[1] Born in Australia and raised in St. Albert, Alberta,[1] Atkins graduated from the musical theatre program at Grant MacEwan College[2] and moved to Toronto after appearing in a Canadian Stage production of Into the Woods.
His first play, miss chatelaine, was staged at Theatre Passe-Muraille[3] following a successful run at the Edmonton Fringe Festival [2] The following year his musical cabaret show Real Live Girl was workshopped at Buddies in Bad Times,[4] before having its official premiere that season.
Selected credits include: Hosanna, The Heidi Chronicles, A Doll's House, I Am My Own Wife, The Retreat From Moscow, Mr. Burns, A Post-Electric Play, Sextet, Beatrice & Virgil, Unidentified Human Remains..., Someone Else, Seussical, Frost/Nixon,[6] 7 Stories,[6] The Way of the World,[6] London Road,[10] Angels in America,[11] Shopping and Fucking,[4] Hamlet,[4] Fiddler on the Roof,[4] The Alchemist,[4] Macbeth,[4] The Tempest,[4] Titus Andronicus,[4] Elizabeth Rex,[4] Our Country's Good and The Chocolate Soldier.
[4] His roles in film and television have included Angel Square, The Art of Woo, Children of My Heart, Take This Waltz, Slings and Arrows and The Matthew Shepard Story.
In 2014 he was nominated for five Doras in one evening (Best Actor in a Play for Angels in America: Perestroika, Best Actor in a Musical for London Road, Best Ensemble for The Gay Heritage Project, Best New Play (with Andrew Kushnir and Paul Dunn) for The Gay Heritage Project and Best Ensemble of a Musical for London Road).