Unlimited

What Unlimited does

Unlimited Theatre is a UK-registered charity (No Size Fits All Productions Limited, charity number 1117029), founded in 1997 in Leeds by Jon (J) Spooner and five collaborators from the University of Leeds Workshop Theatre. Between 1997 and 2023, the company operated as a producing theatre organisation, creating live shows, events, and installations that combined theatre with scientific themes ('Sci-Art'), and toured work internationally to festivals, theatres, museums, public spaces, and broadcasters across the UK, Europe, Africa, Asia, Oceania, and North America. Core products during this period included theatre productions such as The Ethics of Progress, Future Bodies, Am I Dead Yet?, Mission to Mars, and Ancient Futures, alongside the Unlimited Space Agency (UNSA) sister brand focused on children and family audiences, which ran The Astro Science Challenge (reaching 12,000 children from 450+ schools and 3,500+ lockdown enrolments), The Space Shed touring installation (winner of 'Unique' Shed of the Year 2019), and The Astro Science Challenge: LIVE! launched during the COVID-19 lockdown.

In 2023, after 27 years, Unlimited ceased producing work and transitioned to a grant-giving model under the unAwards programme, distributing a minimum of £55,000 in 2024-25 across three tiers: Starting Out (up to £2,500 for early-career equipment), unLab (up to £5,000 for project retreats), and unLock (up to £10,000 for mid-career projects, capped at 25% of creation costs). Funding comes from accumulated cash reserves and a benefactor donation rather than ongoing production revenue. The current organisation is a 7-person core team administering grants to emerging UK theatre artists, supported by a podcast series (The Unlimited Archives) documenting institutional history. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven via website, newsletter, social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr), and festival appearances, with no customer-facing product pricing model.

Name

Unlimited

Legal name

No Size Fits All Productions Limited

Website

https://unlimited.earth

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Unlimited Theatre is a UK charitable company that produced sci-art theatre from 1997-2023 and now supports emerging UK artists through the unAwards grant programme (£55,000+ annually across three tiers), using accumulated reserves.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Theatre and Performing Arts Services

NAICS

Performing Arts Companies (7111)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Hybrid Concerts & Live Shows (Venue + Remote Audience) (MPAGAOAE)

Keywords

• Theatre production
• Arts grant funding
• Live performance
• Performing arts
• Arts education

Headquarters

HQ city

Leeds

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding to Artists: In 2024-25, Unlimited Theatre makes at least £55,000 available to companies of artists making new work through unAwards grants, funded by accumulated cash reserves and a donation from a generous benefactor
2. Theatre and Event Production: Previously generated revenue through producing and touring live shows, events and installations for festivals, theatres, museums, and public spaces internationally
3. Educational Programmes: Produced educational content including The Astro Science Challenge for children and families, often in partnership with scientific institutions

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Unlimited Theatre is a registered UK charity that from 1997 to 2023 produced and toured live theatre shows, events, and installations exploring the intersection of science, technology, and contemporary life. In 2023 the company ceased producing and transitioned to a grant-giving model, awarding unAwards grants (Starting Out up to £2,500, unLab up to £5,000, unLock up to £10,000) to emerging and mid-career UK theatre artists. Its sister project Unlimited Space Agency delivers space-science education for children and families through The Space Shed mobile venue, the Astro Science Challenge programmes, and the Live from The Space Shed podcast.

Product overview

Unlimited Theatre is a theatre and arts company that operated from 1997-2023 as a producing organization and transitioned in 2023 to a grant-giving model. The company created theatrical productions and events exploring science, technology, and contemporary issues. Core offerings include: unAwards (grant program providing up to £55,000 annually to artists), The Unlimited Archives podcast, and various theatre productions including Future Bodies, The Ethics of Progress, and Am I Dead Yet?. The company also operated the Unlimited Space Agency (UNSA), a sister company producing space-themed educational programs including The Space Shed (touring installation), The Astro Science Challenge (educational program for children), and Live from The Space Shed podcast featuring conversations with scientists and activists. In 2023, the company ceased producing work and now focuses on supporting emerging artists through its unAwards grant program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• unAwards: Grant programme providing funding to emerging artists - includes Starting Out (up to £2,500), unLab (up to £5,000), and unLock (up to £10,000) awards
• Unlimited Space Agency (UNSA)
• The Space Shed
• The Astro Science Challenge
• The Unlimited Archives

Products and services

• unAwards
• The Unlimited Archives
• Live from The Space Shed
• The Space Shed
• The Astro Science Challenge
• The Astro Science Challenge: LIVE!
• The Ethics of Progress
• Future Bodies
• Am I Dead Yet?
• Mission to Mars
• Ancient Futures
• The Moon The Moon

