Arts Charity Coney Will Close in April 2025

After over fifteen years of pioneering interactive experiences to spark change through play, BAFTA-winning arts charity Coney has announced it will close in April 2025.

Founded on a vision to make the world a little lovelier, Coney has delivered innovative work at the intersection of play, art, theatre, and social change. Coney's diverse portfolio of work has ranged from intimate experiences to large-scale events to community-driven projects, always with a focus on engaging people in meaningful ways. Highlights include:

• A Small Town Anywhere: An interactive theatre show bringing together a playing audience to become citizens of a small town during the most momentous week in its history.

• Telephone: A critically-acclaimed interactive storytelling show that connected strangers during lockdown, exploring the history of telecommunications and human connectivity.

• The Golden Key: An extraordinary transformation of the City of London for one day only with a huge programme of immersive theatre, games, and performances.

• The Young Coneys Training Programme: An innovative programme for Year 5 pupils focussing on youth empowerment and social change through play.

• The Ministry of Time Travel: A series of playful immersive adventures, created for young people & families visiting The National Archives.

This news follows changes to Coney's funding structure in 2022, including the transition out of Arts Council England's National Portfolio. Since then, the charity has carefully explored various paths forward. Despite the dedication of Coney's board and team in seeking sustainable solutions, the organisation has reached the considered decision that the charity cannot continue to operate in today's challenging funding landscape. Coney also announces that co-founder and CEO Tassos Stevens has departed the organisation by mutual agreement in December 2024, after fifteen years, to pursue new creative ventures.