All posts by PFPTheatre

Meet the Crew: Brandon Estrella

 BrandonE
We are so excited to work with first-time PFP collaborator Brandon Estrella! Brandon is a props and set designer whose work has been seen with a wide variety of companies around Seattle. He is a founding member of The New Alchemists and, over the past few years, his designs have been featured throughout the greater Seattle Area. You may have seen some of his recent work with Ghost Light Theatricals (From Kings to Controllers, King Kirby, As You Like It), STAGEright (Weird Romance), WET (The Motherf*cker With the Hat), MAP Theatre (The Art of Bad Men), SIS Productions (Paper Angels), and the Intiman’s Emerging Artists Showcase. You can check out some of his upcoming projects with MAP Productions, Theatre Schmeater, Northern Belles Webseries, and The New Alchemists.
He also created this lovely scale model of the Talons set, as seen above. Look closely for a few hidden surprises built into the walls of the Fortuna Mews…!

Director Amy Poisson on the Theatrical Mustang Podcast!

Our Talons director and beloved colleague Amy Poisson was recently featured on the Theatrical Mustang podcast with a panel of local female directors, including Lacy Gavilanes, Julia Griffin, and Vanessa Miller, co-hosted by Katie Woodzick and Olena Hodges. Check out Episode 80 here, and learn what got Amy started as a director, what kinds of plays she is drawn to, and her staunch dedication to diversity in theatre. Hooray Amy!

A Talons Tutorial

Video
So…how exactly do you play a hand of Talons? This New Providence card game has its roots in last summer’s The Tumbleweed Zephyr, where gambler Kai finds himself in a bit of a scrape after playing one too many hands with the head of the Yao clan. The game also plays a role in A Hand of Talons (after all, it’s part of the title!), but how do you decide the rules for a fictional game to be played on stage? So we called in Zephyr alumni and Talons master card players Troy Lund (Hoban Hughes) and Manuel Cawaling (Kai Hernandez) to give our current cast a few pointers. Check out the video here!

Ante Up for A HAND OF TALONS Kickstarter

Our cast and director have been hard at work at rehearsal, our marketing team is spreading the word far and wide about the show, the designers are at their drawing boards creating our sets, props, and costumes… and all we need now is YOUR support to get A Hand of Talons on its feet!
PFP has just launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise $3,500 to help with space rental costs, and to increase our budgets for costumes, props, and sets. Being a fringe theatre company, we are old hands at stretching our pennies to put on the best show we possibly can. But with your help, we will be able expand our vision for the play to create a truly spectacular theatrical experience!
We have some smashing backer rewards available, including poster giveaways, VIP tickets with reserved seating, exclusive backstage tours, and maybe even your name as a part of our play! Also, thanks to the power of Shunpike, a portion of your donation is tax deductible.
Our Kickstarter campaign ends in just three weeks on Wednesday, April 13, so don’t delay! Support our Kickstarter today!

Buy Tickets HERE for A HAND OF TALONS (updated)

Use this handy reference guide to buy tickets and plan your trip from Seattle to New Providence to see A Hand of Talons. You’ll be treading on Yao clan territory, so you’ll want to plot out every detail before you go, including parking, dining choices, and more!

Buying tickets

Tickets purchased in advance are:

  • $15 General Admission
  • $12 Student/Senior/TPS (Seniors are 62 or above!)
  • Mondays are Industry Pay-What-You-Can
  • Thrifty Thursdays are  $12
  • Sunday matinee on May 15 at 2pm for only $10!
    Thanks so much to our generous Kickstarter backers for making these discounted tickets available to everyone!

Buy them NOW (with the updated ticket link)
at Brown Paper Tickets: BPT.pdf

http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/web/2490244

Run time is approximately two hours with intermission.

We are excited to offer a special online Double Date Deal (four
Advance General Admissions for $50) for folks who want to enjoy the show with a few friends and save some cash!

Tickets at the door are:

  • $18 General Admission
  • $15 Student/Senior/TPSTeenTix_logo
  • PFP is proud to participate in Teen Tix

Parking for Theatre Off Jackson

Need to find parking in the International District?  Please refer to this helpful map for information on nearby parking lots and their evening fees:

TOJ Mag Talons

In general, there is plenty of street parking, with 2 hours free underneath the freeway and reasonably-priced metered parking elsewhere (metering ends at 8pm). We CAN  recommend the lot under Interstate 5, between Jackson and King Streets. Not only is it extremely well-illuminated, but it also costs a mere $2 after 6pm (cash only/exact change) and $10 for special events such as Sounders games. All proceeds go to help Interim CDA, the agency that helps develop the International District as a neighborhood to live in, a destination to visit, and a community to work in.

Note: The Viaduct is scheduled to be closed for two weeks beginning April 29 (Opening Night!), so please plan extra travel time and avoid SR99 during those dates.

Also Note: There will be Sounders games at CenturyLink Field on the evenings of April 30, May 7, and May 21. Finding parking (both street and pay lot) can be especially challenging on game days, so please plan accordingly to take public transit or factor in extra time to park.

