Fátima Patterson: An Actress from Top to Toe
The Excelencias Group invites you to learn details on the life and work of one of the unforgettable women of Santiago’s contemporary performing arts: Fátima de la Caridad Patterson Patterson (1951), an actress, playwright and director of Macubá Theater Group.
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Since she was just a little girl, this woman of dark complexion knew the patakies of her ancestors and popular customs of her home neighborhood “Los Hoyos”. Step by step, she went in to the real wonderful elements of Santiago and turned them into communitarian art for everybody and for all times.
When we see her interacting with the public we admire this Santiago-born woman, who loves popular traditional culture and stands for Relations Theater: an actress from head to toes. Fátima performs with her forehead, her breath, clothes; it’s like if she were given supernatural powers to embody characters.
She joined the theater realm with the Eastern Dramatic Group, later called Santiago Theater Cabildo. Along with boldface names of culture in Santiago she entered the universe of the “popular-traditional” and syncretic worships, as well as the first Caribbean Festivals in the 1980 decade.
With the Eastern Dramatic Group she had the opportunity to be directed by remarkable directors like Rogelio Meneses, in such plays as: La Paciencia del Espejo, Baroko, El Macho y el Guanajo, Por el mar de las Antillas and El 23 se rompe el corojo; with Ramiro Herrero she worked in La primera vez, El Otoño del Rey Mago and El retablillo de Don Cristóbal.
She also had experience on local radio and television (Tele Rebelde) and the audience loved her. At the very beginning she worked as an actress, but she later directed programs in both means of communication.
Fátima has worked as a presenter in theater galas, musical shows and Cabaret. She also studied music at Dulce María Serret conservatoire.
In May 1992, she founded and chaired Macubá Theater Studio with only two men and four women, but it’s presently made up of 15 members. Macubá stands for Mother Cuba and champions two main topics: women and death.
Among its list of works, we can mention: De mi para ti, Como me lo contaron, Ajiaco Cubano, De vida y de muerte, Ayé N´fumbi or Mundo de Muertos, Iniciación en blanco y negro para mujeres sin color and Ropa de plancha.
Due to her experience, she was appointed member of the Advisory Council with Tablas magazine and Casa del Caribe, with articles on this magazine. She has also written for Afrocubanas. On the other hand, her work “Repique por Mafifa or La última Campanera” is included on the ritual theater anthology, published by Letras Cubanas.
Fátima has participated in several Festivals, thus representing women and her beloved Cuba. The list includes Festival on the Centenary of the Abolition of Slavery (Guyana, 1985); Solidarity Festival (Italy, 1994-95); 2nd Festival of Caribbean Arts (Colombia 2012) and her shows “cuentos negros” and “Tonadas cuentos y otros misterios” have been taken to Festivals in Spain, Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador.
Over her 35-year career, she has been given numerous awards, such as the National Culture Distinction, Raúl Gómez García Medal, José María Heredia Plaque, Villanueva Critic Award (2004), Iberian-American Award to Creative Women (2004), Gertrudis Gomes de Avellaneda Plaque, among others.
