Make some noise: 'Stomp' to take WAC by storm
Posted on Friday, May 9, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/nwat/WhatsUp/65031/
Last modified: Wednesday, May 7, 2008
BY STEVE SCHMIDT
Northwest Arkansas Times
To Stephen "Wacki" Serwacki, it's worth the pain. It's worth two ice packs strapped to his 33-year-old hips every night. It's worth living out an entirely nomadic existence.
For when the "Stomp" performer feels the spotlight, the only thing that matters is the beat. All his aches and worries vanish for about an hour and 40 minutes.
"It kind of all washes away the second you hit the stage," said Serwacki on a cell phone hours before a show in Waukegan, Ill. "It's the most pain you've ever had combined with the most fun you've ever had. It's a blessing and a curse."
Although Serwacki's harsh accent gives away that he is from the Boston area, he has no physical address. His mail is sent to his mother's house. Other than what he carries in a suitcase, his belongings are kept in a storage facility in Salem, Mass., until further notice.
"It's too tough to maintain a normal life or anything that people would deem as a normal life," he said. "You have to love doing this. ... Getting on stage, there's nothing like it."
When Serwacki and his 11 fellow performers head to Fayetteville for an eight-show run at the Walton Arts Center starting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, they will not only be in great physical shape. They will be what Serwacki called "in 'Stomp' shape" as a result of conditioning themselves in a particular way by pounding out rhythms using a variety of props that equally taxes the body and mind.
"It's a different type of endurance," he said. "It's not a marathon. It's sort of a sprint. It's not that we're constantly moving but we're constantly present. You have to be focused at all times."
Since late January, Serwacki has served as the co-director at rehearsals, where he stresses that "you can't relax on stage because someone's always watching you."
The cast of "Stomp" will use anything from trash cans to pots to toilet plungers to basketballs. Serwacki, who has been touring nationally since 2003, does not have a favorite "instrument." He just enjoys the ensemble pieces and their resulting unison of sound. He hopes the Fayetteville audience will as well.
"If you love music you're going to love the show because that's basically what we're going to celebrate," he said.
Given the show's relentless percussion, several performers, like Serwacki, have drumming experience. Currently, though, the cast includes two world-class tap dancers, a comedian and a woman who specializes as a vocalist and a trombone player. Serwacki said he has seen some of the world's best drummers try out for the show -- and not get picked.
"You either get it or you don't," he said, "and it's something you really can't teach people."
Instead, the ability to blend with seven other performers while making your own distinct sound has to be instinctual. Although the show's basic framework is set at rehearsals, a large amount of space for improvisation is always available, creating what Serwacki labeled "an extended jazz band."
With a truly unique sound.