Finn is a director, actor and puppeteer who trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
As Gyre & Gimble, work includes: co-director/puppet designer of The Four Seasons: A Reimagining (Shakespeare’s Globe), The Hartlepool Monkey (UK tour) and The Elephantom (National Theatre & West End). As well as co-designer/director of puppetry for The Grinning Man (Bristol Old Vic & West End), The Lorax (Old Vic) and Running Wild (Chichester Festival Theatre, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre & UK Tour).
Other work includes: director of puppetry/movement for Angels in America (National Theatre & Broadway), The Light Princess (National Theatre), War Horse (West End & Internationally), Groundhog Day (Old Vic & Broadway), The Bear (Pins & Needles), The Tempest (Birmingham Royal Ballet), Alice’s Adventures Underground (Les Enfants Terribles), Ariodante (Aix Festival & Dutch National Opera), Dream Space (The Globe), Rubies in the Attic (Riverside Studios), Tom Thumb (Edinburgh Festival & Tour -Fringe First Award winner) and Shrek the Musical (West End). Work as director includes: David Walliams’ First Hippo on the Moon (Les Petits Theatre Co.) and Lardo (Old Red Lion).
As a performer, Finn appeared in Saint Joan, War Horse, Or You Could Kiss Me and Punchdrunk’s Every Good Boy Deserves Favour (National Theatre), Hamlet and Julius Caesar (Royal Shakespeare Company), Complicite’s A Dog’s Heart (La Scala, Dutch National Opera, ENO), Blind Summit’s Lowlife (LIMF), Madam Butterfly (ENO and Metropolitan Opera), Brighton Rock (Almeida), Elephant (BAC), Antigone (Old Vic) and Macbeth (Albery). Films include Alice (Ruby Films) and The Suicide Brothers.
Finn has taught at schools, colleges and universities both nationally and internationally, as well as numerous theatre institutions including: National Theatre Learning, RSC, Chichester festival Theatre, Barbican, Almeida, RADA, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, Italia Conti, East 15 and ALRA.
Toby is a director, designer and performer who trained in puppetry at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.
As Gyre & Gimble, work includes: co-director/puppet designer of The Four Seasons: A Reimagining (Shakespeare’s Globe), The Hartlepool Monkey (UK tour) and The Elephantom (National Theatre & West End). As well as co-designer/director of puppetry for The Grinning Man (Bristol Old Vic & West End) and Running Wild (Chichester Festival Theatre, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre & UK Tour).
Other work includes: puppetry designer/director of Pinocchio, Peter Pan, The Light Princess and Hansel & Gretel (National Theatre), Don Quixote (Royal Shakespeare Company), Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (Royal Ballet), The Wind in the Willows (Royal Opera House & West End), Disney’s new staging of The Little Mermaid (in Holland, Moscow & Tokyo), The Secret Garden (Sarasota Ballet), Little Shop of Horrors (Manchester Royal Exchange), Goodnight Mister Tom (UK tour & West End) and A Christmas Carol, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Firework-Maker’s Daughter and Peter Pan (Chichester Festival Theatre).
He was the hind puppeteer of Joey in the original production of War Horse (National Theatre) before moving to Joey’s head for the subsequent West End transfer. On leaving the show as a performer he was made an associate puppetry director. Other work as a puppeteer includes: Venus and Adonis (Royal Shakespeare Company), National Theatre: 50 Years on Stage (BBC One), The Homeless Polar Bear (Greenpeace campaign film), Mongrels (BBC Three), Hospitalworks (Theatre-Rites) and Angelo (Little Angel Theatre).
Toby has taught and lectured at a number of institutions including: Barbican, Bristol Festival of Puppetry, Chichester Festival Theatre, Curious School of Puppetry, National Theatre Learning, Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, Victoria & Albert Museum and Wimbledon School of Art. He also hosted his own puppet making segment on Blue Peter, earning a silver Blue Peter badge in the process.