Today we’d like to introduce you to Patrick Faulds.
Hi Patrick, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, let’s briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
Last Christmas (2022) was my 40th Christmas as a professional Santa Claus. And while I now make over 100 appearances each season at an incredibly varied list of events, I started as a mall Santa in upstate New York. (My only mall Santa season) My wife and I relocated to SC the following year, which opened up a new opportunity to learn and grow my Santa experience.
My interest and experience in stage performance and theatre design in NY led me to sign on with several local theatre companies in SC. The Patchwork Players, a professional children’s touring theatre based in Columbia, signed me as an actor/tour manager. During the first Christmas season, we toured a stage version of The Night Before Christmas, and since I was the oldest company member, naturally, Santa Claus was one of the characters I played on tour. I used a stage beard for the character back then because I had other roles that did not include ‘Santa Whiskers.’ My touring company was responsible for the long out-of-state tours, and we would stay on the road for weeks. During that first season, I appeared as Santa throughout the East, from the Atlantic to the Mississippi and from Florida to the Great Lakes. We played theatre houses with under 100 seats to over 3000 seats. I took the stage training I had learned in New York and refined it to play to children’s audiences, which differs from adult audiences. Many shows included audience participation, so I also learned to interact closely with children. I refined the magic skills I had learned in NY (I also toured a magic show in my spare time) and developed all those performance qualities that children gravitate to. (juggling, magic, singing, movement).
After the first touring season, I scaled back my tours. I became the Artistic Technical Director/Artist in Residence for Cottingham Theatre on the campus of Columbia College, where the Patchwork Players were housed. While on tour, I developed contacts and exposure as a professional children’s performer, particularly Santa Claus. I continued to tour the Christmas season for another decade, but the requests I received to make personal appearances as Santa soon outpaced my ability to stay with the tour. I still made stage appearances but added corporate, municipal, and private in-home visits during November and December. Because my degree in NY was in broadcasting/journalism, it was a natural fit for me to branch out to tv appearances, commercials, promos, and print media ads. I was even fortunate enough to make a network television appearance as Santa for ABC’s Extreme Home Makeover.
Today, I am still the Artistic Technical Director for Columbia College and still housed in Cottingham Theatre after 36 years. I spent almost a decade starting the women’s soccer program on campus and coached it for 8 years before retiring. Soccer was my other love from my time in NY, and I was proudly inducted into the College Hall of Fame for coaching soccer in 2022. I no longer use a stage beard, having grown out a full white beard of my own a dozen years ago. My Santa persona now makes appearances in the off-season for commercial and marketing events and the growing popularity of Christmas in July. The in-season bookings start in October/November with studio photo shoots and municipal events such as parades and tree lighting. I have been the SC Governor’s Carolighting Santa for several years, and my in-season bookings top out at 100+. My wife, Lorraine, designs and sews all of my Santa wardrobes, which include traditional, formal, workshop, and beach outfits and accessories. She occasionally appears as Mrs. Claus but is usually too busy as my handler, organizer, navigator, and part-time chauffeur. There is no way possible I could do what I do without her.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, has it been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There needs to be an established path to becoming a professional Santa Claus. It has mostly been a smooth road, but it has also been a long and meandering journey. There are several schools for Santa now, but that thing wasn’t around much when I started. I should have taken a more traditional path to the Santa world. I am sure they are out there, but I need to learn about other professional Santas who started as I did.
One of the struggles includes living up to the legend. Santa is a magical character who affects children and their families in many ways. There are so many family traditions and stories surrounding Santa Claus, and sometimes you need to be very quick on your feet to adapt and adjust as you go. (Thank-you improv classes) The legend of Santa sets a pretty high bar to live up to, and I am always very careful to remember that when I am either in a suit or just walking around in street clothes in December with my white beard.
I also chose to go through training to allow me to be eligible for ‘Final Visits. These visits can happen any time of year, including a final visit for a child’s last Christmas. Sometimes this is an in-home visit or might be at a Children’s Hospital or Hospice care. This is such a difficult visit because I typically see children and families at the very worst times in their lives. These are not ‘Naughty or Nice’ or “What do you want for Christmas visits.’ These are visits of love and comfort and handholding and courage. Sometimes, there are siblings of believing age in the house, and the balance of the Santa persona is even more delicate. I always go with my gut on these visits, and although they are easily the most difficult, they are also the most rewarding.
Let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I covered some of this in my long-winded opening, but I don’t mind highlighting a few points. My real-life work (not Santa) as the Artistic Technical Director at Columbia College is a varied, diverse, and rewarding experience. It is highly technical and, at the same time, highly creative. I design lighting, scenery, sound, and props for all performances on campus. We now have a resident theatre company (Workshop Theatre) that has an entire season of musicals, dramas, and children’s shows that allow me to ply my craft. The college’s music and dance programs also keep me busy with technical design and artistic direction.
I started a production company (Stagecoach Productions) over 30 years ago, specializing in creative solutions. Clients might be other theatre companies, contractors, design/restoration companies, etc. I specialized in solving problems. Some of my fun projects were designing a theatre prop or special effects or engineering an electromagnet to help a magician perform an illusion. I would help restorers carve new architectural details to use in a renovation or use a faux paint technique I developed for theatre for a commercial display. I specialize in creatively solving problems in my theatre and Santa life. The key was finding creative solutions for unique problems. I am very proud that I enjoy applying that talent to all areas of my professional and personal life.
So, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you before we go? How can they support you?
I love sharing what I have learned and helping other people. And although I am of retirement age (I have no immediate plans), I still realize that I have much that I can learn from other people, and I love collaboration. I regularly work with theatre volunteers who are interested in some aspect of theatre (scenery, lighting, stage management, design, etc.) I teach internships through the college. I also mentor up-and-coming Santa’s. I have 3 Santa’s that I have helped get started, and I am happy to share tips, techniques, and bookings. In addition to the 100+ Santa appearances I make yearly, I also share 40-50 bookings with my newer Santa friends. Despite that, I still turn down hundreds of requests every year. I have a Santa website and contact information for my theatre office.
Website: www.santasc.com
Santa Email: santa@santasc.com
Theatre Email: pfaulds@columbiasc.edu
Pricing:
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.santasc.com/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-faulds-04116139/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@southcarolinasanta5480
Image Credits
Tonia Hernandez Photography, Carmina de Alba Samayoa
