Heartache, survival & triumph of indentured Chinese to be dramatised on stage

By Michael Jordan

The struggles and triumphs of indentured Chinese in the brutal environment of the British Guiana sugar plantations would be vividly portrayed on stage next year.
With a cast of over 40, ‘The Chinese Experience’ is scheduled to be staged on January 12, 2025, to coincide with the anniversary of the arrival of Chinese indentured labourers to British Guiana.
Switching from past to present, the story begins with the immigrants, often separated from their families, arriving from war-ravaged China to the hardships on the sugar estates, and how many prevailed to emerge as prominent members of society.
It’s the creation of veteran producer Gem Madhoo-Nascimento of GEMS Theatre Productions.
Written by award-winning playwright Harold Bascom, the colourful drama would showcase a range of special effects, and include a huge dragon whose presence plays a prominent part in the production. It would be directed by Ayanna Waddell, while Esther Hamer, whom the producer lauded as being “very creative with costumes and sets”, would be the stage and costumes manager. Lecturer and writer Scott-Ting-A-Kee compiled the research material.
“I spoke with Chinese Ambassador Guo Haiyan, who is very supportive, and she promised to get the Chinese businesses to assist me in financing the project,” Madhoo-Nascimento told Guyana Times. “The rehearsals have started, and we should be more than ready by January 12, 2025.”
She revealed that ‘The Chinese Experience’ would be the first of a ‘From Whence We Came’ series that uses drama to chronicle Guyana’s rich ethnic tapestry.
Rehearsals began last month, but the producer is still seeking more actors, and even individuals with little theatre experience, to fill minor parts.
“Our difficulty, of course, is finding authentic Chinese actors, (but) I’m going to use local actors. There are about 12 principal characters, then we have crowd scenes and a dragon dance; so, there are about 40 people in total,” she explained. “I’ve done productions with 150 cast members,” added Madhoo-Nascimento, who has been in theatre since the mid-seventies, and is the co-creator of the hugely successful ‘Link Show.’
The veteran producer and her cast are enthusiastic about the script.
“I’m impressed with the way Harold Bascom wrote it, and he’s already given us a set design. There is a montage that I really like, and that will be impacting. The dragon will be made during the entire play,” she disclosed.

“I CROSSED THE OCEAN WITH THEM”
USA-based writer Harold Bascom told Guyana Times that the research material he worked with has given him a new insight into the challenges the Chinese immigrants had faced and surmounted. He said he had
immersed himself deeply into the project, to the point where he felt that he was re-living the experiences of his characters.
“The story is one of pain, peril, destruction and loss; but above all, it’s a story of perseverance and survival, and ultimately a story of pride,” he declared.
“As a writer and playwright, I had never walked in the shoes of a Chinese immigrant, until I started absorbing the research on Chinese immigration to British Guiana that was done by Scott Ting-A Kee. I crossed the ocean with them, and felt the pangs of leaving one’s country behind. I shared in their turmoil as pioneering men and women on arrival and distribution to different sugar estates. I became part of their new lives…,” he explained.
“But the most important thing I learned was that the Guyanese Chinese never allowed the darkness of their past to define them.”
Madhoo-Nascimento revealed that the idea was birthed 12 years ago, when the late Margery Kirkpatrick, who took pride in her Chinese heritage, asked her to stage a drama about the history of the Chinese in Guyana.
“She showed me artifacts in her house, including a pair of shoes…and it piqued my interest, and I started picking up these history books about the Chinese. But they couldn’t find the finances to put on the play, so it was abandoned. But, about a year ago, I came across the books and decided I’m approaching my twilight years in theatre, so maybe I could approach this project as a series on our various ethnicities: why and how we came, and our achievements,” she explained.
“I also thought I could approach it from an educational point of view and target students. The idea is to have one public performance and three others for students. We will also send videos to the Learning Channel and schools in the interior,” she divulged.
She disclosed that she’ll be seeking involvement of the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Culture in this aspect of the ‘From Whence We Came’ series.
“I’m working on May 5, 2025 for The Indian Indentureship play, and on August 1 for the arrival of Africans. I hope to get Eugene Williams (former director of the Jamaica School of Drama) to direct that play,” she informed.