Percussion sensation ‘Stomp’ coming to Reynolds 

CONWAY — The University of Central Arkansas’ Reynolds Performance Hall will present “Stomp” at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 19.  

Tickets start at $30 for adults and are $10 for children and students. Tickets may be purchased online at uca.edu/Reynolds, at the Reynolds Box Office Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., or by calling UCA Ticket Central at (501) 450-3265 or toll-free at (866) 810-0012.  

From its beginnings as a street performance in the United Kingdom, “Stomp” has grown into an international sensation over the past 20 years, having performed in more than 50 countries in front of more than 24 million people.

 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 materials such as supermarket carts, plumbing fixtures, paint cans or kitchen sinks.

“Stomp” is an overwhelming success marked by rave reviews, sell-out engagements and numerous awards including an Olivier Award for Best Choreography (London’s Tony Award), and a New York Obie Award. In addition, “Stomp” has an Academy Award nomination, four Emmy nominations and one Emmy Award for their acclaimed HBO special “Stomp Out Loud.”

The performers “make a rhythm out of anything we can get our hands on that makes a sound,” says co-founder and 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 every day 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 and hub caps — to fill the stage with a compelling and unique act.

For more information or to see a listing of other public appearances, visit Reynolds Performance Hall at https://uca.edu/publicappearances/.