It’s nomination season for The Gregory Awards, Seattle’s local answer to the Tonys and Oscars.  But despite our size, Pork Filled still gets our share of praise from both the the official nominators and from the general theatre audience. Here are a few samples:

Favorite production/production Elements:
“Fast Company – really smart, flexible set design utilizing lighting and short film clips to cleverly simulate a beer sliding down a bar, etc. Also a flexible piece that became the front of a brownstone with a flip and a backlit scrim, then became a side table, etc.”

“I thought using white textured panels and projections of photographs to make the scenic backdrop worked really well. Small theatres don’t have large budgets for scenic design and I thought this worked well. Then they brought in a bench or chairs and table or whatever furniture elements were needed”

“This is one of the most creative and deceptively simple sets I’ve ever seen. I absolutely loved the projected backdrops combined with simple set pieces to instantly set time and place. The stairs in front of the apartment were awesome. AND, the video in the bar was outstanding. Other small theatres should totally emulate this design. Fantastic!”

Sound Design: Fast Company
“Well done, supported the play, set the mood & tone. Well executed.”

Check out the comments here. And here.

BUY TICKETS here! — Here’s a PARKING MAP!

(12th Avenue Arts is in the top-right quadrant.)

The play:

Two brothers, Atticus and Kai, climb aboard the Tumbleweed Zephyr, a transcontinental train headed from New Providence for the wilds of the Western Territories. But what starts as a simple journey by rail soon veers off-track, with airship bandits, twists of fate, wayward sparks of romance and the lonely call of a train whistle echoing across the clear desert sky.

The performances:

• Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm,
• Sundays at 2 pm and
• Monday Pay-What-You-Can Industry Nights at 8pm
• Special staged readings of The Clockwork Professor on Wednesday Aug 19 and Aug 26 at 7:30pm

The tickets (in advance):

• $15 General Admission
• $12 Student/Senior/TPS
• $50 Double Date Deal – Four (4) tickets

Brown Paper Tickets — BUY NOW at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/press/1388227.

The tickets (at the door):

• $18 General Admission,
• $15 Student/Senior/TPS.
• $10 for Thrifty Thursday performances
• Pay-What-You-Can for Industry Night Monday performances
• $5 for Teen Tix members

Quick one-sheet summary here!

(Explore the world of New Providence)(And, what is steampunk, anyway?)

The cast:

Michael Blum, Manuel Cawaling, Linnea Ingalls, Madison Jade Jones, Stephanie Kim-Bryan, Kevin Lin, Troy Lund and Tadd Morgan.

Cast bios here!

The Tumbleweed Zephyr is rated PG-13 for suggestive dialogue and combat situations. For more information, please email Pork Filled Productions at info@porkfilled.com.

The Tumbleweed Zephyr is fueled by 4Culture and the Office of Arts & Culture Seattle and is powered by Shunpike.

Use this handy dandy reference post to buy tickets and otherwise plan your trip from Seattle to New Providence to see The Tumbleweed Zephyr!

Buying tickets

Tickets purchased in advance are

• $15 General Admission
• $12 Student/Senior/TPS

Buy them NOW at Brown Paper Tickets, at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/press/1388227.

There is also a Double Date Deal (four Advance General Admissions for $50) for folks who want to enjoy the show with a few friends.

Tickets at the door are

• $18 General Admission,
• $15 Student/Senior/TPS.
• Mondays are Industry PWYC
• Thrifty Thursdays are $10
• PFP also participates in Teen Tix

Parking for 12th Avenue Arts

Need parking on Capitol Hill? (That’s a joke; you ALWAYS need parking on the Hill). Use this handy dandy map, which shows where the parking lots are and what they cost approximately at night:

(But be aware! The city is planning to close off streets to cars during selected weekend days! Check back here to see when they are!)

Eating on Capitol Hill

Looking for places to eat before the show? Try these (but there ARE plenty of places to eat):

• Gnocchi Bar (1542 12th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122)
• U:Don (1640 12th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122)
• Skillet Diner (1400 East Union Street, Seattle, WA 98122) – one of the best chicken sandwiches in the city

Drinking on Capitol Hill

What would be a night out without a bar or place for some late night eating? Here are some traditional spots:

• Rancho Bravo (1001 E Pine St); a favorite for excellent Mexican tacos and burritos (also available for catering weddings)
• Barrio Mexican Kitchen (1420 12th Ave.); great appetizers and mixed drinks!

