Moving up the ranks

The setting of Neil Simon’s Tony Award-winning comedy, Biloxi Blues, is a boot camp in Biloxi, Miss., during World War II. The main character, Eugene Morris Jerome, has enlisted in the Army, and the play focuses on his experiences with his bunkmates.

The meanest of these is Joseph Wykowski, who often taunts the others — even using ethnic slurs. And the actor playing this role in the Walnut Street Theatre’s current production is enjoying every minute.

"As soon as I read the script, I picked out the character I wanted to play — and it was Wykowski," says T.J. Sokso. "I’m a nasty guy anyway."

Actually, the 25-year-old actor is quite personable and not at all like the mean-spirited character he portrays.

"But I knew I could play this role," he says. "As an athlete, I came across guys like him all the time, bully types who had the same kind of edge."

The major part marks a big leap for Sokso, who last year was an acting apprentice at the Walnut. It’s his first performance as a member of Actors’ Equity.

"As soon as I learned they were doing Biloxi Blues, I was really interested,’ says Sokso, who lives near 11th and Snyder.

Auditions were held in August — and then came a long wait to learn if he’d landed a role. Months went by, and the novice actor heard nothing.

"I gave up hope, but then suddenly, I got a phone call telling me I did get the part," he says. "I was absolutely thrilled!"

Then came the challenge of transforming himself into the mean, tough Wykowski.

"When I first read the script, it was shocking the kinds of comments he’d make," says Sokso.

In one instance, he makes an ethnic slur in front of a Jewish bunkmate, and that actor then grabs Sokso.

"And I then counter with a punch to the stomach, until the sergeant comes to break us up," he describes.

It’s tricky to conduct a fight on stage so it looks real but doesn’t really hurt the other actor. In fact, a fight choreographer coached Sokso and the other actors.

At 5-foot-11 and l90 pounds, Sokso can definitely hold his own. Restraining his punch to actor Steven Klein was the big challenge. "Each time we rehearsed, I went up to him afterwards and asked, ‘Was that OK? Did I hurt you?’ And he’d say, ‘No, it’s fine.’"

The second fight scene occurs when Eugene finally stands up to Wykowski and makes a comment that angers him.

"I swing at him, then I lean back to hit him, and two guys have to restrain me," says Sokso. "There’s no way to fake pure rage — you really have to feel the rage so that the scene looks real."

The actor faced other challenges as well. In a mess hall scene, the soldiers are served creamed chipped beef. "I’ve got a mouthful of food, and I’ve still got to keep up with the lines," says Sokso.

And he has to eat it at every performance — a total of 56 helpings.

Sokso got his first taste of the stage back in 11th grade. A Scranton native, he was an avid athlete with letters in three sports: football, basketball and track. He was also president of student council and vice president of his class.

The thought of acting never occurred to Sokso until the day in homeroom when he heard an announcement about auditions for Annie.

"And I decided to try out — totally on a whim," he says.

He was cast in a small role. Then, when three other students dropped out, he ended up with four roles.

The star athlete was stage-struck from the start.

"With all these people in the audience listening and responding to me, it was a better high than sinking a three-pointer at the end of the game or sacking the quarterback," he says. "Theater was much more exciting than sports."

And he was good at it — so good that during the run of Annie, a dinner theater owner took note of his performance and invited him to audition for Fiddler on the Roof.

The audition went well, and so did his performance in Fiddler. The next year — his senior year of high school — Sokso landed the lead in Once Upon a Mattress.

That year, he also won a monologue competition. "I was on a fast track to theater," he says.

But at Bloomsburg University, Sokso majored in elementary education. "I love kids, and this would give me something secure if I wasn’t getting acting roles," he explains.

As it turned out, he didn’t need that security. After graduating, Sokso took a summer apprenticeship at a theater in New Hampshire, doing a different show every night, working side by side with the pros.

Next came a one-year stint with Seacoast Repertory Theater, also in New Hampshire, where Sokso had roles in five shows.

He gained still more varied experience as an acting apprentice at the Walnut Street Theatre last season. The competition was tough: Sixty actors were competing for four coveted apprenticeships. The strenuous auditions involved monologues, singing, improvisation and an interview.

Five days after the audition, Sokso got a call offering him an apprenticeship. He had only one day to pack and move to Philadelphia from New Hampshire, but he did it eagerly.

Soon the apprentices were presenting plays in area schools, doing four shows in repertory. They also took small roles and understudy parts for Walnut Theatre productions.

As an understudy, Sokso was notified one day that the actor playing Admiral Von Schreiber in The Sound of Music was ill. Like a trouper, he went onstage that same night, and then did four more performances. "It was definitely good experience," he says.

Sokso is getting even better experience in Biloxi Blues.

"It’s got drama, humor, intense moments and funny moments," he says. "And the whole cast is great. We’re really having fun with this production."

Off stage, Sokso is friendly and down to earth as he relaxes in a lounge at the Walnut in sweats, sneakers and a baseball cap. Later, he’ll change into an Army uniform before going on stage for the evening performance.

During his rare leisure time, he enjoys watching football at home or getting a hoagie at the Eleventh Street Deli.

But with a hectic performance schedule (every evening except Monday, plus matinees), Sokso is spending most of his time at the Walnut Street Theatre. And that’s just where he wants to be.

"This theater is exceptionally good to actors," he says. "I couldn’t ask for a better experience."

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The Walnut Street Theatre, 825 Walnut, presents Biloxi Blues through Feb. 29. Tickets are $10 to $50. Call 215-574-3550 or visit the Web site at www.wstonline.org.