Gemma Thomas, a Technical Theatre lecturer at Gower College Swansea, has embarked on an exciting, slightly chilly adventure this month. A stage management expert, Gemma has secured a contract to work as a senior stage manager for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Winter Olympics which will be held from 7 to 23 February in Sochi, Russia. She is currently rehearsing the ceremonies over four large scale rehearsal venues, and the main stadium.
A former student with the college, Gemma graduated from RADA and has since gone on to work on huge productions, including Billy Elliott in London’s West End, The National Theatre of Wales’ production of The Passion which was staged in Port Talbot and starred Michael Sheen, and Ultimate Broadway in Shanghai. Most notably, perhaps, she was one of the stage managers behind the famous opening ceremony of the London Olympics in 2012, directed by Danny Boyle, and the Paralympics opening ceremony.
David Lloyd-Jones, Learning Area Manager for the Performing Arts and Music, commented: “My Learning Area is fortunate in having a number of highly skilled staff who are sought after in their area of expertise, Gemma being one of them. This is a really exciting opportunity, not only for Gemma to broaden her experience within such a prestigious international context, but also for our Technical Theatre students to benefit from her involvement with such a global event, giving them an insight into the very latest techniques and contemporary practice in stage management.”