THE Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) joined the cultural community in mourning last week’s passing of Yvonne Brewster, a pioneering actress, director and cultural visionary whose life’s work, the party said, helped define the direction of Jamaican and Caribbean theatre.

After studying and teaching drama, Brewster returned home in the mid-1960s and, alongside playwright Trevor Rhone, established The Barn Theatre in Kingston, the country’s first professional theatre company. It became a training ground for local talent and a platform for telling Jamaican stories in an authentic voice, said shadow minister of creative industries, culture, and information Nekeisha Burchell

“In the early 1970s she moved back to the United Kingdom where her career spanned stage, screen, radio, and television. She directed and acted in a range of productions, including The Harder They Come, Smile Orange, and The Marijuana Affair. “Her directorial work also featured in BBC Television projects such as Maybury, The Fight Against Slavery, and
My Father Sun Sun Johnson, all of which deepened her international reputation as a creative force committed to portraying Caribbean life with honesty and dignity.”

Burchell said Brewster later co-founded the Talawa Theatre Company, now regarded as one of the UK’s most respected black theatre institutions. From 2000 to 2001 she reached new audiences as Ruth Harding in the BBC drama
Doctors, continuing to represent Jamaican talent on the world stage.

The PNP shadow minister said the party honours Brewster for her courage and lasting contribution to national identity, noting: “Yvonne Brewster was one of the builders of modern Jamaican theatre and a bridge between our island and the wider world. She helped prove that Jamaican stories, told in our language and from our perspective, belong on every stage. Her legacy reminds us that culture is not only who we are, but also how we grow.”

Burchell added that Brewster’s vision continues to guide efforts to strengthen Jamaica’s creative industries and preserve the integrity of local storytelling as an engine of development.

“The People’s National Party extends condolence to her family, colleagues, and the global theatre community she influenced. Jamaica has lost a remarkable cultural pioneer but her example will continue to inspire generations of artists and cultural workers. May her soul rest in peace.”