Submitted photo
The worldwide sensation “Stomp” will be performed at Eisenhower Auditorium on Nov. 15.

UNIVERSITY PARK — “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.

Tickets are $69 and $54 for an adult; $52 and $37 for those 18 and younger; and $35 and $30 per University Park student. They are available for purchase online. Tickets are also available by calling (814) 863-0255 or purchasing in person, weekdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Eisenhower Auditorium.

“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 for 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. It 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 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.

The post ‘Stomp’ returns to Eisenhower Auditorium Nov. 15: Worldwide percussive phenomenon will showcase sound surprises | Centre County Gazette appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Orrick Smith, new owner of Warwick Plumbing (Photograph by Jessie Moniz Hardy)

If you are desperately hunting for that hard-to-find part for a toilet or tub, or you need a more efficient way to heat your water, Warwick Plumbing has you covered.

Orrick Smith launched the plumbing supply business in September, looking to give plumbers, journeymen and DIY-ers in Bermuda another option.

“Stuck in the Atlantic, there were some things that were hard to find even prior to the pandemic,” Mr Smith said. “I find everyone has to go shopping in different locations, getting one piece from here and the next piece at another store.”

Mr Smith thinks his plumbing supply company will help the problem.

“Another plumbing supply store is much needed,” he said.

Business has been slowly picking up since he opened at 15 Ten Pin Crescent, Middle Road, above the Warwick Laundromat.

“Journeymen and plumbers are putting the word out there for me,” he said. “A lot of the people who have come here have been very excited and glad that I did this.”

Orrick Smith, new owner of Warwick Plumbing (Photograph by Jessie Moniz Hardy)

There has been particular interest in his Rheem Ruud heat-pump hot water heaters.

“It is a heater that acts almost like an air-conditioning unit,” he said. “It will cool your whole basement or garage while it heats the water. It uses about 60 percent less energy than a regular hot water heater.”

Right now the water heaters are hard to get due to a microchip shortage. Mr Smith said some big box stores in the US have even taken them off the sales floor because it is hard to meet demand for them.

“Right now I have a 165-gallon unit and a 250-gallon unit,” he said. “They sell in the $3,000 range but no one really bats an eye at that. People are just happy to find one locally.”

Mr Smith gets the heaters from a supplier in the US and then stores them in Florida until they need to be shipped to Bermuda.

“I try to think ahead,” he said.

He started his career working in the hotel industry.

“I was a bus boy and waiter for many years,” he said. “The hotel wanted me to be the maitre’d, but I did not want to be one. I was happy in the industry. I worked with the Marriott Castle Harbor Hotel right until the doors closed. But I was tired of the hotel industry.”

Wanting to do something different, he went to work for Dunkley’s Dairy as a general handyman doing everything from putting up cameras to fixing the air conditioning and the plumbing.

“I learned on the job,” he said.

It wasn’t difficult.

“I have a way of figuring out how things work, just by watching how others do things,” he said.

As a child, he would always put toys or models together without reading the instructions first.

“I would just figure it out as I went along,” he said. “I was always good with my hands.”

Later, he worked for Bermuda Air Conditioning as a salesman. Knowing his talent for figuring out mechanical issues, the company would sometimes send him out to troubleshoot a problem. He would have a look at what was going on in the field and report back to the experts.

At Warwick Plumbing, he is not doing any actual plumbing, but he can use his knowledge to advise customers on the parts they need for different projects.

“I can also direct them to a plumber if they need one,” Mr Smith said.

He has a good relationship with some of his plumbing supply competitors.

“Sometimes they will call and say they are sending a customer my way because they don’t have what he needs, and I will do the same for them,” he said. “It is just so people can finish a project. If you have a leaking toilet you don’t want to go to Amazon.com, particularly if it’s a tenant’s toilet.”

So far, Mr Smith has not had any major challenges setting up shop.

“I had it in my mind exactly what I was going to do,” he said.

He has tried to arrange the aisles so that they are visually appealing and convenient for professionals looking for parts for certain types of projects.

“I have had a lot of compliments on the arrangement of the shelves,” he said.

There has been the occasional glitch. For example, he ordered a store mat with Warwick Plumbing’s logo on it, but it arrived with the W upside down, so it looks more like an M.

At present, he is the only employee.

“You have to creep before you walk,” he said. “I am still new. I am always progressing and adding more to the shop as we go.”

Mr Smith does not have a website yet, but one is coming in the future.

To contact Warwick Plumbing, call 236-4311 or e-mail orrick@warwickpl.com

The post New plumbing enterprise opens in Warwick – The Royal Gazette appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

With the new school year fast approaching, an army of dedicated workers in the Sooke School District has worked hard behind the scenes polishing, scrubbing, and waxing every square inch to ensure schools shine when the first student returns in September .

“These people really are the unsung heroes of the school department. When the last bell rings and the students drop out for the summer, these people go into high gear, ”said Glen O’Keefe, administrator for the Sooke School District.

“And when they’re done, these schools will have a new life … cleaned from top to bottom.”

RELATED: Back to School Soon

In the children’s classic Mary Poppins, the wanderer Bert describes his role as chimney sweep as seen by many as the lowest level of life. He dispels this characterization by speaking (or rather singing) about how the Sweeps take pride in their work and appreciate the invisible elements of the job.

The life of school administrators is something like that.

Note that during the school year, each administrator is responsible for an average of 25,000 square feet of floors per eight-hour shift. That corresponds to about 10 houses.

And they can do a lot more than just sweep, wash and wax. You are responsible for the general maintenance and cleaning of the entire room. If you’ve cleaned up after a single child, imagine multiplying that by several hundred and you get an idea of ​​what to expect.

“I really appreciate my work. We do this for the kids. The way I see it, children are beautiful and without them there would be no point in life, ”said Vince Talman, the senior administrator of the primary school in Sassenos.

“I am very proud of my work.”

He values ​​the contact he has with the children and staff as well as the public who use the school. He said that these contacts give a lot of meaning to the job at hand and can inspire him to do his best job every day.

“During the summer they have a chance to thoroughly clean the 27 schools in the district, and I can tell you these people are amazing,” said O’Keefe. “We have some real rock stars.”

He added that the work of an administrator has become more complex than in the past.

“It’s not just about sweeping and mopping. They need to know how to handle the equipment, mix chemicals, and be aware of all health and safety issues related to their job. “

He said during the school year the 63 full-time administrators and 15 support staff work mostly in the evenings, but that doesn’t mean they don’t meet the community.

“Schools have become community centers these days and are used late into the night. And students have lots of activities after school too, ”said O’Keefe.

“So there is a real personal side of the job where you are also in contact with the community.”

He acknowledged that many school administrators make friends with students and others, and that it is not uncommon for them to receive letters of appreciation or even small gifts from students at the end of the school year.

“I love to see that,” said O’Keefe. “It says a lot about the people who do this work for us. They care about the schools and the people in them, and it shows. “

mailto: tim.collins@sookenewsmirror.com
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The work of a custodian has become more complex as security protocols and the use of various chemicals and methods have increased. Vince Talman checks the chemical supply at Saseenos Elementary School. (Tim Collins / Sooke News Mirror)

The custodian banks Ray Lasell and Angela Winteler give their summer school cleaning tasks a little fancy footwork. (Contributed)

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