What Coney does

Coney was a UK-registered charity (no. 1156864) and company limited by guarantee (no. 06713686) that, between 2006 and April 2025, designed and produced interactive theatre, games, and participatory experiences intended to spark social change. Headquartered at Toynbee Studios, 28 Commercial Street, London, the organisation operated with a small core team (approximately six people based on a Clore Fellowship placement description) and delivered work across two main formats: bespoke interactive projects commissioned by cultural institutions, heritage organisations, schools, and government bodies (e.g., Historic Royal Palaces, Imperial War Museums Duxford, The National Archives, English Heritage, National Trust, Natural History Museum, Channel 4 Education, Greenpeace UK, Wellcome Trust, NERC), and freely accessible programmes aimed at children and young people such as The Young Coneys Training Programme, The Undercover CareTaker Agency, and The Playful Activism Toolbox.

The company's core technology was the proprietary Magic Phone Platform, a mobile-phone-based delivery system that guided participants through scripted interactive adventures and was used in projects such as The Shadow of the Future, where students were directed by an in-world 'Professor' character to play through Cold War scenarios. Coney's design methodology centred on a 'minimum fiction' approach that stitched story onto real-world observational detail, combined with an explicit Playful Activism framework (developed by Associate Director Toby Peach) for catalysing social change with young audiences. Its product portfolio spanned immersive theatrical productions (1884, A Small Town Anywhere, Early Days), heritage-based smartphone adventures (House of Cards at Kensington Palace, Watching the House at Marble Hill House, Ends & Tales), curriculum-linked educational games (the BAFTA-winning Nightmare High, 2012), and large-scale public interventions (The Golden Key in the City of London, reaching 32,000+ participants).

Coney's revenue model was that of a non-profit arts charity: core funding as part of Arts Council England's National Portfolio (until 2022, after which it transitioned out), supplemented by project commissions from cultural and educational clients, donations, crowdfunding campaigns (e.g., Kickstarter for THE NEWS and A Game of Legacy), and modest product sales. Approximately 80% of activities were delivered free in order to maximise reach and mission impact. Following the loss of National Portfolio funding in 2022 and an increasingly challenging UK arts funding environment, Coney ceased operations in April 2025; the website now serves as an archive until April 2027, after which the digital archive will be held by the University of Bristol Theatre Collection, and key projects have been transferred to successor organisations Koro, Mod, Lovely Everywhere CIC, and KIT Theatre.

Name

Coney

Legal name

Coney Ltd

Website

https://coneyhq.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Closed

Short description

Coney was a UK charity and interactive theatre company (2006–April 2025) that designed and produced commissioned participatory games, immersive theatre, and mobile-driven adventures for cultural institutions, schools, heritage sites, and young audiences seeking social change through play.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Interactive Theatre and Participatory Experience Design

NAICS

All Other Amusement and Recreation Industries (71399), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Theatre & Storytelling Festivals (MPAGAEAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Educational & Youth Community Events (School/Youth Festivals) (MPAGAEAM), Cultural Heritage & Traditional Festivals (Folk, Ethnic, Indigenous) (MPAGAEAB)

Keywords

• Interactive theatre productions
• Educational game development
• Heritage interpretation experiences
• Youth engagement programmes
• Participatory experience design

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Arts Council England National Portfolio Funding: Coney was a registered charity that received core funding as part of Arts Council England's National Portfolio. They transitioned out of the National Portfolio in 2022, which was described as dealing a significant blow to their sustainability.
2. Project Commissions: Coney created commissioned projects for cultural institutions, heritage organisations, schools, and government bodies. Projects included work with Historic Royal Palaces, The National Archives, Imperial War Museums, Greenpeace, Channel 4 Education, and various local authorities.
3. Donations and Crowdfunding: As a charity, Coney received donations and ran crowdfunding campaigns such as Kickstarter for specific projects like THE NEWS card game and A Game of Legacy.
4. Product Sales: Occasional sales of physical products such as THE NEWS card game created by the Young Coneys, and A Game of Legacy.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Coney created bespoke interactive theatre, games, and participatory experiences for cultural institutions, heritage organisations, schools, and festivals. Their portfolio spanned immersive theatrical productions, digital educational adventures, heritage interpretation experiences, youth empowerment programmes, and climate education tools, with approximately 80% of activities delivered free of charge. Each project was designed and delivered as a commissioned work combining live performance with digital elements via their proprietary Magic Phone Platform.

