ABOUT – Steve Goatman

Steve Goatman

Coaching and Production services for Creative Professionals

I am an accredited independent coach and contemporary performance producer based in Brightlingsea – a beautiful windswept coastal town in north Essex. I am passionate about inventive performance of all kinds, and I spend my working life generating exciting new ideas with artists, and helping people and organisations live and work at their best. When I’m not working on performance, I’m usually watching it, and I'm a regular at my spiritual home, Colchester Arts Centre.

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About Me

Originally from the capital suburbs, I came to Colchester to study. After gaining a 1^st Class BA (Hons) in Drama at University of Essex, I worked at the campus as Arts Marketing & Comms Coordinator – a catch-all term for a wonderful and sprawling job developing the arts infrastructure; programming touring performance, producing events and shows, and building audiences at the University’s two public venues: Lakeside Theatre and Art Exchange.

In 2014 I was selected from open callout to train with SPILL Festival, Ipswich, on their inaugural New Producers scheme. From there I became Associate Producer at the festival from 2015-18 whilst building a freelance career producing for formally inventive and cutting-edge artists such as Ron Athey, Daniel Oliver, Roberta Jean and Vincent Gambini.

Over the years I have developed specialisms in fundraising, arts marketing, and creative producing, especially for contemporary performance. I worked as Associate Producer on projects at Colchester Arts Centre, Nottdance Festival and Edinburgh Festival Fringe amongst many others. In 2019 I set up Colchester Fringe Festival with co-director Cameron Abbott- Betts to give Essex-based artists a platform alongside national and international performers. I have recently begun supporting disabled and neurodivergent artists to develop projects and write funding applications, and in 2021 Arts Council England awarded me a DYCP grant to research ways of improving my coaching and producing practice for working with neurodivergent clients.

Alongside producing, I was a visiting lecturer on the BA Drama course at University of Essex from 2018-20, leading modules in theatre history and contemporary performance practices.

In 2019 I trained as a coach with Relational Dynamics 1st, and in 2022 I completed their advanced training course. In 2020 I set up my coaching practice and began working with clients from the creative industries, academia and third sector leadership. Working with thehub and the Creative Industries Federation, I co-delivered the online group coaching and training project for creative sector professionals RE:SET Action Learning, which led to similar online Action Learning projects. In 2022 I was invited to join the board of Creative Colchester, a group of local creative leaders seeking to maximise the creative potential of the newly minted city.

Selected Portfolio

2009-2016 - Arts Marketing & Comms Coordinator, University of Essex. Programming, producing, marketing, delivering projects at Lakeside Theatre & Art Exchange gallery University of Essex.

2014 - SPILL Festival New Producer Training Scheme - working with SPILL platform artists to develop their work from 2014-2015 festivals.

2015 - Production services for SPILL Festival London, including on the shows Weird Seance by Daniel Oliver at Barbican & The Privileged by Jamal Harewood at National Theatre Studio

2016-2018 - SPILL Festival, Associate Producer. Working on a wide array of performance and participatory projects for all ages.

2017 - Associate Producer, Street Hunt by Joshua Soafer and Colchester Arts Centre.

Associate Producer for code bend time by Evangalia Kolyra, Nottdance Festival

2018 - Producer for Brocade by Roberta Jean at Edinburgh Festival Fringe & Touring.

Producer for This is Not A Magic Show by Vincent Gambini, Touring

Visiting Lecturer, BA Drama, University of Essex

2019 - Completed accredited coach training with Relational Dynamics First.

Producer for Acephalous Monster by Ron Athey, UK Tour

Visiting Lecturer, BA Drama, University of Essex

2020 - Producer for The Chore of Enchantment & The Disappearing of Vincent Gambini by Vincent Gambini
Co-founded Colchester Fringe Festival & delivered the pilot CFF event

Visiting Lecturer, BA Drama, University of Essex

2021 - Co-Artistic Director, Colchester Fringe Festival delivering the first full scale festival.
Received Arts Council England, Developing Your Creative Practice funding to research neurodiversity, coaching & producing

Completed 'Sharpening The Saw', advanced coach training with Relational Dynamics First

Associate Coach & facilitator, RE:SET Action Leaning, thehub

2022- Producer for Voice Notes to My Child Self by Ellena Woolf (website currently in beta)
Associate Producer, Fresh Air Festival of Outdoor Arts, Brightlingsea
Associate Producer, Fest en Fest Youth, H2Dance & Firstsite

Associate Coach & facilitator, RNR Action Leaning, thehub

2023 - Associate Producer, Fest en Fest Youth, H2Dance & Firstsite
Associate Coach, Creative Estuary, Estuary Producer Network
Elected to board of Creative Colchester CIC (ongoing)

2024 - ongoing
Producer for Close-up by Vincent Gambini
Producer, Tendring Emerging Producers Project, supported with SPF funding by Tendring 4 Growth

Mentor for upcoming cohort of Mercury Creatives, Mercury Theatre Colchester

Coaching - over 750 hours experience in 1-1 & group coaching
Fundraising - ~£2m raised from Arts Council England National Lottery Project Grants & DYCP grants with >80% success as application writer

Testimonials

"Working with Steve was life changing!" Lorraine Lucas, Director, Folkestone Songwriting Festival.

"His insight into the ACE funding process was invaluable and I was successful with my first application after speaking with him." Steve Lawes, Artist.

"I really appreciated your help with the DYCP." Lucy Todd, Writer, Performer & Improviser.

"(Steve's coaching) has helped me see that I can be more intentional with my path and how I want to work. It helped me find some clarity around directions for the future." Megan Garrett-Jones, Performance Artist.

"The coaching was excellent. I felt supported and heard with any challenges I spoke about, but also encouraged to see the big picture and how I might find solutions to my challenges within that." Anonymous, Performer.

"It was amazing to have someone to sound ideas and guide me through projects I wanted to undertake" - Ishmael Kirby, Singer, Writer & Actor.

"Steve helped me be more secure in my own abilities and trust that I know what works well for me, but also to be more open to trying new ways of working." Sofia Bagge, Artistic Director, Wise Ram Theatre.

Coaching and Producing for Creative Professionals