Feeling a little peckish?

Why not grab a bite to eat before the show? Here are some nearby restaurants to try out:

A. Red Lantern
Contemporary Asian cuisine
520 S. Jackson St.
redlanternseattle.wordpress.com

B. Green Leaf
Excellent Vietnamese cuisine
418 8th Ave. S.
greenleaftaste.com

C. Phenom Penh Noodles
The I-District’s only Cambodian restaurant
660 South King St.
www.phnompenhnoodles.com

D. Eastern Cafe
Tasty sandwiches, crepes, and espresso
510 Maynard Ave. S.
www.facebook.com/EasternCafe

A Hand of Talons Opens on April 29th!

Return to the steampunk universe of New Providence with a brand new world premiere play! A Hand of Talons, written by Maggie Lee and directed by Amy Poisson, opens at the Theatre Off Jackson (409 7th Ave. S., Seattle) on April 29.
Rehearsals are already underway for this exciting show, which takes us back in time to a standalone prequel story before the events of The Clockwork Professor. Pork Filled Productions has assembled a stellar new cast of characters (with one returning favorite!) to explore the dark underworld of organized crime that lurks beneath the surface of the fair city of New Providence.
Tickets go on sale March 15, but check out this sneak peek from our first rehearsal!
The whole TALONS gang is so excited to be FUNDED! Photo by Joe Iano Photography.

Head Hawg Featured in the Bay Area


Pork Filled Executive Director Roger Tang has just returned from a fruitful trip to the San Francisco Bay Area, where he spoke to the Stanford Asian American Theatre Project (which he helped to found 35 years ago) and received an Equity Award from the Equity in the Entertainment Industry Symposium at Stanford University.
While he was there, he spoke to the local paper, The Stanford Daily, about his long career in Asian American theatre and what he did before he was the “Godfather of Asian American theatre.” Check out his interview here!

Save the Date for A HAND OF TALONS

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

Pork Filled Productions 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 in 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 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 Choreography) and Michael Massey (Stage Manager).

Advance tickets are $15 General and $12 Student/Senior/TPS at Brown Paper Tickets, on sale, starting March 15, 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 Student/Senior/TPS. PFP participates in Teen Tix. A Hand of Talons is rated PG-13 for intense situations and stage violence. For more info, email PFP at info@porkfilled.com.

Spinning off from the long running sketch comedy group the Pork Filled Player, Pork Filled Productions stretches the boundaries of Asian American theatre. Reflecting the imagination and creativity of modern Asian American artists, Pork Filled Products reworks traditional Asian American theatre to embrace the full spectrum of genres, from steampunk (The Clockwork Professor) to supernatural comedies (Big Hunk o’ Burnin’ Love by Prince Gomolvilas), to mistaken race farces (Yellow Face by David Henry Hwang) to crime family con games (Fast Company by Carla Ching) and yes, 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 provides independent arts groups in Washington with the services, resources and opportunities they need to forge their own paths to sustainable success.

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Meet the Cast of A HAND OF TALONS

Talons cast-revised
We’ve searched high and low to find just the right rogues and scofflaws for our newest show! Pork Filled Productions is very proud to introduce our cast for A Hand of Talons: Stephanie Kim-Bryan, Jenn Ruzumna, Sean Schroeder, Mariko Kita, Abhijeet Rane, Ben Burris, Kenna Kettrick, and Tim Gagne! We look forward to creating this new steampunk noir play with them that explores the darker side of New Providence, a harrowing tale in the seedy underworld of organized crime.
Oh, want some bios?

Ben Burris (Lawrence Howell) is happy to be making is debut with PFP! He is a Cornish Alum. When not on stage Ben is a puppeteer with Thistle Theater, performing Bunraku style puppet shows for children in the Seattle area. He recently designed and co-built the Tralfamadorian puppets for Book-It’s Slaughterhouse Five. Ben is also a clown and is part of the absurdist comedy trio Le Frenchword. You may have seen Ben in For Christmas with Playing in Progress, The Art of Bad Men with Map Theatre (Gypsy Rose Lee winner for Best Ensemble and Best Director) and The Boy at the Edge of Everything with SCT.

Tim Gagne (Kenzo Yao) is a native of St. Paul Minnesota, where he graduated with a theater acting degree from Minnesota State University. Since moving to Seattle, Tim has had the pleasure of working with some excellent theaters and companies including Annex Theater, Pacific Play Company, Fantastic Z, Theater Battery, and Spirit Theater. In addition to stage work Tim has worked as a voice over artist, a radio personality, and he was recently seen on the television show Evil In-Law.

 

Kenna Kettrick (Lin Curtis) is proud to report for duty to the Yao family. She was recently seen in Seattle Vice (Marxiano Productions) and Codename Kansas: Witch Hunter (Copious Love), and has worked with Seattle Public, Annex, Open Circle, The Bathhouse Ensemble, 14/48: TWQTF, and more—both on and off stage. Blood is her preferred design discipline, and food her favorite gift to friends. She performs burlesque under the name Verity Germaine, likes to teach middle schoolers stage combat, and leads food tours in Pike Place Market for a day job. She graduated from Seattle University, with degrees in Theater and History & English, and the Hickey Award, which is far more academic than it sounds… probably. Much love to Acting Club & the frog prince!

