STOMP, a unique combination of percussion, movement and visual comedy, was created in Brighton, UK, in the summer of 1991. It was the result of a ten-year collaboration between its creators, Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas.
They first worked together in 1981, as members of the street band Pookiesnackenburger and the theatre group Cliff Hanger. Together, these groups presented a series of street comedy musicals at the Edinburgh Festival throughout the early ‘80s. After two albums, a UK TV series and extensive touring throughout Europe, Pookiesnackenburger also produced the highly acclaimed “Bins” commercial for Heineken lager.
The piece was originally written and choreographed by Luke as part of the band’s stage show; it proved to be the starting point for STOMP’s climactic dustbin dance.
In 1986, Luke and Steve created an eight-minute ‘percussive movie’ for Bette Midler’s HBO special Mondo Beyondo. Between 1987 and 1990, Luke staged, as Artistic and Musical Director, four large-scale outdoor events, including “Beat the Clyde”, which involved floating a drum orchestra on a pontoon in the centre of Glasgow; the largest of these events, “The Heineken Hove Lagoon Show”, involved a 120-piece drum orchestra featuring the Brighton Festival Chorus and a full orchestral string section.
In 1991, Steve and Luke first created STOMP, previewing at London’s Bloomsbury Theatre and premiering at the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh, where it became The Guardian’s “Critics’ Choice” and won The Daily Express “Best of the Fringe Award”.
Between 1991 and 1994, the original cast of STOMP played to capacity audiences around the world: from Hong Kong to Barcelona, from Dublin to Sydney. The touring culminated in a sell-out season at London’s Sadler’s Wells Theatre in January 1994, where STOMP received an Olivier nomination for Best Entertainment and won Best Choreography in a West End Show.
An expanded version of STOMP, involving up to 30 cast members, was originally created for the Brighton Festival, UK, and was subsequently presented in Melbourne, Australia. It was most recently seen in September 1995, open-air, at the Acropolis in Athens and at the Royal Festival Hall, London. This production broke all box office records, which had been established by Frank Sinatra in 1972.
STOMP began its run at the Orpheum Theatre in New York in February 1994 and quickly went on to win both an Obie and a Drama Desk Award for Most Unique Theatre Experience. By the summer of 1994, the first American cast was in place at the Orpheum, freeing the original cast for sell-out tours of North America and Japan.
In the summer of 1995, two more American productions were created for the sole purpose of US touring, which continues to this day. US casts have also debuted STOMP in Chile, Brazil and Korea. Meanwhile, a fifth STOMP company, also touring from the UK, was formed in 1997 and has consistently toured the world ever since. This company presented STOMP for the first time in Scandinavia and South Africa, and has been a regular visitor to Germany, Holland and France. Another STOMP production opened in San Francisco in May 2000, running for two and a half years.
The original cast of STOMP have recorded music for the Tank Girl movie soundtrack and appeared on the Quincy Jones album, Q’s Jook Joint. A soundtrack recorded by Steve and Luke for the Showtime movie Riot was released in the spring of 1997. STOMP has also featured in a number of commercials, including Coca-Cola’s “Ice Pick” and numerous spots for both Target stores in the US and Toyota in Japan.
STOMP also created the Mr Frears’ Ears series of short films created for Nickelodeon, whilst Brooms, a 15-minute short based around the opening routine, was nominated for an Academy Award. “Brooms” was also selected for screening at Robert Redford’s Sundance Festival and for competition at the Cannes Film Festival.
STOMP made a special appearance at the Academy Awards in March 1996, with an original piece involving the live synchronization of classic film clips and onstage action, featuring 20 performers from all five productions.
In the summer of 1997, Steve and Luke created and directed STOMP OUT LOUD, a 45-minute television special for HBO, which combined stage material with new pieces created for TV. It was premiered in the USA in December 1997 and subsequently received four Emmy nominations, for direction, sound mixing, multi- camera editing and art direction. 1998 saw the release of the STOMP OUT LOUD video and DVD around the world. Another unique blend of live action and film footage was created for the Emmy Awards, in which STOMP effectively performed with Spike Jones!
