Coney’s journey comes to a close

Coney has always been an adventure. A game with unexpected twists; a curious puzzle waiting to be solved. And now, after more than fifteen years of creating interactive theatre and experiences, it’s time for the final chapter. The landing team is at the controls, preparing to bring this mischief-making, joy-sparking collective in for a smooth landing.

Coney’s story began on a moonlit Valentine’s night in 2006, along the banks of the Thames. This adventure sparked a secretive network of theatre-makers weaving a mystery through the corridors of the National Theatre, soon growing into something bigger, bolder, and more surprising than they could have imagined.

This group called themselves Coney, an old word for rabbit, inspired by Coney Communications, a fictional PR company that secured them passes for that first show. Little did they know that rabbit would become Coney’s symbolic guide – the spirit of curiosity and playfulness that would shape everything to come.

Not long after, The Gold Bug – a six-month adventure unfolding both online and within the world of Punchdrunk’s transformative Masque of the Red Death at Battersea Arts Centre – brought Coney greater attention and built a thriving community of loyal players.

Social change at its heart

Coney has always had social change at its heart, crafting interactive experiences that offer people the chance to play, connect and make the world a little lovelier. We’ve designed bespoke games for individuals, city-wide adventures for thousands, and experiences that sparked moments of real transformation.

Whether building resilience, igniting community action, or just making people smile, our work was always driven by the idea that play has the power to change things.

From We The People, a community-driven game show celebrating local distinctiveness in locations ranging from Margate to Manila, to A Lovely Intervention, where play and gift-giving helped life play better for clients of Wandsworth Probation Service – we’ve always sought to foster meaningful moments.

We’ve taken audiences on journeys through city streets with immersive smartphone experiences inspired by untold stories. Our Ends & Tales series offered community-rooted adventures uncovering the hidden histories that surround us; Adventure 1 unravelled our relationship with financial systems and crisis; The Golden Key transformed the City of London into an immersive playground of theatre, games, and performance for more than 32,000 people.

Supporting young people to become agents of change

Our theatrical productions always endeavoured to spark memorable conversations about power, history and social change. From one of our earliest pieces – A Small Town Anywhere – which cast a playing audience as citizens of a small town on the cusp of big change.

More recently, 1884 explored anti-colonial resistance through game-theatre. We’ve also woven interactive storytelling into heritage sites across the country, working with The National Archives, The National Trust, and Kensington Palace to bring challenging histories to life in playful, accessible ways.

As well as all this, working for, by and with young people has long been a core strand of our work. From the early days of A Cat Escapes to The Droves to newer projects like The Young Coneys Training Programme and the Undercover CareTaker Agency (UCA) in our home borough of Tower Hamlets, to The Climate Agency Box (our collaboration with Greenpeace), we’ve supported thousands of young people in becoming agents of change in their communities.

From school boards to car industry dinners, our Playful Activism approach has ensured that young voices are heard in the places that matter.

Undercover CareTaker Agency. Photo: Ross Kernahan

The best adventures must end

But even the best adventures must sometimes come to an end. Transitioning out of Arts Council England’s National Portfolio in 2022 led us to a difficult crossroad, dealing a significant blow to our sustainability.

Despite our small but mighty team’s best efforts to find new paths forward, the changing funding landscape proved too rocky to comfortably navigate. And so, we decided that this is the right moment to bring Coney’s journey to a close.

Since announcing the news last December, we’ve been deeply moved by the outpouring of messages. It’s been humbling to hear from our community about the impact Coney has had — whether sparking creativity, forging connections, providing a way into the arts, or leaving lasting memories of a show.

The response has reminded us how special the work has been to so many, and the ripple effects of what we’ve made together will carry on. One message from a community member sums it up beautifully:

“You have been the pioneers! The people I looked to in the earliest days of making interactive theatre, and the people I was proudest to work with (…) The legacy will live on, but I’m so sad the world can’t enable Coney to keep making its magic.”

Not goodbye

But as a rabbit always finds a new warren, so too will many of our projects. 1884 will continue under Koro, a new venture founded by former senior producer Marie Klimis (watch out for details of an upcoming tour). The Undercover CareTaker Agency will move to the brilliant KIT Theatre, and our Playful Activism Toolkit with Greenpeace is seeking new partnerships.

Tassos Stevens, one of Coney’s founders, is planning to open a new CIC in Gloucester that puts local people first. Associate director Toby Peach’s new venture, MOD, will carry forward our Playful Activism approach to socially engaged games and experiences.

So this is not goodbye – it’s simply the end of this particular game. To every artist, audience member, partner, player and co-conspirator who has joined us on this adventure: thank you. You have made this journey extraordinary. And though Coney as an organisation may be landing, the playfulness, curiosity and changemaking we’ve nurtured will continue soaring in all of you. Please keep playing – wherever the game takes you next.

The Coney team, signing off.