UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — “Stomp,” the international percussion sensation, returns to Penn State for an "explosive" stage production at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 15, in Eisenhower Auditorium.

From its beginnings as a street performance in the United Kingdom, “Stomp” has grown into an international sensation over the past 29 years, with performances in more than 50 countries and in front of more than 26 million people.

Visit “Stomp” online for more information.

“Stomp” continues to tour North America, Europe, Latin America and Asia. It was in performance for 15 years in London’s West End; 29 years at New York’s Orpheum Theatre; and lengthy productions in San Francisco, Boston and Las Vegas.

Throughout its run, the show has continued to change by creating new material to bring music to everyday objects. It is safe to say you will never again look at supermarket carts or plumbing fixtures the same way. Or paint cans, or kitchen sinks.

“Stomp” was created by Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas in 1991. The production has since become an overwhelming success marked by rave reviews, numerous awards and sell-out engagements, is the winner of an Olivier Award for Best Choreography, 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 been an overwhelming success marked by rave reviews, numerous awards, an Academy Award nomination, four Emmy nominations, and a Emmy Award for the acclaimed HBO special “Stomp Out Loud”; noteworthy TV appearances, including the London 2012 Olympic Games Closing Ceremony, the 1996 Academy Awards (produced by Quincy Jones) and “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood”; and a series of award-winning international commercials.

The Center for the Performing Arts hosted performances of “Stomp” in 2000, 2004 and 2010, all at Eisenhower Auditorium.

The performers “make a rhythm out of anything we can get our hands on that makes a sound,” co-founder-director Luke Cresswell said. A unique combination of percussion, movement and visual comedy, “Stomp” has created its own inimitable, contemporary form of rhythmic expression. 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, suitcases, radiator hoses, boots, hub caps — to fill the stage with a compelling and unique act that is often imitated but never duplicated.

Read a Center for the Performing Arts interview with “Stomp” performer Sean Perham.

Acknowledgements

Elinor C. Lewis sponsors the performance. Support for accessibility services is provided by William E. McTurk Endowment for Program Support and Gerald B. M. Stein Memorial Endowment. A grant from the University Park Student Fee Board makes Penn State student prices possible.

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