Stephanie Kim-Bryan (Wilhemina Yao) – Theatrically, she was last seen in Azeotrope’s Sound at ACT Theatre and in Pork-Filled Productions’ The Tumbleweed Zyphyr. Her local credits include Keiko Okabe in Book-It Repertory Theatre’s Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, Annika Settergreen in Seattle Children’s Theatre’s Pippi Longstocking. She’s also worked in Seattle with The Repertory Actor’s Theatre/PFP in Yellow Face, and SCT in A Single Shard; in Chicago with the American Theatre Company in Yeast Nation, at Chicago Shakespeare Theater in Funk It Up About Nothin’, and at Chicago Children’s Theatre in Hana’s Suitcase. Her education includes commedia training at the Accademia dell’Arte in Arezzo, Italy. A few favorite roles include Myrrah, et al. in Metamorphoses and Tiger Lily in Peter Pan.

Mariko Kita (Delphine Yao) is over the moon to be working with Pork Filled Productions again and to inhabit New Providence with this amazing cast and team. She has appeared locally with Live Girls! Theater, Book-it Repertory Theatre, ReAct Theatre, Balagan Theater, StoryBook Theater, Infinity Box Theater, Lyric Light Opera, Ghost Light Theatricals and most recently Annex Theater. She regularly writes arrangements for Live Girls! Ladies Choir and has been a proud member of 14/48 bands. She is ever grateful for her amazingly supportive family.

Abhijeet Rane (Preston Hodges) moved to Seattle in 1999 and has been part of the vibrant South Asian drama community in Seattle for the past 10 years – performing in Seattle, San Jose, Portland, Chicago and Vancouver as well. Most recently, he appeared in Dance Like a Man in 2015, The Banyan Tree for Pratidhwani in 2013 and Everything But The Paper in 2014. Abhijeet writes his own stand-up comedy scripts, is an avid photographer and in his spare time manages to market technology products and services. He loves startups and is keenly interested in entrepreneur driven disruptive innovation.

Jenn Ruzumna (Bernie Martillo) is crazy excited to be a part of this stellar group of talented folks. Jenn was recently seen in The Twelfth Story at The Annex. She has also performed at theaters including Theater Schmeater, On the Boards, West of Lenin, Studio 4 Seattle and Woodinville Rep. Favorite roles: Jennifer Tucker in Wayne Rawley’s Beating Up Bachman (Radial Theater), Betty Dullfeet in The Resistable Rise of Arturo Ui (The CHAC) and Debra in A Kind of Alaska (BASH). Jenn also enjoys film work and is looking forward to the release of some of her films this year including the feature Brown’s Canyon (Try This Films). Her happy place is eating pizza and chocolate with her husband, children and dogs.

Sean Schroeder (Anders Yao) is very excited to be working with Pork-Filled Productions for the first time. He was most recently seen as Franz Huber in MAP Theatre’s production of The Art of Bad Men, directed by Kelly Kitchens. He was also an ensemble member in Seattle Shakespeare Company’s production of King Lear, directed by Sheila Daniels. He earned a BFA in Acting from Cornish College of the Arts in 2014. Favorite roles during his tenure at Cornish include Richard Mayhew in Neverwhere, Franny in Balm in Gilead and Beano in Summer Brave. Love to Maria, Natalie, Jasmine and Mariah.

Stay tuned for more exciting updates on the show on Facebook!
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More theater made easy

The Seattle theatre scene is so full of fantastic shows that one’s calendar can easily burst with new works, solo works, and festivals.

To make things a little easier for the intrepid theater-goer, Pork Filled Productions and Latino Theatre Projects are teaming up and providing discount tickets for our upcoming shows. Now you can see both productions without breaking the bank.

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Latino Theatre Project‘s newest play is MARIELA IN THE DESERT, a prize-winning play by celebrated Latina playwright Karen Zacarias. This story weaves a complex tale with a gripping mystery that reveals what happens to a family when one’s creativity is shut away. This production will be the play’s Washington State premiere. The play is Directed by Fernando Luna and produced in association with Theatre Off Jackson.

The cast is led by Angela Maestas and Michael D. Blum. Also appearing are Esteban Ortiz, Frances Hearn, Addie Keller, and David Cravens-O’Farrell. Scenic design is by Maggie Larick with lighting by Emily Leong costumes by K.D. Schill, and sound design by Noah Duffy.

WHEN: Thursday-Saturday evenings, March 17-April 9 at 8:00 pm
WHERE: Theatre Off Jackson, 409 7th Ave S in Chinatown/International District

TICKETS: http://marielainthedesert.brownpapertickets.com/

DISCOUNT CODE: SPICEBOX