JAMES W. ANNESS / THE RECORD Alan Aisenberg and Charley Stewart are both appearing in the Fildwith Ensemble Theatre's presentation of Being Born.

WHAT: "Being Born."

WHEN: 7 tonight and Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

WHERE: Theater Three (311 W. 43rd St., Manhattan), ticketcentral.com.

HOW MUCH: $18.

Starring in theater productions, movies and commercials has become a part of everyday life for Alan Aisenberg of Englewood Cliffs and Charley Stewart of Hackensack, both 13. The new challenge for the two rising entertainers as they originated roles in "Being Born," a new off-off-Broadway musical by Fildwith Company, was working in an ensemble cast.

"When I was in ["The American Girls Revue"], everyone sang together, but there's always a main person," said Charley, who played the leading role of Becky this past July. "But to be able to work off of other actors like we are able to do in this play is really something special."

It helps that they already knew many of the other actors in the all-kid cast from previous productions.

Alan said that he knew five cast members of "Being Born" before rehearsals began, and Charley auditioned for the Fildwith Company at the urging of a fellow American Girl. The two of them have a special bond, sharing acting and singing instructors.

"We tight," quipped Alan. "We've been friends since before M.J. was white" -- meaning Michael Jackson.

Alan has been acting since age 4, and Charley appeared in her first commercial when she was 5. Over the years, faces of other child entertainers in the New Jersey and New York area have become more and more familiar to them.

Alan and Charley have been in productions with more child actors than "Being Born," but Fildwith's emphasis on group work and natural acting is something new. A non-profit theater company established in 2005, Fildwith primarily casts children with the idea of nurturing talent.

"I used to do what I thought looked cool," said Charley of her thespian development since entering Fildwith. "Now it's more about how I feel in the scene."

Alan agreed, noting that rehearsing for this musical has been a wonderfully interactive process. "The director wrote more lines for me after actually seeing me in the role," he said. "It's very touching, because now I can always say that I originated this role, and I had something to do with its creation."

"Being Born," set in an alternate plane where dreaming souls leave their bodies to convene and work out their problems, would be challenging to much older actors. The musical has no firm references to people, places and culture, the characters have no material personality, and all wear the same costume.

The first few rehearsals were slightly confusing, said Alan, but writer-director Erika Stadtlander gave her young actors a useful analogy for understanding the script.

"She told us to imagine it as a totally new world, and going to it is like being thrown into a different country where you don't know the language and you don't know where to go or what to do," said Alan. "Old souls welcome new souls, teach them how to get around, like they don't speak the language yet."

It may be that real life mimics art on the set, with new and experienced child actors working together. "We have kids who are just getting into acting, and some who have been doing it for a long time," said Alan. "We all help each other along."

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com