STOMP performed after midnight on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial at US President Clinton’s millennium celebrations. During 2000, a Sesame Street special, “Let’s Make Music”, a collaboration between STOMP and the Muppets, was released on TV and video in North America.
Luke and Steve began production of their IMAX movie Pulse: A STOMP Odyssey in Brazil during Carnival 2000 and completed it in the summer of 2002. Pulse takes the IMAX audience on a spectacular global journey, featuring performances from Kodo, Timbalada and Eva Yerbabuena. It was released to critical acclaim in New York in the autumn of 2002, and went on to win two major awards at the International Festival of La Géode in Paris.
In September 2002, STOMP finally entered London’s West End at the Vaudeville Theatre, and later that year STOMP performed as part of The Royal Variety Show for the second time.
2003 saw a new STOMP production open at the Stuart Street Theatre in Boston and a unique Dolby Digital trailer featuring STOMP performances debuted in cinemas across the globe.
In 2004, New York celebrated 10 years of continuous performances of STOMP at the Orpheum Theatre by renaming 2nd Avenue at 8th Street Stomp Avenue.
In addition to the European tour, in 2005 STOMP returned to Tokyo for three weeks and also toured to Hong Kong, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.
In 2006, STOMP’s New York production passed its 5,000th performance mark. In the same year, Luke and Steve directed a public service announcement for television called “Stomp Out Litter”, which featured the cast ‘sweeping up’ at iconic locations in the five boroughs.
In addition, they were commissioned to create and produce The Lost and Found Orchestra, which takes the ideas behind STOMP to a symphonic level, in celebration of 40 years of the Brighton Festival. The LFO subsequently performed at the Sydney Opera House as part of the Sydney Festival early in 2007, was seen at the Royal Festival Hall in London at Christmas 2008 and the Theater Carré in February 2009.
In 2007, STOMP OUT LOUD opened in Las Vegas at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino with an expanded cast and performed inside a new $28 million theatre, specifically created for the production. The West End entered its 6th consecutive year with a move from the Vaudeville to the Ambassadors Theatre.
In 2008, STOMP returned to its roots for a new DVD shoot at the Brighton Dome, bringing together a cast from all over the STOMP world. For the first time, the entire show has been captured in high-definition sound and video. 2008 also saw Steve and Luke expand into new areas with the release of their IMAX 3D nature documentary Wild Ocean, with a symphonic mix of percussion and traditional orchestra in the soundtrack. In September of the same year, Wild Ocean won two awards at the Giant Screen Cinema Association for Best Sound and Best Original Score at their annual conference held in New York.
The Lost and Found Orchestra reunited in 2010 for a new show, PANDEMONIUM, which appeared in several US cities throughout the autumn.
In 2011 the New York production of STOMP entered its eighteenth year, trouncing the Orpheum house record set by Little Shop of Horrors. It also entered its tenth year in the West End at the Ambassadors Theatre, whilst at the same time Steve and Luke continued with their 3D film work. 2012 has seen the release of The Last Reef 3D, a film about the beauty and the plight of reefs worldwide. As with Wild Ocean, Luke and Steve composed the film’s orchestral soundtrack, recording it at The Old Market Theatre in their hometown of Brighton & Hove in the UK. They have also celebrated the one year anniversary of The Old Market Theatre, which, having renovated it back in 2011, they now run as a full time venue, bringing music, theatre, dance, comedy and visual arts to the UK’s south coast.
Most recently, in August 2012, the largest ever assembly of STOMP performers (40 performers from 12 different countries) were brought together for a specifically choreographed appearance in the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games.
STOMP was created with the original U.K. cast:
Luke Cresswell, Nick Dwyer, Sarah Eddy, Theseus Gerard, Fraser Morrison, David Olrod, Carl Smith and Fiona Wilkes.
JUDE CAMINOS (Performer) is a music director and musician based in Brooklyn, NY. He is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, where he majored in percussion performance and music education, with a minor in Drama. He moved to NYC in 2021 and has since been a freelance artist, preschool teacher, and children’s music performer. In Summer 2022, he music-directed Lizzie: The Musical at Southern Plains Productions. He has since music-directed and performed in various cabarets across NYC. I am endlessly grateful for this opportunity! Thank you to my family, friends, and especially my girlfriend for their undying support and love!
