After the magnificent Chinese-inspired performance, ‘From Whence We Came: The Chinese Experience’, which captivated audiences of hundreds last week, veteran theatre practitioner and producer Gem Madhoo-Nascimento has announced her plans to undertake more productions showcasing other ethnicities in Guyana.
She also shed light on the strenuous process involved in creating such large-scale ethnic productions. This groundbreaking performance, staged over multiple nights, required more than six months of rehearsals to bring to life.
The show, jam-packed and deeply resonating, featured the story of Chinese immigrants who came to British Guiana. It showcased what they encountered, how they related to other ethnicities, the intermarriages that occurred, and the contributions they made to culture, such as their cuisine. It also highlighted outstanding Chinese professionals in various fields, including law, medicine, and aviation.
A notable feature of the production was its emphasis on the Chinese Dragon, a significant symbol in Chinese culture. The dragon, or Loong, represents strength, good fortune and protection, and is associated with masculine energy and the element of yang. This production attracted many individuals of Chinese descent from different parts of Asia, as well as diplomats and other notable attendees.
Theatre for education
Details about the challenges behind this show were relayed by veteran theatre practitioner Gem Madhoo-Nascimento during its recent staging at the National Cultural Centre.
According to Madhoo, the main objective of this production was to educate the Guyanese diaspora, especially young people, about the Chinese experience in Guyana through theatre.
“My main aim is really to educate the young people, because history is not a subject that you find a lot of people talk about, and children are interested in TikTok. So, I hope I can change that in some way. That is the reason why I’m doing a Chinese show first, because they were there to sponsor it and take me along,” she stated to rounds of applause.
Madhoo further explained that the idea for this production was first presented to her in 2009 by a late historian, but it could not proceed at the time because funding was lacking.
However, years later, in 2023, while revisiting old research materials, she felt compelled to bring the project to life as part of her lasting contributions to theatre.
“…and at the time when I gave her a casting to do it — because it’s not an easy production; you have to do research and all of that into it — they couldn’t find the funding. And then, in 2023, I was going through some of my books and I found all these books I had bought because I was so keyed up about doing this production. And then I thought, ‘Okay, maybe I should revisit it because I’m winding down my years in theatre’,” Madhoo-Nascimento detailed.
Behind-the-scene challenges
Detailing the significant challenges she faced in staging this production, including technical difficulties and cast-related issues, Madhoo-Nascimento said, “Putting on a play is a mighty challenge, and this production that we’re putting on here has a lot of technical effects, and it has been almost nightmarish to get the effects. A lot of things need to be fixed, but we, as producers, we pursue it and we continue to produce because it’s what we like to do. So, we continue producing with a lot of headaches, a lot of heartaches, a lot of anxious moments, but we do it. So, tonight…I mean the AC was not even working in the foyer,” she revealed.
Another significant challenge was the lack of Chinese actors available to participate in this production. To overcome this hurdle, the team used makeup and hairstyling to transform Guyanese actors into Chinese characters. The attention to detail in these transformations impressed the audience, with many assuming the performers were indeed Chinese.
“The cast is a combination of experienced and inexperienced persons. They face a problem in which they can’t find Chinese actors, so they had to either use masks or makeup on hair. So, they made a number of their actors look like Chinese. When the Guyanese persons came out in their makeup, most members within the crowd thought that they were Chinese, due to the high-class focus lent on bringing the show to life, which was seen across the board,” Madhoo-Nascimento explained.
Looking ahead
Madhoo-Nascimento has plans to expand on this concept with productions exploring the experiences of other ethnic groups that came to British Guiana. She plans to do these productions between 2025 and 2026.
“It has inspired me now to do one of each ethnicity; so, between 2025 and 2026, I hope to do all the other ethnicities in this country. So, sponsors, brace yourself for my attack on you to get the money for it. I mean, the productions are not very cheap; they come very expensively. So, this year, I hope in May month, I will do the Indian experience for Indian Arrival Day. And then next year, 2026, I want to do the Portuguese and the Europeans, and the Amerindians last. They were the first, so I’ll do them the last. But I hope that I can get sponsorship to do that, right? Because that’s the only way it can be done,” she stated.
