The Broadway, West End And International Sensation Stomp Celebrates Its 20th Birthday – And Enters Its 10th Year In The West End!

STOMP – the multi-award winning, international hit show – celebrates its 20th birthday this autumn with special events throughout London on Monday 14th November, culminating in a thrilling and unique performance of the show. For one night only, a number of high-profile comedian friends of STOMP will take part in a special routine, joining co-creator Luke Cresswell on stage to celebrate this milestone.

STOMP is also turning 10 in the West End – and to mark the occasion on November 14th there will be a series of special events at each of the venues it has played in London, before returning to its current home, The Ambassadors Theatre, for this 20th Birthday Gala Special. Names and further details to be announced.

Since its premiere at the Edinburgh Festival in 1991, Stomp has become a global phenomenon, showcasing a universal language of rhythm, theatre, comedy and dance that has resonated with audiences throughout the world. Eight performers use everything from Zippo lighters and plastic bags to bin lids and even the kitchen sink to hammer out an explosively feel-good rhythm.

STOMP has toured the globe almost continuously for 20 years, setting feet stamping, fingers drumming and adrenalin rushing for over 15 million people in 48 countries across 5 continents. It is currently playing in the UK, US, throughout Europe and South America.

From a single drum hanging around Luke Cresswell’s neck back in 1991, STOMP has taken on a life of its own. Creators and co-directors Cresswell and Steve McNicholas developed a pulsating, witty, utterly irresistible theatrical event that has become a worldwide phenomenon.

At its heart is a show that continues to evolve – inspired by the large-scale Las Vegas version, Stomp Out Loud, new music and choreography now join a fresh array of ordinarily mundane objects, onto which the cast work their musical magic. Huge ribbed tubes, previously used for recycling fluorescent lights, are themselves recycled into outsized Guiros, a Latin American percussion instrument, played by scraping the ridged sides with a stick. Stomp is fresher, faster and funnier than ever before.

Together they received an Oscar nomination for the film BROOMS, performing at the 1996 ceremony, and an Emmy nomination for the HBO special Stomp Out Loud. Their work in Imax films is extensive: they co-directed the award winning giant-screen films, Pulse: a Stomp Odyssey and Wild Ocean 3D as well as the Stomp inspired feature Vacuums. Cresswell has also received a special achievement award from the Chicago Human Rhythm Project.

Luke and Steve created and composed the Lost and Found Orchestra, which explores found sound on an orchestral level. They recently purchased The Old Market in Brighton, which they have transformed into a thriving venue for the use of fellow artists and to support emerging local talent as a performance, workshop, recording and exhibition space, in the heart of Brighton and Hove’s Brunswick town.

Over the last 20 years, Stomp has garnered truly diverse recognition; from an Olivier Award and the headline-grabbing performance at the 1996 Oscars to the City of New York celebrating its 10th birthday at the Orpheum Theatre by renaming 2nd Avenue at 8th Street ‘Stomp Avenue’! Now, in 2011, with an
international community of performers totaling more than 100 over five companies, the ‘dustbin dance’ marks its new milestone in its characteristic show of joyous explosion!

Release issued by: Target Live

LINKS

SPECIAL OFFER: Book tickets to STOMP at the Ambassadors Theatre in London

OLIVIER AWARDS – Best Choreographer Winners

OLIVIER AWARDS – Best Choreographer Winners

Best Theatre Choreographer

2011 Leon Baugh for Sucker Punch
2010 Stephen Mear for Hello Dolly!
2009 Steven Hoggett for Black Watch
2008 Toby Sedgewick for War Horse
2007 Javier De Frutos for Cabaret
2006 Peter Darling for Billy Elliot – The Musical
2005 Matthew Bourne and Stephen Mear for Mary Poppins
2004 Karen Bruce for Pacific Overtures
2003 Matthew Bourne and Company for Play Without Words
2002 Matthew Bourne for My Fair Lady
2001 Bob Fosse and Ann Reinking for Fosse
2000 Garth Fagan for The Lion King
1999 Susan Stroman for Oklahoma!
1998 Simon McBurney for The Caucasian Chalk Circle
1997 Bob Avian for Martin Guerre
1996 Dein Perry for Tap Dogs
1995 David Atkins and Dein Perry for Hot Shoe Shuffle
1994 Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas for Stomp
1993 Susan Stroman for Crazy For You
1992 Rafael Aguilar for Matador
1991 Charles Augins for Five Guys Named Moe