Theatre News

Stomp Marks 20th Birthday with Comedians Special

Stomp, the multi award-winning dance and noise-making extravaganza, will mark its 20th birthday this autumn with a series of one-off celebrations at the various venues it’s played over the past two decades, culminating on the evening of 14 November 2011 with a Birthday Gala Special at its current home, the Ambassadors Theatre, where it’s been running since 2007.

For the gala special, co-creator Luke Cresswell will be joined on stage by a number of still-to-be-announced “high-profile comedian friends of Stomp” to take part in a specially choreographed routine marking the milestone.

Stomp transforms the junk and clutter of urban life into a source of rhythm and dance. On the back of international and UK touring success, Stomp, which originated in Brighton and officially premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe in 1991, had its West End premiere in September 2002 at the Vaudeville Theatre, where it ran for five years before transferring to the Ambassadors in 2007.

A revamped version, with new “surround sound” music and routines, was introduced in 2009. Stomp was created by Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas, who also direct.

Cresswell and McNicholas also created and composed the Lost and Found Orchestra, which explores found sound on an orchestral level. They recently purchased the Old Market in Brighton, now launched as a venue for fellow artists and emerging local talent.

Stomp has toured the globe almost continuously for 20 years, and has been seen by over 15 million people in 48 countries across five continents. It’s currently playing in the US, throughout Europe and South America, as well as the UK.

At the Ambassadors, where Stomp has extended bookings through to 15 December 2012, it has performances on Mondays and Thursdays to Sundays weekly. From 20 September to 12 October 2011, it will run concurrently with another Edinburgh-originated hit, Showstopper! The Improvised Musical, which fills the Tuesday and Wednesday evening slots.