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Act II The Story

Twenty-nine years.
Six scenes.

A career in live entertainment, told the way it happened: sideways, one scene at a time.

Scene I

1997

Centrestage begins.

Gary and Tanya Hemmings start a live entertainment company in Port Elizabeth with a phone, a diary and a firm belief that the Eastern Cape deserved better nights out. The first shows are small. The ambitions are not.

Illustrative theatre programmes and production notes
The first act

Scene II

The early years.

Rehearsals in borrowed halls. Touring shows up and down the coast. Corporate functions where the brief was “make it fun” and the budget was “less than that”. And a growing family of Eastern Cape musicians who kept saying yes.

Illustrative still life of theatre programmes and cue sheets
Creative portrait of Gary directing a rehearsal
  • rehearsals
  • touring
  • corporate shows
  • musicians

Scene III

200+ productions later.

Tributes, cabaret, comedy, dinner theatre, Christmas shows and things that don’t fit in a category. Posters were printed. Walls were pasted. Some of them are probably still up.

See the evidence →
The Beatles Tribute - 2003, Port ElizabethLadies of Rock - 2012, Port ElizabethCountry Through the Ages - 2018, Gqeberha & East LondonLegends of Swing - 2001, Port ElizabethA Night at the Musicals - 2006, East LondonComedy at Baywest - 2025, Centrestage@BaywestThe Big Band Christmas - 2009, Port ElizabethQueen: The Tribute - 2014, Port Elizabeth

Scene IV · 2020

And then the world closed.

So Gary started talking to people.

1Gino Fabbri
14The Jazz Pianist
27The Rugby Coach
39The Restaurateur
52The Radio Presenter
68The Tattoo Artist
81The Magician
96The Headmaster
110The Surf Photographer
124The Opera Singer
139The Bookshop Owner
153The Drag Artist
171The Rally Driver
188The Chef
204The Ballet Teacher
219The Boxer
237The Lifeboat Volunteer
256The Puppeteer
Gino’s Spot · 450 conversations and counting →

Scene V · 2024

Centrestage@Baywest.

September 2024. Centrestage teams up with Lineout Productions and opens a permanent, fully-equipped stage in Gqeberha: 500 seats cinema-style, 320 for dinner theatre, a 9.6 × 4.8 m stage, a proper rig and a bar. A room built for the shows, instead of the other way around.

Twenty-seven years to get a permanent address. Some people take longer.

Centrestage@Baywest stage and dinner-theatre seating under blue lights
Centrestage@Baywest
An audience seated at tables watching a speaker at Centrestage@Baywest
Red upholstered chairs beneath ornate mirrors at Centrestage@Baywest

Scene VI · Now

Today.

Still producing. Still interviewing. Still writing about the people who make entertainment happen in the Eastern Cape, and still programming a room he waited twenty-seven years for.

  • InterviewsGino’s Spot keeps recording. Nearly 450 conversations, and nobody has run out of things to say.Conversations
  • WritingLong-form interviews with comedians, musicians and performers for The Herald.Press
  • The venueProgramming, producing and occasionally sweeping Centrestage@Baywest.Shows
  • NextUnder wraps - a phrase Gary uses to mean “not yet written down”.Hear him out

The next act is currently being written.