The Cheese Man Cometh

Performing for children brings out the inner child in Chris Faith.

By: Sally Friedman
   When Chris Faith was just starting school in Jefferson City, Mo., his elementary school was putting on a talent show. But there was an ironclad rule: no kindergartners could be in it. And Chris Faith was, alas, in kindergarten.
   "I remember how upset I was, and how I begged my mom to help me get into the show. I even had an act in mind — I would tell Bible stories."
   In the end, Chris Faith prevailed. He was permitted to perform in the talent show, and he’s never fully recovered. "I wasn’t the least bit nervous. I was sorry when it was over, and I wanted to do it all over again," he said. "I think the seeds of my destiny were already planted by the time I was five!"
   Those seeds have sprouted ever since, and these days, Mr. Faith is starring in The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales at Philadelphia’s Arden Theatre Company. His is an actor’s tale of passion and perseverance.
   Throughout school, there would be more talent shows and musicals. And then there would be a scholarship to the University of Missouri to study Theatre Performance. Mr. Faith also earned a master’s degree in Theatre from Brandeis University.
   In 1994, he made the tough decision to leave his widowed mother, screw up his courage and do what actors so often yearn to do: he headed for New York, and began tapping into his few connections.
   A family friend who had seen a tape of Mr. Faith performing in Big River in a regional production took an interest in the young man, got him into a few auditions, and within a few months, he was on the road in a touring production of The Secret Garden.
   The young actor not only had a wonderful professional experience with that gig, but also met and married his co-star, creating his own "happily ever after."
   His out-of-town credits include numerous and diverse roles and projects, including being a member of the original cast of Professional Skepticism at the Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theatre, How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying for the Tulane Summer Lyric Theatre and A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum for the American Stage Festival.
   Faith’s move in 2001 from New York to Bucks County — he resides in Perkasie, Pa. — was motivated by his wife, Raina’s, desire to be closer to her family, and the couple’s mutual desire to launch a performing arts school for children, which they have done.
   "We both believe that children have so much raw talent and energy, and that it can so easily be channeled and developed, that we wanted to have a hand in that process," says Mr. Faith. The couple’s school, Dance Arts Collaborative in Plumsteadville, Pa., offers youngsters all performing arts forms, from acting to ballet and hip-hop.
   So there’s no doubt that Chris Faith is serious about children’s theater, and will be the first to tell you that it’s the absolute test for actors. "Children are so honest that they’ll always let you know whether they believe in what you’re doing. And my belief is that children can make you a better actor."
   Mr. Faith says it simply: "Good children’s theater happens when actors approach the project as if it were Shakespeare. You’ve got to take it seriously, and deliver on the characters and the plot."
   That’s precisely what’s happening with The Stinky Cheese Man project at the Arden, suggests Mr. Faith. "The work is based on a book by John Scieszka and Lane Smith that kids love. It’s an irreverent and funny take on classic fairy tales, with zany costumes and a wonderful, imaginative set."
   But forget sweetness and light here. In this play, oddball things happen: Cinderella snubs Rumpelstiltskin, the Princess kisses the frog but nothing wonderful happens and in general, the production is a fairy tale gone wild.
   While Mr. Faith has performed throughout the Philadelphia area, at major venues like The Wilma, 1812 Theatre Company and Act II Playhouse, along with Bristol Riverside Theatre and the Lenape Regional Performing Arts Center in Marlton, the experience with the Arden is different. Along with playing not just the title character, but multiple roles, Mr. Faith believes the commitment of the entire team is remarkable.
   "There is so much attention to detail, so much passion for the production, that it feels extremely significant. I’m always amazed by people who dismiss children’s theater as insignificant," he says. "It’s absolutely the most challenging theatrical work an actor can do."
   Directing The Stinky Cheese Man is children’s theater veteran Whit McLaughlin, who explains his own philosophy of children’s theater.
   "You can go very far wrong if you try to mess with kids, or come off as phony,’ says the award-winning director of the Arden’s Bunnicula, Sideways Stories from Wayside School and The Boxcar Children. "But if you give them your energy and commitment, they’ll reward you in kind."
   That energy and commitment, believes Mr. Faith, are evident in the current production. "There may the skeptical fifth- or sixth-grader out there who feels uncomfortable enjoying the same play that a 7-year-old is," said the actor. "But after the show, they’re the ones who come up to you and tell you shyly that they liked what they saw."
   And there’s nothing more gratifying, suggests Mr. Faith, than seeing a kid light up when she responds to a live performance. "I hope that no matter how long I’m an actor, I’ll never, ever get blasé about that."
The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales will be on stage at the Arden Theatre Company, 40 N. 2nd Street, Phila., April 22 to June 11. Discussion with cast follows all performances. Tickets cost $14-30. For information, call (215) 922-1122. On the Web: www.ardentheatre.org. Dance Arts Collaborative on the Web: www.danceartscollaborative.com