MICAH COWHER (Performer) is a New York native with a passion for all things rhythm. Growing up playing drums, Micah went on to major in music education at NYU-Steinhardt before studying musical theatre and dance at AMDA. Since then, he’s been fortunate enough to tour the world acting and drumming in various musicals and rock bands. Favorite theatre credits include Rock of Ages, Shrek the Musical, Monty Python’s Spamalot, Footloose, and Bayside the Musical. Current band/producing projects include @nightwithoutcars, @theduderanch, and @thealicevalentine. When not performing, Micah teaches percussion and tap dance at Dance Molinari while also managing his entertainment company, Imperial Entertainment NYC. @micah.cowher
JOSE FILGUEIRA (Performer) is a Spanish musician and actor. He’s been doing street music and performing in comedy shows throughout his adolescence and professional career. He worked for 10 years at Al Tran Tran Impro, an improvisation musical theater company and then formed Swingdigentes, a music, dance, and comedy company that has performed in 30 countries around the world. Since then, he’s performed with Cirque du Soleil and other circus shows. He’s super happy to be part of STOMP, a company he has loved since childhood. If you want to know more you can find him on social networks under Jose Filgueira.
JOHN GAVIN (Performer) is an in demand drummer and percussionist based out of Brooklyn, NY. Originally from Florida, he has performed as a musician for the Walt Disney Company at their theme parks across the United States. Recently, he has performed and recorded with the ska-rock group Streetlight Manifesto and played percussion on the soundtrack of the film, CAM. John would like to thank his friends and family for the unending support and every teacher who has shared their knowledge. He holds a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Central Florida and a Master of Music from New York University.
DECLAN HAYDEN (Performer) is a musician from Cincinnati, OH who holds a BM in Percussion Performance and Music Education from UC-CCM. He has had past engagements with groups such as the Kentucky and Springfield Symphony Orchestras, and at events like PASIC and SICPP. Performing with STOMP is a dream achieved, and he is incredibly grateful to his family, friends, and teachers for their unwavering support. Find him at www.declanhayden.com.
MADELINE JAFARI (Performer) is a contemporary dancer based in New York City. She was raised in Austin, TX and found her love of rhythm and movement at Tapestry Dance Co. As a freelance dance artist, her work has included dancing for Netta Yerushalmy, Steeledance, Shannon Gillen, and Giada Matteini. She holds a BFA in Dance from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. This is for you, Grandma.
ZAHNA JOHNSON (Performer) is a dance artist and performer based in Dallas, TX. She earned her BFA in Dance at Sam Houston State University in 2021 and is so excited to embark on her journey as a professional. A New Jersey native, her training spans across the country and across styles. Tap has always been her favorite; she can't keep her feet still! Zahna feels blessed that God gave her a passion for the arts and has her friends and family to thank for supporting her every step of the way.
JASMINE JOYNER (Performer) is a performer from Queens, NY who has studied dance all of her life. She started out in her hometown family dance studio called Jenn’s Studio 1. She received her Bachelors in Dance from SUNY Fredonia. As a professional dancer, she has performed in many dance ensembles, theater production of Cabaret, and Debbie Allen’s Dance Academy summer intensives. She is grateful STOMP has given her opportunities to fulfill her hopes and dreams. Special thanks to her family and friends for being her biggest supporters.
CARY LAMB JR. (Performer) is a dance artist from Long Island, New York who has studied percussive movement and rhythms all his life. Starting as a tap dancer he fell in love with the classic performance styles of Fred Astaire, Gregory Hines and Sammy Davis Jr. He's tap danced for the New York Mets, the Brooklyn Nets, and the Apollo Theatre while also recognized by artists such as Missy Elliot, Chance the Rapper, and Trinidad James for his unique blend of tap and hip-hop. STOMP has only elevated Cary’s love for movement and organic rhythms. He is known by his family and friends as the man, the myth, the Magician! For more of his magic, follow his work @carylambjr.
