Jamie Alderiso is a senior theater and English double major with concentrations in acting, directing and literature. Originally hailing from Bethlehem, Alderiso has been a part of the theater program at Wilkes since enrolling.

How long have you been doing theater?
I’ve been doing theater since I was six … my parents enrolled me in a youth conservatory called the Pennsylvania Youth Theater in Bethlehem, where I’m from. I trained there for like nine years, and I did theater in high school. I’ve been a theater major here since my freshman year, and since the Fall of 2010 I’ve been doing shows at Wilkes.

What shows have you done here?
I did “The Who’s Tommy,” where I got to play Tommy, the title character; “Amadeus,” “Archy and the Mehitabel,” “Godspell”….all the shows I’ve done here have been learning experiences, and that’s why I love it.

Have you ever tried a different medium of theater, like stage managing?
I’m primarily an actor. I sometimes write…. I was on stage crew for one show, and  another show I was on box office, but mostly I’m on stage, acting.

Talk to me a little about the play you wrote, “The Six Year Difference.”
I had a medical condition this summer, and I couldn’t work because of it…I had a lot of time, and writing was the only therapy I had while my friends were abroad or working….I wrote the play that I had in me at that point. It’s about certain things that I’m interested in, like money…and how if you put more stock in your personal life rather than your career life….then what are the ramifications of that? That’s kind of the idea that segwayed into a bigger story.

How did that transpire into the play?
The theater program doesn’t usually do original work…it’s not something standard. I had to do a capstone that they had to reject or accept. I didn’t want to act in it, strangely enough. There was only one guy role, and the guy was not me … I couldn’t play it and I didn’t want to. I kind of just wanted to direct and get a feel for it. Joshua Solarczyk played the role … they said go for it, I picked my directing concentration and I was able to direct it. I’m very happy with how it turned out.

Do you have plans to continue theater after Wilkes?
I went to NYC two weeks ago for grad school auditions. I got some good feedback, and callbacks from good universities across the country. So hopefully grad school. That’s definitely something that I need in the future.