[347]STUDENT-CREATED, ALL-ORIGINAL ‘RHYTHM IN YOU’ STOMPS TO MTSU STAGE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 18, 2008
CONTACT: Lisa L. Rollins, (615) 898-2919 or lrollins@mtsu.edu

STUDENT-CREATED, ALL-ORIGINAL ‘RHYTHM IN YOU’ STOMPS TO MTSU STAGE
March 28 Marks Opening Performance of Show that Blends Percussion, Movement, Comedy

(MURFREESBORO)—MTSU’s Theatre and Dance will present “Rhythm in You,” an original percussive stomp by Ian Hunt, at 7:30 nightly March 28-29 and April 2-5 on the MTSU Tucker Theatre stage.
Drawing from the themes of the global smash-hits “Stomp” and “Stomp Out Loud,” Jeff Gibson, director of theater at MTSU, said, “’Rhythm in You’ blends percussion, movement and silent comedy to get you drumming, rolling, and laughing in the aisles.”
Hunt, who is a junior MTSU theater major and long-time percussionist, said he began to work on the “Rhythm” project two years ago after the idea was conceived in summer 2006.
“This is something many people have seen, but no one had ever really thought about attempting. It was a challenge,” commented Hunt, referring to the choice of the show.
“When you go see a musical or play, you are told a story through words and music,” he added. “In this piece, you hear and see the story through percussion and movement. It’s an exploration of noise and dance in everyday life.”
Deborah Anderson, director and professor of speech and theatre at MTSU, said, “The beauty of producing a piece like this is that it is completely out of the box. We have all had to think with a different theatrical vocabulary and look at structure through a different lens. We have no traditional means of storytelling, just percussion.”
The 12-person cast has assisted in the building of this show from the beginning, noted Gibson, who added that the cast consists of one of the most diverse groups of student performers—from percussionists and actors, to dancers and visual artists—ever to grace the Tucker stage.
“I have been so impressed with what the students are doing,” Anderson noted. “When we began we had a sketch, and it has been vividly brought to life and has established a great creative outlet for each member of the cast. So many of our students have come together in this great ensemble and let everything else go to tell this story.”
Described as a journey through sound, a celebration of the everyday and a comic interplay of wordless characters who communicate through movement and percussion, “Rhythm in You,” Gibson observed, “strives to bring all art forms together for an experience that will appeal to all emotions.”
• TICKETS: General admission is $10 at the door. MTSU students will be admitted free with a valid ID. For more information, please visit access http://www.mtsu.edu/~theatre/ online or call (615) 494-8810.

ATTENTION, MEDIA—For editorial needs, including interview requests with performers or faculty or to obtain review tickets, please contact Lisa L. Rollins via lrollins@mtsu.edu. Jpegs for editorial use are available online by accessing http://picasaweb.google.com/kcactf4/RhythmInYouMarch2008?pli=1