SEAN PERHAM (Performer) is a comedian, drummer, and actor from New York. He attended the College for Music Education at Fredonia State University and received his Bachelors in Music Education, continuing on to get his Masters of Music Performance at New York University. During that time, he traveled the world playing music and was fortunate enough to play the stages of Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall and others. After graduating, Sean was a full-time music teacher while also pursuing his acting/comedy career. It’s a dream come true to be a cast member of STOMP. @Seanperhamisme.
IVAN SALAZAR (Performer) From Tecate, Baja California, Mexico. Buoyed by his passion for movement and music his whole life, he joined Chris Rubio's percussion movement group and has performed throughout Southern California, from street corners to stadiums. Special thanks to Carlos Sigala, Chris Rubio, and Massapê for the inspiration and fundamentals.
CADE SLATTERY (Performer) Originally from San Diego, Cade joined a percussion motivational performance group called Jr. Crew in 2006 run by Chris Rubio, formerly of STOMP, which sparked his love for the show. He is extremely grateful to be part of the STOMP family. He thanks Sophie, Mom and Dad, Chris, his best friends Alex and Suco, and Uncle Paul. Outside of STOMP, Cade creates electronic music. Find out more at https://soundcloud.com/cade-slattery.
LUKE CRESSWELL (Director) is a self-taught percussionist from Brighton. His session work as a drummer and rhythm programmer includes Beats International, Bette Midler, Elvis Costello, and Bryan Ferry. After working for several years as a street musician and performer, he first created STOMP in 1991. He has directed, with Steve McNicholas, several award-winning commercials and short films. He received an Oscar® nomination for the film Brooms, an Emmy® nomination for STOMP OUT LOUD, and co-directed the award-winning IMAX movie, Pulse: A STOMP Odyssey. He has also received a special achievement award from the Chicago Human Rhythm Project. More recently, Luke co-created the Lost and Found Orchestra and the Vegas production of STOMP OUT LOUD and also co- directed the 3D IMAX movie Wild Ocean. Luke occasionally performs with STOMP, and is currently conductor of the LFO.
STEVE McNICHOLAS (Director), from Yorkshire, has worked as an actor/singer/musician/writer with various theatrical and musical groups, starting out with the Bradford Theatre Group in 1973. Through the ’80s he worked with Cliff Hanger, Covent Garden Community Theatre, and Pookiesnackenburger. Despite also being an original member of the a cappella group the Flying Pickets, and a final appearance in Mr. Bean, Steve no longer performs. He shares directorial credits with Luke Cresswell on STOMP-based films and commercials, and their new show, the Lost and Found Orchestra. With Luke, he composed the soundtrack to the Showtime movie, Riot, and shares the Oscar® and Emmy® nominations for his work on Brooms and STOMP OUT LOUD, and co-directed the award-winning IMAX movie, Pulse: A STOMP Odyssey. Steve also co-created the LFO and co- directed the 3D IMAX movie Wild Ocean, released worldwide in 2008.
FGTM / Roberta Roberts (General Management) Richard Frankel and Roberta Roberts have been working together for the past 10 years in New York and on tour in the U.S. Shows general managed by Richard Frankel Productions and FGTM include STOMP, Smokey Joe’s Café, The Sound of Music, The Weir, Swing!, The Producers, Hairspray, Little Shop of Horrors, Sweeney Todd, Company, Young Frankenstein, Gypsy, The Norman Conquests, Finian’s Rainbow, Burn the Floor, A Little Night Music, The Rocky Horror Show, Forever Tango, Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays, Necessary Targets, Old Jews Telling Jokes, Murder Ballad, Los Monólogos de la Vagina, Lennon: Through a Glass Onion and Flashdance. Richard and his partners Tom Viertel and Steve Baruch own and operate 54 Below, Broadway’s supper club.
BANG! THEATRICALS (Producer) is a company whose principals are Richard Frankel, Alan Schuster and Aldo Scrofani. They, along with the late Gary McAvay, have been the producers, managers and touring executives of STOMP since they premiered the show in North America in 1994. Their collective professional experience in the theatre totals 190 years.
