Jude Caminos, who is now traveling the country with 30th anniversary “STOMP” tour didn’t always see himself in this career. “STOMP” is a thrilling show that incorporates the exploration of music utilizing non-traditional instruments. Using anything they can think of, while also remaining speechless, every “STOMP” show is an imaginative story.
As a former student at Mt. Lebanon High School, Caminos was playing percussion as a hobby. He said that he was not involved in theater at all until his senior year came around.
“I played for the musical, and I just thought that was fun. So I didn’t really think anything of it,” Caminos said.
After applying at a few universities, Caminos committed to Carnegie Mellon University where he started on a percussion performance and music education track. He was not aware that the small decision to take a seminar would ignite a new passion.
“And then about my junior year, I applied for the drama department. I did a seminar about NYU that was a Broadway percussion seminar, and I was like, ‘This is what I want to do,’” Caminos said. “I don’t want to play in an orchestra. I want to be a Broadway musician.”
After graduating in 2019, Caminos and his now fiancé moved to New York City in 2021. He shared that he was a preschool teacher for about a year, while participating in some smaller music classes and cabarets. During this time, he also began to write his own musical.
“I couldn’t find my footing after I had finished school. I always wrote little melodies or things, and I was always trying to write pop songs. It just came into my brain one day and I was like, ‘oh, I’m a musical writer,’” Caminos said.
But then, Caminos got a call that would put all of his skills on display and would change his life. He saw a listing that “STOMP” was auditioning for new members in New York. It was before he was living there, but he knew had to try this once in a lifetime opportunity. Unfortunately, he wasn’t selected to fill that opening.
Fast forward two years, a “STOMP” audition came up again. After calling off work and auditioning once more, Caminos expected a call informing him of the results in a couple weeks. It ended up being three months.
Feeling left behind and confused, he asked for a sign.
“I was journaling. I believe in the universe, and I was like, ‘Universe, show me a sign. I want to see a huge butterfly.’ The next morning, I walked to my train station and there’s a new mosaic of a butterfly. This was like two months before I even got the call, so I felt like I knew in my soul I had the job,” he said. “They called me. Our general manager picked up and she said, ‘Hey, can you start working in two weeks to train for the show and leave in six weeks?’ That’s how fast the turnaround was. I learned the show in four weeks, and I was on the road and doing my first show six weeks from when I was hired.”
Caminos has now been with the tour for two years, and the show has been a great ride for him.
“People are so talented. There’s too many funny moments that are improv to even remember on the stage. The show is so different every night,” Caminos said.
“STOMP” also incorporates a lot of improvisation, which is making up something without direction. It’s hard to predict what you might get on the night you see the show. A lot of improv also calls for a lot of mishaps.
“We have a paint can number. And so I tossed a bunch of paint cans, and people are also tossing paint cans, and one of them hit my hand really hard. And my hand started bleeding,” Caminos said. “I couldn’t get a Band-Aid on. You can’t really stop the show.”
Caminos speaks very highly of his cast mates, and how much he enjoys being on tour with them.
“We’re with these people for eight weeks straight. And there’s a trust and a bond that everyone takes care of each other,” Caminos said. “So the bond is really great and we end up becoming close so quick. I think because we’re together all the time.”
This tour has been such a positive experience for Caminos, and he admitted it’s such an amazing thing to be part of.
“I love STOMP. I love being able to play music and dance and act and be on stage and perform. It’s such a unique show,” he said.
Showcasing your talent and sharing that musical joy with the world is a beautiful thing. Music bringing strangers together is something to celebrate and keep around.
“I think when you’re an artist in your creative spirit, you have that thing in you, you feel it getting at you,” Caminos said. “You always have a need to create or perform or whatever that thing is for you.”
