Gem Madhoo-Nascimento…

Gem Madhoo-Nascimento

“Drama is hectic but very rewarding; you need a lot of tolerance, patience and discipline… Drama needs those qualities because it is a business in addition to be being entertaining. You have to be committed to it. Ultimately you have to be able to prove yourself and please audiences. I must be a sucker for hard work, to still be in it” – Gem Madhoo-Nascimento

Indeed a hard worker with an undying love for the theatrical arts, Gem Madhoo-Nascimento has made significant contributions to the art, cultural life and tourism of Guyana.

Gem Madhoo-Nascimento
Gem Madhoo-Nascimento

She was born on the Corentyne Coast and grew up in a big family surrounded by nine siblings. After completing her secondary education at 17 at the privately owned Corentyne High School (now JC Chandisingh High School) she moved to Georgetown where she worked at a bank while pursuing private studies in accounts.

During the early seventies, she became a member of the now defunct PSU Drama Group, and although she is now proficient at directing, writing, producing and designing, it all sprang from one day on a theatre stage, acting, when she really wanted to be working backstage in props, costuming and designing. But her heart really caught on fire that day and she was compelled to join the Theatre Guild.

Gem’s training in stage and production management came from Theatre Guild workshops and other theatre workshops overseas. She said that basically all her non-performance tasks that go into theatre came from her time there.

Most artists approach their dreams with a sense of creation and passion, but not Mrs Gem Madhoo-Nascimento. She revealed that