Joseph Swartz is happy to be working with Pork Filled Productions for the first time. Other favorite Seattle sound design highlights include The Feast and award winning The Art of Bad Men for MAP Theatre, Dancing At Lughnasa, The Women of Lockerbie, Bach At Leipzig, and Letters to Sala for Seattle Pacific University, Crime and Punishment, A Streetcar Named Desire, To Kill A Mockingbird, and Native Son for Intiman Theatre, as well as numerous designs for Macha Monkey Productions, whose 2013 production of Cliffhouse earned him a Gregory Award nomination. Joseph spends most days working in the sound department at Seattle Children’s Theatre. He thanks his son Jack, as well as countless child sitters, whose generosity and patience borders on the heroic.
Directions to Theatre Off Jackson
Welcome to Theatre Off Jackson and the Chinatown-International District!
Pork Filled Productions is so happy to be back at Theatre Off Jackson in Seattle’s historic Chinatown-International District. It’s a fun neighborhood to visit and very easy to get to by several public transit options. There’s also plenty of parking . . . if you know where to find it! Here’s a handy cheat sheet to help you get to the show and make your visit to the Chinatown-International District as stress-free as possible.
Driving
From I-5 SOUTHBOUND
- Take ramp TOWARD I-90
- Stay RIGHT on the ramp
- EXIT S. Dearborn St.
- RIGHT on S. Dearborn St.
- RIGHT on 7th Ave.
- Theatre Off Jackson – 409 7th Ave. – is at the corner of 7th Ave. and Jackson St.
From I-5 NORTHBOUND
- Exit 164A – stay LEFT of the fork toward S. Dearborn St.
- LEFT on S. Dearborn St.
- RIGHT on 7th Ave.
- Theatre Off Jackson – 409 7th Ave. – is at the corner of 7th Ave. and Jackson St.
Parking
- Street parking in Chinatown-International District is metered until 8pm.
- The nearest parking lot to Theatre Off Jackson is a pay lot under I-5, between 8th Ave. and 10th Ave. You can enter the lot from Jackson St. or King St. The evening rate is $2 after 6 pm (cash only, bring exact change), but the price maybe be higher if there is a sporting event (i.e. Sounders game).
First Hill Streetcar
- Get off at the 7th Ave. and Jackson St .stop
- Cross Jackson St. at 7th Ave. to find Theatre Off Jackson on 7th Ave.
Link Light Rail
- Get off at International District-Chinatown Station – 5th Ave. and Jackson St.
- Head east (uphill) from Jackson St.
- RIGHT on 7th Ave. to find Theatre Off Jackson
Bus
- International District-Chinatown Station is part of the Downtown Seattle Bus Tunnel and is a major transit hub for many buses.
- #1, #7, and #36 travel along Jackson St. with stops at 8th Ave. and 7th Ave.
A Special Sneak Preview for A Hand of Talons
Pork Filled Productions is pleased to announce the addition of a special Preview performance of A Hand of Talons on Wednesday, April 27 at 8 pm (a week from now!) Join us at the Theatre Off Jackson and be among the very first audiences to get a sneak peek at the latest chapter in the the New Providence steampunk saga . Preview tickets are Pay-What-You-Can both online and at the door, so just name your own price and grab yours today at BrownPaperTickets!
PFP Adds Another Low Cost Ticket Night for A Hand of Talons
Thanks to our generous Kickstarter donors, Pork Filled Productions is excited to add Sunday, May 15 as another low cost performance for its world premiere run of A Hand of Talons, running at the Theatre Off Jackson (409 7th Ave. S., Seattle), April 29 to May 21, 2016.
“We blew past our fundraising goals and expectations,” says Roger Tang, Executive Director for PFP. “Since we achieved our added $4,000 stretch goal, we are able to make all of the tickets for our Sunday, May 15 matinee at 2 pm only $10, as a part of our goal to make theatre accessible to everyone.”
This special $10 Matinee on May 15 adds to the variety of budget options already available to our audiences, which include Thrifty Thursdays ($12 on May 5, 12, and 19) and two Industry/PWYC Nights (Pay What You Can on May 2 and 9). Our regular ticket prices are also fairly affordable at $18 General and $15 Student/Senior at the door ($15/$12 in advance).
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, presented in association with the Theatre Off Jackson.
Tickets can be purchased at Brown Paper Tickets, at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/web/2490244. Running time is two hours with one intermission. 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 and The Tumbleweed Zephyr) 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 Seattle’s office of Arts & Culture 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.
We’ve Made Our GOAL! Let’s S-T-R-E-T-C-H It Out!!
We are so excited to announce that A Hand of Talons has achieved our initial fundraising goal! Thanks to the generous support of our 45 backers, we have currently raised an incredible $3,530! We are so grateful to our fans for believing in our show and helping us to create this amazing steampunk universe on stage!
But we still have 4 days to go, so we want to push ourselves to make the very most of this Kickstarter campaign. We are setting a new stretch goal of $4,000 to help make attending the show more accessible. While we already offer several nights with discounted prices, including $12 tickets on all Thrifty Thursdays and two pay-what-you-can Monday Industry Nights on May 2 and May 9, we still want to push ourselves to do whatever we can to make sure that cost is never an issue for folks who want to see our play.
If we can achieve our new $4,000 stretch goal, we will be able to discount all of the tickets to our Sunday matinee on May 15 to a mere $10! Our matinee time slot has proven very popular for those audience members who often don’t have the means or ability to attend events in the evenings, so your extra donation would really give those patrons a helping hand to get out and go see some theater.
Our campaign ends on Wednesday, April 13 at 2pm! We still have plenty of fabulous Backer Rewards to share, so please spread the word and let’s keep our luck rolling! And be sure to get all the latest news on the show on Facebook, Twitter, or www.porkfilled.com.
Meet the Crew: Brandon Estrella
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
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: 
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/TPS
- 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:
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