HARRIET NEWMAN LEVE Broadway: four-time Tony award winning producer: Anastasia; Beautiful: The Carole King Musical; An American in Paris; Hedwig and the Angry Inch; Of Mice and Men; Ann; One Man Two Guvnors; War Horse; Norman Conquests; Mountaintop; La Cage Aux Folles; A Little Night Music; 39 Steps; Diary of Anne Frank; Crucible; Hedda Gabler; Lieutenant of Inishmore; Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. Off Broadway: Beebo Brinker Chronicles; Family Secrets; Shockheaded Peter; Necessary Targets; Communicating Doors. She is a member of The Broadway League and was on the Board of Directors of New York Stage and Film for four years.
JAMES D. STERN CEO of Endgame Entertainment. Has produced or directed over 50 shows or movies including Broadway: A Little Night Music, Hairspray, The Producers, Legally Blonde, and STOMP. Film: An Education, Every Little Step, It’s the Rage, Pulse: A STOMP Odyssey, Michael Jordan to the Max, Proof, Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, I’m Not There.
MORTON WOLKOWITZ Theatrical Producing Credits: Donnybrook, music and lyrics by Johnny Burke; The Enemy Is Dead starring Linda Lavin; My Astonishing Self, starring Donal Donally; The Unexpected Man, by Yasmina Reza starring Alan Bates and Eileen Atkins; From Door to Door by James Sherman; One Shot One Kill by Richard Vetere; Tryst by Karoline Leach, directed by Joe Brancato; STOMP OUT LOUD in Las Vegas. He is managing part of “Suitz LLC” with Richard Sudock and Michael Wolkowitz. He has enjoyed success in the industrial and financial worlds and is former Chairman and current Director of Key Energy Services, Inc. He is married to the actress Anita Keal.
MITCHELL MAXWELL has produced six Broadway shows, twenty-one Off- Broadway shows, four national tours, three West End shows, and five feature films. His shows have won the Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and Obie Awards and his long-running Off-Broadway hit, Dinner With Friends by Donald Margulies, was the recipient of the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
SUSAN QUINT GALLIN / SUKI SANDLER Productions include Desperately Seeking Susan (London, opening November 2007); Spamalot; STOMP (NY & tour); Woman Before A Glass; The Retreat From Moscow; Man Of La Mancha (2002 Revival); The Shape Of Things; Hedda Gabler (2001 Broadway); Fully Committed; Cowgirls; Angels In America; From The Mississippi Delta; The Rothschilds (Revival); Other People's Money; Burn This; The Cryptogram (London).
DAN MARKLEY Producing credits include Irving Berlin's White Christmas, High Fidelity, Family Secrets (rev.), Vagina Monologues, Lifegame, Damn Yankees, On The Waterfront, Oleanna, and Jeffrey (film), with Alison Sheehy, Sarah, Hayden and Sander.
JENNIFER MANOCHERIAN Broadway credits include Spring Awakening; The Little Dog Laughed; Caroline, or Change; Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom; Thoroughly Modern Millie; The Crucible; Jane Eyre, the musical; and The Kentucky Cycle. Off Broadway: Berkshire Village Idiot; STOMP; Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh; Showing Off; Palace of Amateurs. Film: Family Blues, which she also co-wrote.
FRED BRACKEN (Associate Producer) first saw STOMP in Australia and resolved to see it performed in New York. Mr. Bracken works for CNN.
RICHARD FRANKEL PRODUCTIONS / MARC ROUTH (Executive Producers) Richard Frankel and Marc Routh have been producing and general managing shows together since 1985. Some of their productions include Young Frankenstein, Hairspray, Gypsy, and STOMP in New York, and STOMP OUT LOUD in Las Vegas, Sweeney Todd on tour, Little Shop of Horrors in London as well as a UK tour of The Producers and The King and I and SpongeBob SquarePants Live in Asia. With their partners Tom Viertel and Steve Baruch they have produced some 60 additional musicals and plays in New York, London, and in Asia, including Back to the Future, Company, Sweeney Todd, Little Shop of Horrors, Swing, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Penn and Teller, Driving Miss Daisy, Love Letters, Smokey Joe's Cafe, and Angels in America.
