoire from December 2003. UK tour 2004 followed by an international tour in 2005. Won two Olivier Awards in 2003: Best Entertainment, and Best Theatre Choreographer for Matthew Bourne. Composer Terry Davies. Designer Lez Brotherston. Lighting Paule Constable.
Original Cast · George Monroe · Resident Director
Original cast in the 2005 world premiere — created the comedic role of George Monroe. The production won the 2007 Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience. Returned as Resident Director and George Monroe for the 2008–9 World Tour, including Sydney Opera House (the first British dance company to play it) and a season at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. Director and Choreographer Matthew Bourne.
Lead Actor · World Premiere
Françoise, the delightfully camp porter, played by Steve Kirkham — bounds around like a fashionista's lapdog... rips open his shirt and demands Madame sign his waxed chest.— Drowned in Sound
Lead actor in Rufus Wainwright's debut opera — playing François, the camp porter. World premiere at the Manchester International Festival. Director Daniel Kramer. Featured in The New York Times. Photos by Clive Barda.
Dancer · Matthew Bourne
Dancer in Matthew Bourne's Nutcracker! for the two Christmas seasons at Sadler's Wells. Choreographer Matthew Bourne. Designs by Anthony Ward. (Trailer shown is the 30th anniversary production — the same piece, returning to Sadler's Wells in 2022.)
Actor · Core Creative Team
Actor in the opening Philadelphia attack scene — one of the first-wave zombies in the traffic gridlock attack. Also part of the core creative team alongside Alex Reynolds — helped originate the Z movement language. Director Marc Forster. Starring Brad Pitt.
Dancer · Asda Christmas
Dancer in Asda's 2025 Christmas campaign. Director Dexter Fletcher. Choreographer Arthur Pita.
— Other film & television
Actor · Dir. Sally Potter · Tilda Swinton · Costumes Sandy Powell
Actor · Dir. Derek Jarman · Tilda Swinton
Dancer · Dir. Mira Nair · Choreographer Jack Murphy
Featured Performer · Dir. Mike Newell
Dancer · Dir. Tom Hooper · Choreographer Liam Steele
— II
Associate Choreographer to David Neumann
Associate Choreographer to David Neumann on Anaïs Mitchell's Tony Award-winning musical at the National Theatre and in the West End. Director Rachel Chavkin.
Associate Choreographer
Associate to Choreographer Annie-B Parson on the Public Theater New York transfer to the National Theatre. Music and concept by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim.
Movement Associate · Frantic Assembly
Movement Associate on the West End run and the National Theatre schools tour for Frantic Assembly. Director Marianne Elliott. Movement by Scott Graham and Steven Hoggett.
Choreographer · Generation X Trilogy
Choreographer on two shows for Frantic Assembly — Klub (1996) and Zero (1998) — part of their landmark Generation X trilogy. Early work with Scott Graham and Steven Hoggett during the company's formative years.
Choreographer
Choreographer on Mike Bartlett's 13 at the National Theatre, directed by Thea Sharrock and designed by Tom Scutt.
Choreographer
Choreographer on Improbable Theatre's darkly imaginative The Hanging Man, directed, designed and scripted by Julian Crouch, Phelim McDermott and Lee Simpson.
Assistant Choreographer to Alex Reynolds
Assistant Choreographer to Alex Reynolds on Goldfrapp's Supernature Tour — UK, Europe and USA dates.
— More for stage
Choreographer · 7 Musicals with MT Students, Actors and Actor Musicians
Choreographer · Love's Labour's Lost, The Wedding Singer · Dir. Bruce Guthrie
— III
Choreographer
Choreographer on KitKat's 'The Break Off' — tongue-in-cheek choreography built around tight unison and a deadpan family dynamic. Director Jack Whiteley.
Choreographer
A close collaboration with Sara and the cast to shape the unguarded, emotional physicality the film needed.
Choreographer
Working with Sara and the cast on the playful, character-led physicality of the piece. Road safety campaign reimagining the Aesop fable with teenage gangs in hare and tortoise masks.
Assistant Choreographer to Alex Reynolds
Assistant Choreographer to Alex Reynolds on Mika's 'Rain' — second single from The Boy Who Knew Too Much.
Assistant Choreographer to Alex Reynolds
Assistant Choreographer to Alex Reynolds on Goldfrapp's 'A&E' — the lead single from their fourth album Seventh Tree. Director Dougal Wilson. Also performed in the video as one of the dancing trees.
— Film & television
Assistant Choreographer to Alex Reynolds · Created by Tony Gilroy · Disney+
Assistant Choreographer to David Neumann · Dir. Noah Baumbach · Netflix
Assistant Choreographer to Alex Reynolds · Dir. Tom Harper · Netflix
Assistant Choreographer to Alex Reynolds · Dir. James Wan
Assistant Choreographer to Alex Reynolds · BBC · HBO
Assistant Choreographer to Alex Reynolds · Dir. Paco Cabezas & Jamie Payne · TNT
— IV
Facilitator · Frantic Assembly
A long-running relationship with Frantic Assembly as one of their core facilitators and teacher trainers. Has led workshops in Berlin, Bermuda, Australia, Singapore, Norway and across the UK. Co-led residencies in Los Angeles, two international Summer Schools, and two of Frantic's Advanced Training courses. Video shown is from the 2024 Advanced Training course Steve co-led. Edited by Steve.
Choreographer
Steve worked with the first years at ArtsEd for a few days, choreographing a short piece based around them and the relationships in the room. This video is a diary of the process. Edited by Steve.
Workshop Leader
First year leading the Movement for Camera course at The Place. A series of solos that began in the studio and evolved when we took them onto the streets around the school. Director: Grace Nicol · Assistant Director: Tina Afiyan Breiová · Edited by Steve.
Workshop Leader
Second year leading the Movement for Camera course at The Place. A series of intimate, character-driven duets — exploring the closeness and tension that the camera reveals. Edited by Steve.
