Toby Simkin (Chinese: 沈途彬; pinyin: Shen Tu Bin, 21 April 1964 – 7 April 2024) was an English theatrical producer and impresario most notable for his work on Broadway and off-Broadway and in London's West End. From 2004, he worked throughout China, living in Shanghai developing a national theatre network and producing films and musicals for import and export.
Toby Simkin | |
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 Simkin in 2008 | |
| Born | 21 April 1964 Chalfont St Giles, England |
| Died | 7 April 2024 (aged 59) Shanghai, China |
| Occupation(s) | Impresario, businessman |
| Known for | Producing Broadway, West End & web pioneering |
| Website | tobysimkin |
| Toby Simkin | |||||||
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| Simplified Chinese | 沈途彬 | ||||||
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Early life
editSimkin was born on 21 April 1964 in Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire, England. His father was Australian Brigadier General M.B. Simkin, CBE, KStJ (died 2003) and his mother was Irene Simkin. Along with his three siblings, Simkin was raised in Australia in a military family, that later became a diplomatic family; Simkin lived in many countries experiencing different cultures, and was educated in Washington D.C. and Brisbane, Australia. In childhood, he wanted to be an archaeologist. He started in theatre in the early 1980s, winning the Elizabeth Bequest Scholarship[1] in Australia. He produced and directed his first show at the age of 18, The Long and the Short and the Tall.[2]
Career
editBroadway
editOn Broadway, his producing credits include the Tony Award winning Long Day's Journey into Night (starring Vanessa Redgrave, Brian Dennehy and Philip Seymour Hoffman); I Am My Own Wife (starring Jefferson Mays);[3] Death of a Salesman (starring Brian Dennehy)[4] plus The Crucible (starring Liam Neeson and Laura Linney); Marc Salem's Mind Games; The Price; and Victor/Victoria (starring Dame Julie Andrews).
Simkin was a member of the League of American Theatres and Producers.
Off Broadway
editOff-Broadway, he was Executive Producer of Savion Glover's NYC and national tours of Improvography I & II, Classical Savion, Matt & Ben, Savion at the Rialto and for Celebrity's Constellation in Europe, Batir, A Hot Minute (both directed/choreographed by Wayne Cilento), An American Canteen in Paris, and Spotlight Broadway.[5]
West End
editOn the West End/London his producing credits include, The Female of the Species (starring Eileen Atkins)[6] I Am My Own Wife (starring Jefferson Mays);,[3] and Death of a Salesman (starring Brian Dennehy).[4] His other production credits include Blood Brothers (starring Stephanie Lawrence), Damn Yankees (starring Jerry Lewis), Rent, Side Man, and Václav Havel's Temptation (starring Rula Lenska and Sylvester McCoy).
International
editAround the world, other production and producing credits included producing the New Year's Eve engagement of Plácido Domingo, José Carreras and Luciano Pavarotti in The Three Tenors (Vancouver); Relatively Speaking (Washington D.C.); and in Canada, Driving Miss Daisy; Something in the Air, Blood Brothers; Connie Francis; The Ecstasy of Rita Joe; Damn Yankees (starring Davis Gaines); Arsenic and Old Lace; Love Letters (starring Victor Garber and Kate Nelligan); Godspell reunion and the Tribute to Gilda Radner (with Paul Shaeffer, John Candy, Martin Short, Andrea Martin, Marvin Hamlisch and Dave Thomas for CBC TV); Forever Plaid and the Shanghai Ballet's Tour of The White Haired Girl. In China, 42nd Street and Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida; in Australia, over 40 productions, for many companies.
Simkin managed marketing and produced numerous shows for Microsoft. Other industrials include the SkyDome Opening Ceremonies; Volkswagen EuroVan Launch; Toronto Arts Awards and The Dinosaur World Tour.
Theatrical broadcasts
editIn March 1997, Simkin partnered with Microsoft to produce the first livestreamed Broadway show, the opening night of Annie. Subsequent broadcasts were made of Les Misérables, Jerry Lewis's Damn Yankees (from London) and others.[7] Simkin's company, Buy Broadway, went public in 1998 and he sold it in 2000, becoming vice-president of the Broadway Television Network.[8]
Later life and death
editSimkin controlled worldwide rights to various film and stage properties, including the motion picture USD $14 million budgeted film[9] "The Sacrifice of Yang GuiFei" (based on the story of Yang GuiFei) along with "Tea 4 Two" and "The Great Big Chinese Show".[10]
Simkin died at his home in Shanghai on 7 April 2024, at the age of 59.[11][12]
References
edit- ^ The Courier Mail
- ^ The Courier Mail
- ^ a b I Am My Own Wife Official Site
- ^ a b Death of a Salesman Official Site
- ^ Nederlander Worldwide Entertainment
- ^ The Female of the Specifies Official Site
- ^ The New York Times, March 26, 1997
- ^ Small Business Computing Magazine, March 1, 2000, by Doug Gantenbein
- ^ Screen Daily, 5 March 2009
- ^ The Sacrifice of Yang GuiFei website
- ^ Paterra, Sidney (9 April 2024). "International Producer and Industry Pioneer Toby Simkin Passes Away at 59". Broadway World. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
- ^ "Toby Simkin obituary: First theatre producer to livestream a Broadway show". The Times. 22 April 2024. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