Seattle theater is running full steam ahead this summer with one of the most diverse line-ups the city has ever seen. To see more shows without breaking the bank, you’ll want to check out the list of theaters participating in the SpiceBox Passport.

What is the SpiceBox Passport?

So glad you asked! The SpiceBox Passport is a way for you, the generous and supportive theater-goer, to see more plays and get discounted tickets from participating theater companies.

How do I get this discount?

First, you get your tickets for your first show by one of the participating theaters.

Then, you will receive the discount code that you can use to purchase tickets for any of the other participating theaters.

Which theater companies are part of                 SpiceBox Passport?

• ACT Theatre
• Freehold Theatre
• The New Alchemists
• Pork Filled Productions
• Pratidhwani
• REBATEnsemble
• SIS Productions
• SOUND Theatre 
• Thriving Artists

What are the plays I can see this summer?

SOUND Theatre presents …and Jesus Moonwalks the Mississippi by Marcus Gardley

• July 16-August 2 at Center Theatre at the Seattle Center Armory
• Tickets can be purchased here:  http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/1321529

ACT Theatre presents Hold These Truths by Jeanne Sakata

• July 16-August 16 at ACT Theatre
• Tickets can be purchased here:  http://www.acttheatre.org/Tickets/OnStage/HoldTheseTruths2015#Tickets

Freehold’s Engaged Theatre presents Emboldened/Unsung Jazz Heroes

• July 23 – August 3 at Theatre Off Jackson (409 7th Ave S, Seattle WA 9810
• Tickets can be purchased here: http://emboldened.bpt.me

Pratidhwani presents Dance Like a Man by Mahesh Dattani

• July 24-August 9 at ACT Theatre
• Tickets can be purchased here:  www.acttheatre.org/Tickets/OnStage/DanceLikeaMan

REBATEnsemble presents Rashomon [reloaded]

• July 30-August 2 and August 6-9 at South Lake Union Park
• All performances are pay-what-you-can but a $10 donation guarantees a seat ($5 with student ID)

SIS Productions presents Paper Angels by Genny Lim

• August 7-31 at various locations
• Tickets can be purchased here: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/1789709

SOUND Theatre and Pratidhwani present Indian Ink by Tom Stoppard

• August 13-30 at Center Theatre at the Seattle Center Armory
• Tickets can be purchased here:  http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/1321568

Pork Filled Productions presents The Tumbleweed Zephyr  by Maggie Lee

• August 14-29 at 12th Ave Arts Mainstage
• Tickets can be purchased here: TumbleweedZ.bpt.me

Thriving Artists presents The Passion as Told by Antígona Pérez by Luis Rafael Sánchez

• August 14-30 at 12th Ave Arts Black Box
• Tickets can be purchased here:  antigonaperez.brownpapertickets.com
• Kickstarter campaign

The New Alchemists presents Eaten Voices by Lavinia Roberts

• August 22, 23, 29, and 30 at Camp Long in West Seattle
• Tickets can be purchased here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1NnNTMuc-Ihb3c3z6u3nMvB_obnI2SUtZXfUnosbVySY/viewform

Craving more steampunk adventure after The Tumbleweed Zephyr? Return to the world of New Providence with special encore readings of The Clockwork Professor by Maggie Lee!

Pork Filled Productions presents two chances to see this special staged reading of The Clockwork Professor on Wednesdays, August 19 and 26, at 7:30 pm at the Mainstage of 12th Avenue Arts (1620 12th Avenue, Seattle, WA), featuring some members of the original multicultural cast from our 2013 production.

Professor Seamus Pemberton is a humble inventor, a quiet man of science. But as political unrest sweeps over the great city of New Providence, buried secrets erupt from his past to threaten everything that he holds dear, and perhaps even the Crown itself!

Admission is FREE with a valid ticket stub from The Tumbleweed Zephyr,  or $5 at the door or online at Brown Paper Tickets: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/1648512

“The Tumbleweed Zephyr isn’t a direct sequel to The Clockwork Professor, but it’s all connected” says PFP Executive Director Roger Tang. “With our remount of this reading, the audience can catch those connections and further explore the New Providence universe.  So if you missed Clockwork the first time, or just want to see it again, now’s your chance!”