A theatrical group from the Petersfield area is in mourning following the death of a much-loved member.

Gemma Burges had barely started school when she first graced the stage with the Lion & Unicorn Players, based in Sheet.

The “feisty, fun and brave” thespian appeared in some of the group’s most cherished productions over the years.

The mother and drama teacher was just 36 when she died suddenly in June at home in Guildford.

Her godmother, Jill Hancock, encouraged Gemma’s theatrical talents after taking her to a matinee in the mid 1990s and going backstage, with the cast cajoling the pair into going onstage for a crowd scene to make up numbers.

Gemma was around 13 when she got her second role, playing a maid called Suzette in the 2004 production of Tartuffe.

While she had no lines, she was delighted to have her name on the cast list and she later bagged a place in five out of ten scenes in the 2007 “A Pageant for Petersfield”.

Gemma Burges Dracula Lion Unicorn
Alongside the late Robby Smith in the 2014 production of Count Dracula (Lion & Unicorn Players)

Performances in Much Ado About Nothing, The Razzle, The Government Inspector and Raise A Laugh showed her versatility, but 2014 was perhaps a high point, with her “very good” stint in Count Dracula being followed by two roles in The Canterbury Tales.

Her last roles were Norns in the touring production of Beuwulf and the 2017 lead as Nell Gwyn in Playhouse Creatures. She was superb, but a move away meant she could no longer act with a group she loved so dearly.

“Gem was a great actress because she took her craft seriously,” said Kat Wootton, who directed Gemma and acted alongside her in Playhouse Creatures.

“I like to think she's now sitting up in the heavens with our other L&U faithfuls - Robby Smith and David Francombe - talking theatre and remembering some glorious after-show parties."