The name Clemencio Goddette is well-known in acting circles, from the award-winning drama Till Death to the transformative Front Yard, skits and comedies, she is integrally involved in local theatre. And not just on stage, she works just as hard behind the scenes in makeup artistry, skillfully helping to bring the characters to life.
What might not be public knowledge is that Clemencio is the artist behind fashion designer Sonia Noel’s famous hairstyle. Sonia is her cousin.
Clemencio’s journey to where she is today began years ago in Bartica where she grew up. She was in an environment where hair and nails and fashion were always in the mix. Her aunt, Corin Gibson, whom she also calls her second mother, is a hairdresser. “I was always fascinated by the transformation,” Clemencio said. “My aunt was always well dressed.”
Her aunt would often help prepare the contestants at the Bartica Regatta Pageant and little Clemencio was always nearby passing a hairclip and absorbing it all.
After completing her education at the Bartica Secondary School she migrated to Georgetown to further her studies at the Government Technical Institute and on completion worked with her famous fashion designer cousin.
After a while, Clemencio left Sonia to work at the Maritime Administration Department where she is still employed.
Drama
In 2004 while at home looking at Youth Talent & Voices on the television she saw a production by Artistes In Direct Support and after making a call to the office she joined the group. Her aim in joining was to educate herself since at that time stigma and discrimination were rampant against people living with HIV and AIDS.
One day, while the group was rehearsing for a production one of its members who had a part, was absent and Clemencio was asked to step in by renowned actress and director Desiree Edghill, who heads the group. “Desiree has such a keen eye and saw what I did not see in myself,” Clemencio said. She is grateful for her guidance, discipline and her motherly quality. “When aunt Des gives you a hug, it’s a real hug,” said the grateful actress.
One thing led to another and Clemencio was soon part of the theatre fraternity. She has had roles in Woman-In-Law (2006/Ken Danns Productions), “Awe Society” 9 & 10 (2006 & 2007/ Ken Danns Productions), Crabs in a Barrel (Carifesta 2006 in Trinidad), Tiger on the Loose (2007 Produced and Directed by Desiree Edghill), Ronald Hollingsworth’s Till I find a Place 2 (2007 Directed by Desiree Edghill), Pandora’s Box (2007/Fitzroy Tyrell), Maria Benschop’s “Nothing to Laugh About 1 – 8” and part of the scriptwriting team for parts 6, 7 & 8; Hassa Curry, Trevor Rhone’s Old Story Time (Directed by Ron Robinson), Watch De Ride 1, 2 & 3; Snap (2015 in Antigua), Front Yard, Diplomatic Blow and Tashandra Inniss’s Till Death (2012).
“I’m always nervous before I act,” she said. “But acting is like my therapy. It doesn’t matter what I’m going through in real life, once I hit the stage it’s forgotten about.”
But with Till Death, the character became was more than just a stage performance for her. “I felt extra pressured because it was a competition and playing Tasha demanded a lot of effort.” Tasha was the spouse in an abusive relationship and the character allowed Clemencio to see staying in an abusive relationship from Tasha’s perspective. Clemencio said she lay in bed many nights thinking of Tasha’s reason for staying. It was also a crucial time for the actress because she would have lost her biggest fan, her mother, sometime before and her emotions were all over the place. “It took me a while to rid myself of the character,” she said. However, as it turned out, playing Tasha won her the Best Actress Award.
“Being around my peers and people I respect, when I started sharing my fears, I realized that they would have experience the same also,” said the actress. “My mom, Avis Gibson, was my biggest cheerleader. She never missed a show. She always said, “I’m proud of you.” Sometimes if a role Clemencio would have done contradicted her Christian beliefs, her mother gave constructive criticism. “My mother was chosen to raise me and I don’t believe God makes mistakes,” she said.
She would like to see more respect for local theatre. “When you put your work out there, there are many sacrifices made and it’s sad sometimes to see the poor turnout. We have to realize the sacrifice and talent. Charity starts at home. Guyana is our home and we should give our own the support first,” Clemencio stressed.
Besides being on stage, Clemencio is the voice of the vibrant market vendor ‘Jennifer’ on the radio serial drama “Merundoi.”
Some of the people who have inspired her since she became involved in theatre are: Margaret Lawrence, Ron Robinson, Henry Rodney, Linden “Jumbie” Jones, Sharon Cadogan-Taylor, Jennifer Thomas, Sonia Yarde, Ronald Hollingsworth, Shiv Mahadeo, Collette Jones-Chin, Lavonne George and Maria Benschop.
Makeup
The passion for fashion has always remained with Clemencio and when she isn’t taken up with the duties of her fulltime job or acting, she can be found doing makeovers: makeup, hair or nails. She completed a training programme sponsored by the IDB through “Merundoi” to do makeup artistry and hair styling in 2010 and another short course on hair dressing in 2011. “And because of the love I have for it, I started doing it in plays,” she said. Clemencio also does makeup for pageantry, dance shows, brides and models.
“My aunt is proud now when she sees my work,” she smiled and said. Her aunt Corin is not just an inspiration for her but also her role model. In this part of her life she is also encouraged by Richard Young, Clinton Duncan and her beloved cousin Sonia.
You wouldn’t believe she has time for anything else, but Clemencio enjoys karaoke, dancing at home, reading inspirational books and socializing. She has recently read Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter, from which she draws this quote: “No experience is ever wasted; every experience is for us to grow.”
Clemencio’s approach to life is, “If you want to get into anything, do your research. Whatever you have the passion for, do your research first. Understand the negatives and positives. Connect with the right group that will help you achieve your goal. If you’re going to do it because you love it, you see things from a different angle.”
She describes herself as a servant. “I believe I’m here to serve my family, country and most importantly God. To give what God has blessed me with. I hope after I’m gone I’ve left footprints for someone. It feels good to make people laugh. Laughter is the best medicine. The most important thing on this earth is relationships and how we treat those relationships is very important,” she said.
Her daily motto is, “Do not work to earn, but work to learn.”