ALAN J. SCHUSTER (Executive Producer) has operated the Orpheum, Minetta Lane, Union Square, 2nd Avenue and The Cherry Lane Theatres in New York and The Royal George Complex in Chicago. He built 37 Arts the home to the Baryshnikov Arts Center and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s. He has produced over 25 productions including STOMP OUT LOUD, Key Exchange, Mamet's Oleanna, Marvin’s Room, Jeffrey, Vita and Virginia and Shockheaded Peter.
ALDO SCROFANI (Executive Producer) is Currently the Chief Operating Officer of the Apollo Theater Foundation which includes the iconic Apollo Theater. Founding producer of STOMP. President and CEO of Theatre Management Associates, Inc. COO of Columbia Artists Theatricals (18 years). Executive VP of Jujamcyn Theatres (13 years). Over 100 productions including: Gone With The Wind, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Chita Rivera: The Dancer’s Life, Lovemusik, Elaine Stritch At Liberty, Noise/Funk, Tap Dogs, Sunset Boulevard, Carousel, Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, City of Angels, Grand Hotel, M. Butterfly, Jelly’s Last Jam, Into The Woods, Gypsy, Big River, My One and Only, and Dracula.
GENERAL MANAGEMENT
FGTM
Richard Frankel Roberta Roberts
COMPANY MANAGER
Carla Marie Rugg
GENERAL PRESS REPRESENTATIVE
/BRYAN-BROWN
Chris Boneau Jackie Green
TOUR PRESS REPRESENTATIVE
C MAJOR MARKETING & PUBLICITY
Catherine Major
Production Manager……………Ricardo de Arruda Camargo
Assistant Company Manager……………George Finley-Pyle
Production Carpenter……………Mark Miller
Lighting Director……………Brian Claggett
Production Props……………Austin Huehn
Production Electrician……………Andrew Hildner
Production Sound……………Steve J. Reynolds
Management Associate……………Shelley Little
Controller……………Galbraith & Co./Amanda Hayek
Assistant to Mr. Frankel……………Stephanie Lazard
Information Technology Manager……………Ben Bigby
Set Dresser……………Stacey-Jo Marine
Photographers……………Marc Bryan-Brown, Steve McNicholas, Lois Greenfield
Jun-IchiTakahashi, Harry Pocius
Legal Counsel……………S. Jean Ward, Esq.
Insurance……………DeWitt Stern Group
Risk Management Underwriters, Inc.
Accounting……………Adam Hoffman, Hoffman & Bentovim CPA’s
Travel & Housing……………Road Rebel Entertainment Touring
Payroll Services……………Stratus Solutions PEO
Payroll Data Processing, LLC
Merchandising……………Marquee Merchandise, Inc./Matt Murphy
Physical Therapy……………NEURO TOUR Physical Therapy, Inc
Physical Therapist……………Kira Jarrar, PT, DPT, ATC
Medical Director……………Charles Garten, MD
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Original production presented by Yes/No People in association with
Glynis Henderson and Loretta Sacco. STOMP's exclusive agent and general
inquiries: Loretta Sacco, c/o Yes/No Productions,
N1 Offices, The Old Market, 11A Upper Market Street, Hove BN3 1AS
Tel: 011.44.127.371.1151
Credits
Designed by Yes/No Productions, Ltd.; Trucking by Janco;
Scenery built by Light & Sound Design; Zippo lighters courtesy
of Zippo Manufacturing Corp.; “Super Big Gulp” cups
courtesy of Southland Corp.; Ski boots by Rossignol Ski Co.
Special Thanks
More Merchandising/George Fenmore; Brad Bauner; Paul J. Botchis;
David W. Caldwell; Sarah Eddy; E. Maria Flotta; Theseus Gerard;
Fraser Morrison; Niclas Nagler; Jason Pelusio; Carl Smith;
Joe Watson; Fiona Wilkes; Derek Worley