Product overview

Coney was a UK-based charity and interactive theatre company that created innovative experiences at the intersection of play, art, theatre, and social change. Their portfolio included immersive theatrical productions (such as 1884, A Small Town Anywhere, Early Days), digital educational games (Nightmare High, SuperMe), heritage-based adventures (House of Cards, The Golden Key, Ends & Tales), and youth-focused programmes (The Undercover CareTaker Agency, The Young Coneys Training Programme, The Playful Activism Toolbox). The company operated their proprietary Magic Phone Platform to deliver interactive mobile experiences. All work was designed to spark change through play and meaningful social impact. Coney ceased operations in April 2025.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 1884 An anti-colonial immersive game-theatre show commissioned for cultural venues, exploring overlooked anti-colonial resistance movements through collaborative gameplay for adult audiences.
• A Small Town Anywhere An immersive theatre experience where strangers become citizens of a fictional town, exploring tribalism, community conflict, and hidden secrets through audience participation, designed for adult and family audiences.
• Early Days (Of A Better Nation) An interactive show for 60 participants rebuilding a fictional nation after civil war, navigating democracy and collective decision-making challenges in real time.
• Nightmare High A BAFTA-winning digital adventure for young teenagers exploring resilience through big life transitions, particularly the leap from primary to secondary school, commissioned by Channel 4 Education.
• The Golden Key A large-scale one-day immersive event transforming a city centre with theatre, games, and performance for tens of thousands of participants, designed for city-wide public engagement.
• House of Cards An interactive installation and performance at Kensington Palace exploring the history of the House of Stuart and House of Hanover through choose-your-own-adventure storytelling, commissioned by Historic Royal Palaces.
• The Island A participatory experience sparking conversations around collective responsibility in the face of the climate crisis, designed for public audiences and environmental engagement.
• Ends & Tales A series of immersive smartphone adventures inspired by untold stories and hidden histories in communities, delivered via the Magic Phone Platform for heritage and cultural venues.
• The Undercover CareTaker Agency A series of teacher-led interactive adventures designed to spark important conversations in primary school classrooms, delivered free as part of schools programmes.
• The Young Coneys Training Programme Free workshops for Year 5 classes focusing on youth empowerment and social change, delivered in partnership with schools in Tower Hamlets and other boroughs.
• The Playful Activism Toolbox A collaboration with Greenpeace UK offering secondary school students creative tools to take meaningful climate action at their school, designed for educators and climate-focused organisations.
• The Ministry of Time Travel A series of adventures created at The National Archives for young people and families, using smartphone-based interactive storytelling to bring archives to life.
• Watching the House A smartphone adventure exploring the colonial history of Marble Hill House, created in partnership with English Heritage for heritage site visitors.
• We The People (of this place) A multi-part community-driven project sparking conversation and celebrating local distinctiveness, designed for local authorities and community organisations.
• The Shadow of the Future An interactive game for Key Stage 4 history students about the Cold War, guided by an in-world Professor via the Magic Phone Platform, designed to be played inside the American Air Museum at Imperial War Museums Duxford.
• Let's Talk About Climate Change A card game commissioned by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) in partnership with the Natural History Museum, designed to facilitate conversations about climate change for general audiences.

