STOMP Steps Into to Morris Performing Arts Center Tonight

STOMP, the international percussion sensation, returns to The Morris Performing Arts Center as a special engagement of the 2013-14 Broadway in South Bend Series. From its beginnings as a street performance in the UK, STOMP has grown into an international sensation over the past 20 years, having performed in more than 50 countries and in front of more than 24 million people.

Tickets for STOMP are on sale now and start at $33. Tickets are available online at theaterleague.com, morriscenter.org, by visiting The Morris Center Box Office, 211 N. Michigan Street, Hammes Bookstore/Eddy Street Commons and O'Brien Recreation Center by calling 574.235.9190. Groups of 10 or more call 1.866.31.GROUP.

Created by Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas, STOMP continues its phenomenal run with four global productions: the ongoing sell-out production at New York's Orpheum Theatre, a permanent London company, and North American and European tours. Throughout its life, the show has continued to change by creating new material; this year it will incorporate two new pieces. It is safe to say you will never again look at supermarket carts, plumbing fixtures, paint cans or kitchen sinks in the same way.

STOMP, an overwhelming success marked by rave reviews, numerous awards and sell-out engagements, is the winner of an Olivier Award for Best Choreography (London's Tony Award), a New York Obie Award, a Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatre Experience and a Special Citation from Best Plays.

In addition to the stage shows, STOMP has earned an Academy Award nomination, four Emmy nominations and one Emmy Award for their acclaimed HBO special Stomp Out Loud, noteworthy TV appearances including The London 2012 Olympic Games Closing Ceremony, The Academy Awards (produced by Quincy Jones), Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, and a series of award-winning international commercials.

The performers "make a rhythm out of anything we can get our hands on that makes a sound," says co-founder/director Luke Cresswell. A unique combination of percussion, movement and visual comedy, STOMP has created its own inimitable, contemporary form of rhythmic expression; both household and industrial objects find new life as musical instruments in the hands of an idiosyncratic band of body percussionists. It is a journey through sound, a celebration of the everyday and a comic interplay of characters wordlessly communicating through dance and drum.

Synchronized stiff-bristle brooms become a sweeping orchestra, eight Zippo lighters flip open and closed to create a fiery fugue; wooden poles thump and clack in a rhythmic explosion. STOMP uses everything but conventional percussion instruments - dustbins, tea chests, radiator hoses, boots, hub caps - to fill the stage with a compelling and unique act that is often imitated but never duplicated.

Critics and audiences have raved: "STOMP is as crisp and exuberant as if it had opened yesterday," says The New York Times. The San Francisco Chronicle declares "STOMP has a beat that just won't quit!" The Los Angeles Times exclaims: "Electrifying! Triumphs in the infinite variety of the human experience." "A phenomenal show! Bashing, crashing, smashing, swishing, banging and kicking - a joyous invention!" says the Chicago Tribune.

STOMP will play at The Morris Performing Arts Center tonight and tomorrow, January 16-17. Tickets are on sale now, start at $33, and are available online at theaterleague.com, morriscenter.org, by visiting The Morris Center Box Office, 211 N. Michigan Street, Hammes Bookstore/Eddy Street Commons and O'Brien Recreation Center or by calling 574.235.9190. Groups of 10 or more call 1.866.31.GROUP. Military members receive a 50% discount throughout the theater and students receive a 50% discount on all balcony seating (excludes Saturday Evening and Gallery).