It is not every day that the bright lights of Broadway in New York intersect with the rural roads of Zoarville, Ohio, but they did on Monday at Tuscarawas Valley Schools when Stomp rolled into town.
Stomp uses unconventional percussion instruments to create an electrifying experience on stage, and they were the first guest production at Tusky Valley’s new performing arts center.
“Very exciting,” said Derek Varansky, superintendent. “It’s a great opportunity for our kids and our staff in this building to see something as magnificent as Stomp.”
“We talk about sports all the time, and they see the Cleveland Guardians and the Cleveland Browns on TV, but you don’t see Stomp on TV,” said Jason Phillips, the high school principal. “So, hopefully the student body will be able to see that these are the professionals of stage.”
“Honestly, just a surreal experience,” said Tusky Valley High School senior Isabella Drummer.
Drummer and fellow senior Jace Digman play the lead in the theatre department’s presentation of Mamma Mia, which just wrapped here Sunday night. They both said it’s inspiring to see the Broadway performers on that stage.
“For me, I love acting, and it makes that dream feel so much more possible,” said Drummer.
Stomp is headed for Cleveland’s Playhouse Square.
When the theatre district learned they would be traveling through the area, they worked with the production team to create this one-of-a-kind opportunity for Tusky to get a visit from a Broadway-caliber show.
“This is going to be a day to remember,” Chris Meyers, Playhouse Square.
It is especially meaningful to Tusky Valley.
Last November, they lost six members of their school community in a charter bus crash.
Monday is an example of the power of performing arts to perform healing.
“I just feel like our students needed a refresh, and ending the year on a high note would be terrific,” said Mandy McElwee, school counselor and Hope Squad adviser.
McElwee and Katy Wells run Tusky’s peer support group called Hope Squad.
“I can’t believe it’s actually happening,” Wells said. “It started off as a dream!”
Last May, they took the Hope Squad to Playhouse Square to see Dear Evan Hansen.
“For me, the reason for that was because the underlining tone of Dear Evan Hansen is all about hope and the power of human connection,” said Wells.
She says the human connection they developed with Playhouse Square has come full circle.
“I think we feel seen, our students feel seen, and that’s important right now to feel seen and heard,” said Wells. “And then there’s the hope through that grieving process.”
They say the performance is bringing joy to the students and staff.
“I think the arts connect people in ways that are unspeakable,” said Declan Hayden, Stomp performer.
Hayden, an Ohio native from Cincinnati, said the Stomp troupe is honored to be part of this special day for Tusky.
He said they rarely perform like this at a school and felt compelled to give back the best way they know how.
“I hope they feel inspired,” he said.
“I think it means more to us than they’ll ever know,” said Isabella.
On Monday afternoon, the Stomp crew performed two shows for about 500 Tusky middle and high school students.
Stomp will be performing in Cleveland at Playhouse Square Wednesday through Sunday.