Quantifiable outcome

• 32,000+ participants in single event (The Golden Key)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ModcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2025Mod, founded by Toby Peach (Associate Director 2020-2025), became home to Coney's Playful Activism approach. Several school projects including The Playful Activism Toolbox and Undercover CareTaker Agency continue through Mod in partnership with KIT Theatre.
• Lovely EverywherecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2025Lovely Everywhere is a new CIC launched by Tassos Stevens (Coney co-founder and former CEO 2006-2024), continuing Coney's mission of social change through play in Gloucester and the South West region.
• KIT TheatrecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2025KIT Theatre (led by Coney co-founder Tom Bowtell) took on The Undercover CareTaker Agency, continuing this interactive programme for primary schools.
• University of Bristol Theatre CollectionminorOthers · 1 April 2025Coney donated their digital archive to the University of Bristol Theatre Collection for long-term preservation and accessibility. The collection will be catalogued and made available to researchers.
• KorocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2024Koro, founded by Marie Klimis (Coney's former Senior Producer 2022-2024), took on two significant Coney projects: 1884 and Watching the House. These interactive experiences continue under Marie's stewardship, carrying forward Coney's methodologies.
• Greenpeace UKcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Collaboration on The Playful Activism Toolbox offering secondary school students creative tools to take meaningful climate action. Also collaborated on Codename Violet project where the Young Coneys created interventions at a motor industry event.
• University of Kent's Institute of Cultural and Creative IndustriesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Collaboration on game-making project with young people in Chatham, creating games based on local history for the upcoming Docking Station creative technologies hub.
• Natural History MuseumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Commissioned COMPANION: MOON for the Museum of the Moon exhibition. Also partnered with NERC on the How We Save The World project including Let's Talk About Climate Change.
• Imperial War Museums DuxfordcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Commissioned Coney to create The Shadow of the Future, an interactive Cold War game for Key Stage 4 students, designed to be played inside the American Air Museum.
• Historic Royal PalacescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Historic Royal Palaces commissioned Coney to create House of Cards at Kensington Palace, exploring the history of the House of Stuart and House of Hanover. This was a major partnership that transformed visitor engagement with the palace.
• Somethin' ElsecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Multiple collaborations on educational digital projects including SuperMe, Truth Specs, and Nightmare High. Somethin' Else led these commissions from Channel 4 Education with Coney as a key creative partner.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Punchdrunk: UK pioneer of immersive theatre (Sleep No More, The Drowned Man). Coney's first major project, The Gold Bug (2006-07), was staged within Punchdrunk's Masque of the Red Death at Battersea Arts Centre, making Punchdrunk the most directly comparable UK peer in immersive/participatory performance.
• Improbable Theatre: Devised theatre company creating participatory, often game-structured performances (e.g. Games for May, Animo). Highly comparable to Coney in blending audience participation with social/communal themes at the intersection of play and theatre.
• Tangled Feet: London-based participatory and immersive theatre company producing interactive performances and large-scale public events. Closely comparable to Coney in format (immersive public activation) and audience engagement model.
• Stan's Cafe: Birmingham-based theatre company known for innovative, immersive and participatory work (e.g. The Cardinals, Of All The People In All The World). Comparable to Coney in creating experiences where audiences become active participants and exploring serious themes through accessible formats.
• Emergency Exit Arts: London-based participatory arts charity producing large-scale outdoor events, community projects and immersive experiences. Comparable to Coney in non-profit structure, participatory methodology, and city-scale public activations like The Golden Key.
• SHUNT: London immersive theatre collective known for site-specific, audience-participatory productions in disused spaces. Directly comparable to Coney in immersive theatre format and London-based experimental performance scene.
• ANU Productions: Dublin-based immersive theatre company producing site-specific, participatory work often addressing contested history and social themes (e.g. The Boys of Foley Street). Directly comparable to Coney's heritage-interpretation and social-change immersive work such as 1884.

Broad incumbents

• Battersea Arts Centre: Major London arts venue and commissioner of experimental participatory work. Hosted Coney's The Gold Bug within Punchdrunk's Masque of the Red Death, making BAC a comparable commissioning venue for immersive/participatory experiences.
• Polka Theatre: London children's theatre producing interactive shows and creative learning programmes for young audiences. Comparable to Coney in the children/young-people arts engagement space, though operating as a venue rather than a touring participatory producer.

Emerging players

• KIT Theatre: Theatre company led by Coney co-founder Tom Bowtell that has taken over The Undercover CareTaker Agency. Directly comparable as it inherits Coney's primary-school interactive methodology and represents the direct successor in that niche.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks3 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/agencyofconey
• Facebookfacebook.com/coneyhq
• Instagraminstagram.com/agencyofconey
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/coney-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Coney