About

Playing with care, compassion and curiosity to activate audiences

I'm Toby, my practice is built on the belief that play can be used to create meaningful change, and I'm passionate about work that sparks conversation and empowers agency. My practice is rooted in care, a value that was extended to me at an early age and has formed the core of my work since. I explore compassionately, seeking to better understand our humanity and world, to help modify it for the better. I'm curious, and passionately seek to better understand the systems and stories that shape our shared experience.

I’m Director at Mod - a collective of Playful Activists who use games and playable experiences to modify our world. Playful activism is a specific type of creative activism that invites audiences as participants to play, sparks moments of activation and connection towards social change.

Mod was born out of the innovative practice of interactive theatre-makers Coney, where I focused on creating work for young people and families that sparks change through play for over 10 years. It was here that I developed the playful activism practice—a methodology that holds space for people to explore their passions and channel them into meaningful action. I was with Coney until they closed in April 2025.

In 2020, I created Beyond Arts CIC, which amplifies stories of life beyond a cancer diagnosis. Our projects empower young people who've experienced cancer to find their own language to communicate their experiences, and together we're evolving the cancer narrative. This work stems from my own experience with Hodgkin's Lymphoma at 19, which initially drove me to find new ways to express often invisible experiences and has since become a foundation for helping others do the same.

Much of my personal and professional work has been inspired by the brilliance of our anatomies, and I regularly collaborate with scientists to share science-based narratives that make complex ideas accessible and engaging.

My work has been recognised through various honours including being on the BBC Performing Arts Fund 'Ones to Watch' list in 2015, completing a BBC Community Theatre Fellowship with The Old Vic, and being selected as a UK Creative Community Fellow in 2021. As a performer, my shows have toured worldwide, with my 5* show, The Eulogy of Toby Peach, reaching over 7,000 people.

I co-hosted the podcast AfterThoughts, which shared stories of young cancer experiencers in an engaging and accessible way to thousands of listeners. My work has landed in prestigious venues like The Southbank Centre and Great Ormond Street Hospital, reaching diverse audiences through both live and digital platforms.

As one of Julie's Bicycle's Creative Climate Leaders, I continue developing broader narratives that prompt action in response to the climate emergency, passionate about finding paths to a more sustainable future.

At the heart of everything I do is a commitment to care, curiosity, and compassion—creating spaces where audiences don't just observe, but actively participate in shaping the conversations that matter most.