Biografia
In the 1970s, Toby trained at the Jacques Lecoq School in Paris, where he founded The Moving Picture Mime Show, which became a global pioneer in physical theatre. He received the 2008 Olivier Award for Director of Movement and Horse Choreographer for War Horse, in which he also played Ted Narracott in the original production. Toby has an extensive international and UK theatre career primarily as an actor, performing with the RSC, Chichester Festival Theatre, the Royal Exchange, and the National Theatre. With Théâtre de Complicité, he performed in and co-created several productions, including Help I'm Alive, The Noise of Time, Light, and The Master & Margarita. He portrayed Harpo Marx in Animal Crackers and appeared in The Play What I Wrote, both in the West End. His film appearances include Vacuums by Stomp, Laissez Passer by Bertrand Tavernier, and The Last Planet directed by Terrence Malick in 2019. Toby's movement direction has been showcased worldwide: The 39 Steps (West End, Broadway, Japan, Russia, Korea, Australia, Europe), War Horse productions in New York, Toronto, Berlin, Australia, and UK and North American tours; A Dog's Heart (De Nederlandse Opera, La Scala, Opéra National de Lyon, English National Opera); Il Barbiere di Siviglia (Glyndebourne); Fanny and Alexander (Old Vic); Tintin (Barbican Theatre); and Swallows and Amazons (Bristol Old Vic), among others. He directed The Mill for Ockham's Razor at The Royal Opera House and on a prominent UK tour, and co-directed The Hudsucker Proxy with Simon Dormandy. Toby collaborated with Danny Boyle as Director of Movement and Choreographer for the 'Industrial Revolution' and 'The Green and Pleasant Land' segments of the London 2012 Olympics. He served as Director of Movement for Boyle’s National Theatre production of Frankenstein and appeared in Boyle's film 28 Days Later. His inventive choreography is also featured in Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang, directed by Susannah White. In 2017, he was Director of Movement for the film Stan and Ollie, directed by Jon S Baird and starring Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly, and in 2021 for Pistol, directed by Danny Boyle, about the 1970s punk band the Sex Pistols. The London Mime Festival 2021 commissioned a short film featuring Toby as Bernard Knowes, a character he created during lockdown.
