Press Release

Explore the Dark Side
of Steampunk in A Hand of Talons

In In the steampunk crime world, keep your enemies close, your friends closer and your family within dagger's reach!

Pork Filled Productions, in association with the Theatre Off Jackson, presents the world premiere of A Hand of Talons by Maggie Lee (The Clockwork Professor, The Tumbleweed Zephyr), directed by Amy Poisson (These Streets, Fast Company, The Tumbleweed Zephyr), at the Theatre Off Jackson (409 7th Ave. S., Seattle), April 29 to May 21, 2016.

For generations, the Yao clan has ruled the criminal underworld in New Providence with an iron fist. But as the family empire threatens to crumble, Wilhelmina Yao must do whatever it takes to win at a high-stakes game of power and betrayal. Descend into the hazy underground gambling den of the Fortuna Mews to explore the dark world of steampunk noir in this thrilling third theatrical installment of the New Providence series.

Shows are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, with two Pay-What-You-Can Industry Nights on May 2 and 9 (Mondays at 8 pm) and one matinee on Sunday, May 15, 2 pm.

""It's a bit of a departure from our usual light-hearted action adventures, " says PFP Executive Director Roger Tang. "But we feel that audiences will really enjoy this new dark look at the New Providence steampunk universe.

"A Hand of Talons is a prequel of sorts, exploring a young woman's path to power, and what she sacrifices along the way to become a strong leader. And we're still doing what we love to do by mixing and matching genres, this time with a strong dose of The Godfather, Jules Verne, and that unique New Providence twist."

A Hand of Talons features Ben Burris, Tim Gagne, Kenna Kettrick, Stephanie Kim-Bryan, Mariko Kita, Abhijeet Rane, Jenn Ruzumna and Sean Schroeder. Producers are Maggie Lee, May Nguyen and Roger Tang.

Designers include Brandon Estrella (Sets/Props), Jocelyne Fowler (Costumes), Tess Malone (Lighting), Joseph Swartz (Sound), Daniel Rector (Dramaturge), May Nguyen (Fight Cho-reography) and Michael Massey (Stage Manager).

Advance tickets are $15 General and $12 Student/Senior/TPS at Brown Paper Tickets, at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/web/2490244. Run time is approximately two hours with one intermission. There is a Double Date Deal (four General Admissions for $50). At the door, tickets are $18 General, $15 Stu-dent/Senior/TPS. PFP participates in Teen Tix. A Hand of Talons is rated PG-13 for in-tense situations and stage violence. For more info, email PFP at info@porkfilled.com.

Spun off from the long running sketch comedy group the Pork Filled Players, Pork Filled Productions stretches the boundaries of Asian American theatre. Channelling the boundless imagination and creativity of modern Asian American artists, Pork Filled Productions embraces a spectrum of unexpected genres, such as steampunk (The Clockwork Professor by Maggie Lee), supernatural comedies (Big Hunk o' Burnin' Love by Prince Gomolvilas), mistaken race farces (Yellow Face by David Henry Hwang), crime family (Fast Company by Carla Ching) and even Kung-fu zombie Shakespeare (Living Dead in Denmark by Qui Nguyen).

A Hand of Talons is supported by 4Culture and the Office of Arts & Culture Seattle and is an Associated Project of Shunpike. Shunpike is the 501(c)(3) non-profit agency that pro-vides independent arts groups in Washington with the services, resources and opportuni-ties they need to forge their own paths to sustainable success.