Gallivanting to Broadway (ISBN 978-1-7779663) the remarkable, real life, mega-story of Toby who grew up in a homophobic family, jumped off a roof to save his sister, was raped by a trusted school teacher, effected changing gay rights in Australia, was evacuated from an IRA bomb plot, survived explosion of neighboring apartment in Washington, survived a London office explosion during the poll tax riots, was detained in Moscow USSR, pushed the theatre industry onto the internet, invented online ticketing, lost his office in 9/11, introduced Broadway throughout China, maintained an office at the Terracotta Warriors, a key witness in a royal commission, was first hand witness inside the rise of the Chinese superpower, unscathed in the epicenter origins of COVID-19, and in between all, fell in love, traveled the world, won a bunch of awards, and managed, marketed or produced over 230 shows from Brisbane to Broadway.

global pre-orders available in 2022

Gallivanting details my globe-trotting adventures as a theatrically ambitious gay boy from down under, in pursuit of my dream with highfalutin innovation, pioneering and luck on four continents & oceans between described in an amusing way as I achieve my dreams, and along the way, trip into fun insight behind the scenes of my theatrical world, gay life and reveal the reality of 2 decades within the real China

Gallivanting

by Toby Simkin

Gallivanting details, mostly with photos supporting, my globe-trotting adventures as a theatrically ambitious gay boy from down under, in pursuit of my dream with highfalutin innovation, pioneering and luck on four continents & oceans between described in an amusing way as I achieve my dreams, and along the way, trip into fun insight behind the scenes of my theatrical world, gay life and reveal the reality of 2 decades within the real China.

This is the remarkable, real life, mega-memoir of Toby who grew up in a homophobic military family, broke his foot jumping off a roof to save his sister, was raped by a trusted school teacher, effected changing gay rights in Australia, worked for the mafia, knocked Bob Hope to the ground, was evacuated from an IRA bomb threat and survived an explosion of neighboring apartment in Washington, rode out under an office desk during an explosion in the poll tax riots of London, was detained in Moscow USSR, pushed Broadway and the global theatre industry onto the internet, invented online ticketing and pioneered theatre streaming services, lost his office in 9/11, introduced the concept of Broadway throughout China, maintained an office at the Terracotta Warriors & Horses, was a key witness in a Royal Commission, spent 2 decades witnessing the rise and complicated contradictions of the Chinese superpower, was tear-gassed in Istanbul, came out unscathed in the epicenter origins of COVID-19, and in between all, fell in love, traveled the world, won a bunch of awards, collected teddies, rubbed shoulders with Royalty, Presidents, Prime Ministers, Generals & A-list celebrities, while he managed, marketed or produced over 230 shows from Brisbane to Broadway.

Gallivanting

Gallivanting to Broadway ISBNISBN: 978-1-7779663
ISBN: 978-1-7779663-2-4 (hardcover)
ISBN: 978-1-7779663-3-1 (paperback)
ISBN: 978-1-7779663-0-0 (ebook)
Library of Congress Control Number: 2021922574
Dewey Decimal System Call Number: 792.092

This eyeball popping, head spinning, page turner is the remarkable, real life, mega-memoir of The Other Boy from Oz telling the no-holds-barred truth in a fun theatrical way, and I was a witness to nearly all of it.”

—- DJ Wizniak

A really fun read, with an astonishing glimpse behind the scenes of so much.”

—- 黄琼 Ada Qiong

Hilarious for anyone considering a trip to China or a life in the theatre. Highly recommended”

—- David Stonebridge

An inspiring trail of self discovery and commitment to his goals.  As a Chinese citizen, his description and analysis of the real China is astonishingly accurate. I’m in awe and want more.”

—- 王怡丰 Ethan Wong

978-1-7779663

Current Chapters:

