The sounds of swishing brooms and clanging trash cans will fill Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium Monday and Tuesday when the world-famous STOMP returns to Ohio University.
For 21 years, STOMP has been entertaining audiences with its rhythmic percussion dance and musical numbers created with an atypical assortment of hardware and household items.
When booking the first show last January, the Performing Arts Concert Series left Tuesday open with the intent of booking a second show if sales were as good as previous years, said Andrew Holzaepfel, associate director of the Campus Involvement Center.
“The first show is sold out,” he said. “When sales hit about 80 percent, we connected with the company and talked with them, and they wanted to add the second night, so that worked for both of us.”
In order for STOMP to agree to the extra performance, OU is handling profits differently than usual, Holzaepfel said.
“The deal is structured in a way that we call a shared-risk scenario,” he said. “We sell tickets until all of the expenses are covered, and then anything after that will be split between STOMP and us. As of now, we have covered all of the expenses, so everything we make through next Tuesday will be split.”
Generally, the Performing Arts Series pays a fixed amount to an act and then keeps any additional profits.
The cast includes veterans and new performers, said Andrés Fernandez, the current rehearsal director and a cast member.
The constantly changing cast is what helps the show sustain its popularity, Fernandez said.
“As different people come in, the show changes,” he said. “We bring our own flavor, our own character. That’s why the show has been running for so long. You never see the same show twice. We have also added a lot of new numbers, including ones with paint cans and tires.”
Ali Bradley, a recent addition to the STOMP tour cast, said she believes most people in the audience enjoy STOMP because it is very musically progressive and also very inspirational.
“It is energetic,” Bradley said. “There is a lot of laughter that can be brought out throughout the show, and laughter is healthy. If people want to have a fun time laughing, they can come and be wild.”
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