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 3,500 children enrolled in The Astro Science Challenge: LIVE! during COVID lockdown
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Royal Observatory GreenwichcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Unlimited Space Agency on The Astro Science Challenge and educational content about space science for children
• Met OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in The Astro Science Challenge providing weather and climate science content for the educational programme
• Science Museum (London)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on The Astro Science Challenge and hosted Space Shed events; part of the network of UK science institutions engaged with Unlimited's programmes
• British Science AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in The Astro Science Challenge providing science education content and resources
• UK Space AgencycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClose working relationship with the UK Space Agency through the Unlimited Space Agency programme; ESA astronaut Tim Peake served as patron
• European Space AgencycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean counterpart to UK Space Agency; ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti appeared in The Astro Science Challenge: LIVE! broadcasts
• RashDashcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partner for Future Bodies (2018), a theatre production exploring biotechnologies and the future of human bodies, co-produced with HOME Manchester
• HOME ManchestercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partner for Future Bodies with RashDash and Unlimited Theatre in 2018
• UpswingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partner for Ancient Futures (2023), an Afrofuturism-inspired outdoor spectacular blending contemporary circus and storytelling with Sound System culture
• Tim Peake (ESA Astronaut)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBritish ESA astronaut served as patron of the Unlimited Space Agency, supporting the project while on board the International Space Station and providing exclusive content for The Astro Science Challenge
• Oxford University Wolfson CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJ Spooner was invited as Visiting Scholar at Oxford University's Wolfson College to collaborate with Professor Vlatko Vedral and Chiara Marletto on The Ethics of Progress project
• Polka TheatrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partner for Mission to Mars (2010) with Unlimited Theatre
• ConeycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated in creating The Astro Science Challenge originally in 2015
• Yorkshire DancecoreOthersHosts Unlimited Theatre's registered office at St Peter's Buildings in Leeds
• Anansi Theatre CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-produced Anansi The Spider project with Unlimited Theatre for women of colour to create new retellings of the Anansi Spider Story
• ARC StocktoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner venue for Anansi The Spider workshops and development
• Derby TheatrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner venue for Anansi The Spider workshops and development
• Sheffield TheatrescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost venue for R&D of the Gender Euphoric Trans Musical project led by Jamie Fletcher
• Leeds PlayhousecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partner with Jamie Fletcher's production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch
• HOMEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partner with Jamie Fletcher's production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Polka Theatre: London children's theatre that co-produced Mission to Mars (2010) with Unlimited. Directly comparable as a UK theatre producing original science-themed work for young audiences and family engagement.
• Upswing: UK contemporary circus and aerial performance company that co-produced Ancient Futures (2023) with Unlimited. Comparable as a UK producing company developing ambitious cross-genre performance with cultural institutions.
• Punchdrunk: Pioneering UK immersive theatre company behind Sleep No More and The Burnt City. Comparable in pushing theatrical form into new audience-engagement territory, though operating at a significantly larger commercial scale.
• HOME Manchester: Manchester producing theatre and arts centre that co-produced Future Bodies (2018) with Unlimited and RashDash. Comparable as a UK producing house developing cross-disciplinary work bridging science, technology, and live performance.
• Headlong Theatre: National touring theatre company producing politically and socially engaged work, often engaging with science and ethics. Comparable as a UK producing company applying contemporary science themes to live performance.
• Coney: London-based interactive theatre company pioneering playful, audience-led experiences. They co-created The Astro Science Challenge with Unlimited, making them a directly comparable collaborator in immersive sci-art theatre and participatory performance.
• ARC Stockton: Regional producing arts centre in the North East of England that hosted Anansi The Spider workshops with Unlimited. Comparable as a UK regional venue partnering with touring companies on artist development work.
• Battersea Arts Centre: London arts centre and creative incubator for experimental performance. Comparable as a UK institution supporting emerging artists and experimental work, and notably the destination of a former Unlimited producer.
• RashDash: Award-winning Sheffield/London performance company that co-produced Future Bodies (2018) with Unlimited. Comparable as a UK experimental theatre company working at the intersection of performance and emerging science/technology themes.

Broad incumbents

• Complicité: One of the UK's leading experimental theatre companies, known for science- and philosophy-inflected productions (e.g., A Disappearing Number). Comparable in spirit to Unlimited's sci-art remit, but at much greater scale and broader portfolio.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/untheatre
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCzlzAOKHhrO-vdHIdEXpXNw
• Facebookfacebook.com/untheatre
• Instagraminstagram.com/untheatre
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/unlimited-theatre

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Unlimited