with hundreds of photos

🇬🇧 GENESIS
     🇺🇳 Military is gallivanting in my DNA
🇦🇺 THE LAND DOWN UNDER
🇺🇳 ZEST FOR GALLIVANTING
🇺🇸 THE MAGICAL LAND OF WONDERMENT
     🇺🇸 How I became an arctophile
     🇺🇸 Go West in slow drive towards to Australia
🇺🇳 SLOW BOAT TO THE LAND OF OZ
     🇦🇺 Is there a doctor in the house?
     🇦🇺 Family split
🇦🇺 MY LAST FORMAL EDUCATION
🇦🇺 ESCAPISM IN MY TEENAGE LIFE
     🇦🇺 I wanted to dig up old bones
     🇦🇺 Being camp camping in Centralia
     🇳🇨 Too many naked boobies
     🇦🇺 The Boy from Snowy River
     🇦🇺 Sporting Volunteer 0001
🇦🇺 BECOMING A THESPIAN
     🇦🇺 Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag
     🇺🇸 Sidestepping Hope for the future.
     🇦🇺 Coming out with a door slam
🇦🇺 MY TEMPORARY PIVOT AWAY FROM THEATRE
     🇦🇺 Historical perspective of an insane time
     🇸🇬 The fine art of perception
     🇦🇺 I was a (not proud) male stripper in a go-go bar
     🇦🇺 Mafia + McDonalds + Homophobia + Government
     🇦🇺 A Twisted Theatrical Twist
     🇦🇺 Falling Down the Rabbit Hole
     🇦🇺 Climbing Out of the Rabbit Hole
     🇺🇸 Ageless and evergreen
     🇦🇺 Picking myself up, dusting myself off…
     🇦🇺 All’s well that ends well
🇺🇸 HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS
🇨🇦 CANUCKLAND V.1
     🇨🇦 Inching closer to Broadway dreams
     🇨🇦 My first experience with the sleeping dragon
     🇨🇦 Meeting my dream
     🇨🇦 Giving birth to Broadway on the internet
     🇨🇦 Nepotism done well
🇬🇧 MERRY OLDE ENGLAND
     🇬🇧 Saturday, Sunday, Monday… in real life
     🇬🇧 We are such stuff as dreams are made on
     🇬🇧 Rumbling to Loch Ness & Rambling in Sheffield
     🇬🇧 A Countess, Dr. Who, a gay priest & a President…
     🇪🇸 The Spanish / Moroccan jaunt
🇨🇦 THE GREAT WHITE NORTH V.2
     🇺🇳 DJ and my first global gallivant together
     🇷🇺 To Russia via the Soviet Union
     🇨🇦 My Crystal Ball in harnessing the net
     🇨🇦 Old Bones & Relics
     🇨🇦 Opera on Steroids
     🇺🇸 Broadway’s #1 smash changing business models
🇺🇸 RETURN TO THE HOME OF THE BRAVE
🇺🇸 HI-HO, THE GLAMOROUS LIFE
     🇺🇸 Failed attempt of a sensible investment
     🇺🇳 Cruising for a sunny get-a-way
     🇺🇸 Love Reunited
     🇺🇳 Relax! Cruising Asia to go down under
     🇺🇸 San Francisco here we come
     🇦🇺 Daddy Dearest
     🇺🇸 Our world came crashing down
     🇨🇦 Merging families
🇨🇦 GRAND NORD BLANC DEUXIÈME ACTE V.3
     🇪🇺 On land and on sea
     🇺🇸 Tap Tap Tapping our troubles away
     🇨🇳 Nippon Yakuza evolved to the Red Dragon
     🇨🇦 Be Careful What You Wish For
🇨🇳 THE REAL ORIENTAL EXPRESS
     🇨🇳 Commute to (and from) Beijing
     🇨🇳 Happy Buddha in da house!
🇨🇳 PROCEED TO BEIJING, DO NOT PASS GO
🇨🇳 A COMPREHENSIVE, AUTHORITATIVE
        AND DETAILED EXPERT ANALYSIS
        OF THE STATE OF CHINESE QUALITY
        THEATRE BUSINESS
🇨🇳 CRASH COURSE IN THE REALITY OF
        CHINESE LIVE ‘ENTERTAINMENT’
     🇨🇳 Laundering Military Missile Sales
🇨🇳 MY 1ST GRAND TOUR OF CHINA
     🇨🇳 Good Concept, Bad Execution
     🇨🇳 The Birth of Shanghai Cultural Square
     🇺🇸 The Mouse that roared
🇨🇳 NEEDYLAND GREAT ESCAPE TO SHANGHAI
     🇨🇳 Very Red Tape: Visas, Licenses & Bureaucracy
     🇨🇳 80 Certificates are Needed from Birth to Death
     🇨🇳 Establishing My Chinese Company
🇨🇳 CHINA’S COMING OUT PARTY
     🇨🇳 My Mum’s coming up party
     🇨🇳 Everyone’s milestone parties
     🇨🇳 Shanghai Expo on steroids
     🇨🇳 Brainwashing Mania aka (re) education
🇨🇳 WEIRD & ECCENTRIC LIVING CONDITIONS
     🇨🇳 “It’s just a little fog”
     🇨🇳 Insane Nationalism = Brilliant Propaganda
     🇨🇳 Sharp Eyes / Social Credit / Chinternet
     🇨🇳 Local existence
     🇨🇳 Tis the season, not. Merry.
     🇨🇳 Not faked?, likely banned, increasing popularity
     🇨🇳 Overcoming 4,000 years of superstitions
🇨🇳 SHOWS, TOURS & MORE FAKERY
     🇨🇳 Keynotes to full rooms of nobody listening
     🇨🇳 Oily liars and a load of hot gas in Langfang
     🇨🇳 Miracles of Terracotta Warriors Non-Achievement
     🇨🇳 Olympic Style Circus Madness
     🇰🇷 And it’s not just Rocky in China!
     🇨🇳 But it’s mostly China: Big Bird in Flight
     🇨🇳 Greenlights to State Owned Enterprises
🇨🇳 FALLING ON DEAF EARS
🇨🇳 BRINGING ORDER FROM CHAOS
     🇺🇳 Mental Health Escapes from the Mainland
     🇪🇺 The last days of carefree luxury travel.
     🇬🇧 Driving home history in Ye Olde England
     🇺🇸 Shanghai to Hollywood for Shanghai Mousevilleland
     🇹🇷 Turkish Tea & Tear Gas
     🇵🇭 A Beached White Whale and bucket of Beer
     🇹🇭 Bangkok… And The World’s Your Oyster
     🇹🇭 Lonely Islands
     🇺🇳 Cruising through Asia, again
     🇰🇷 Between a ROK and a hard place
     🇰🇭 Put on some rouge, Khmer and be gay
     🇻🇳 Good morning, Vietnam again
     🇮🇩 Bizarrely gnarly Bali
     🇲🇿 Cruising New Zealand & Australia
     🇪🇬 The Queens visit the Valley of the Kings
🇦🇺 LIFE’S CURVEBALLS
     🇨🇳 Fear, Isolation, Observation and Patience
     🏁 Believe in Science! Off to Mars
🇨🇳 AFTERLIFE WITH A TINGE OF MADNESS
🇨🇳 A VERY CHINGLISH CURTAIN CALL
🇺🇳 PROCLAMATION FOR MY ASSASSINATION
                                                                                                   

Until the date of first edition publishing of Gallivanting,
I reserve the right to edit, change, alter or delete anything, including the title.