Gemma Marinus (Stageworx)
Bio
Gemma has worked in the entertainment industry for over 25 years, starting her career as a performer, she then moved to mentoring and teaching young performers (Stageworx School Of Performing Arts), Producing Stage Shows (Born To Perform) and booking and creating bespoke entertainment for a variety of corporate, marketing and entertainment venues.
Originally from the UK, in her performance career Gemma performed in a variety of musicals both internationally and nationally including, Mama Mia, Boys In A Photograph, My Fair Lady, Hairspray, Jesus Christ Superstar and the ABBA show. She has worked with artists such as Robbie Williams and Gerri Halliwell and has toured the globe as a musical theatre artist, vocalist and dancer.
Gemma has a passion for the development of arts education in South Africa and has been responsible for the implementation of the Trinity London College Examinations in SA and regularly consults with them on the syllabus. She is the owner and principal of Stageworx School Of Performing Arts which prides itself as the leader in arts education in South Africa.
Gemma is also the CEO of The Born To Perform NPC, which has produced over 6 full-scale productions, the most recent being the “SHINE” show at the Montecasino Teatro, which won the 2019 award for most entertaining stage show and highlighted young upcoming talent in South Africa alongside celebrity featured entertainment. The foundation has provided scholarships and bursaries for training in the arts for many upcoming performers that otherwise would not be able to follow this career path. She has also produced productions for the Johannesburg Youth Orchestra, Gold Reef City, Montecasino, The Roodepoort Theatre to name a few. Her vision is to spread the importance of arts education for the youth and assist in building the foundations for viable arts related business models in South Africa. In 2021 Gemma will be releasing her first book on navigating a career in the entertainment industry and is currently studying an MBA in Educational Leadership.