What is Nordo?
Nordo is…sometimes a place, sometimes a person, always an experience. Delicious Mischief that lifts you up in his arms and carries you into a world that has only existed in your dreams. A chef, a sea captain, a 1960’s PanAm Dreamliner whisking you through the skies. An indescribable blend of fantasy and culinary experimentation where each experience is a journey of its own. To know Nordo is to breathlessly anticipate the delight of the unexpected.
How would others describe Nordo?
Nordo is an immersive theatrical experience featuring imaginative cuisine and live, original music, where artists create and play, while audiences are cared for with seamless service.
But seriously, what IS Nordo?
Since 2009 Nordo has been redefining dinner theater by creating immersive theatrical culinary events. By March of 2020 Nordo was developing and producing up to seven original shows a year, plays that integrated the theatrical service of innovative, locally sourced cuisine. Racking up multiple Seattle Times Footlight Awards for Excellence in Theater as well as Seattle Weekly’s Best Chef in Seattle 2018 for their Chef and Co-Artistic Director Erin Brindley, Nordo had expanded from an itinerant fringe theater to a Seattle institution located in historic Pioneer Square with year-round theater and kitchen for their full productions and a cabaret space that hosted Seattle jazz luminaries, experimental readings, opera, etc. Nordo has experimented with different forms of integrating food and storytelling, from Chef Brindley’s virtual live cooking classes, to a wine delivery service, to finally creating an at-home theatrical experience called Nordo’s Room Service. Nordo debuted their first Room Service Experience, Do Not Disturb, in October of 2020, delivering a ghost story told in cocktails, cakes, artifacts, ephemera, music, puzzles, and filmettes to the Seattle area along with signature dishes. In February 2021 Nordo launched the national shipping of these boxes, and in April 2021 debuted The Witching Hour, the first box designed specifically national shipping in mind.
2021 saw our venues re-open theatrically with Curiouser and Curiouser a multi-level interactive show and dining experience, inspired by the works of Lewis Carroll. Despite waves of pandemic closures, 2022 brought a more complete theatrical season. The spin-off Down the Rabbit Hole in our Knife Room Venue became our longest running production with over 100 performances. We also hosted the west coast premiere of Sara Pokalob’s Dragon Mama, with the first two chapters of her Dragon Cycle playing in repertory.
December 24th, 2022 was the final evening of performance in our Pioneer Square venues, with Scot Augustson’s Homicide for the Holidays - marking the 5th original holiday production penned by prolific Seattle treasure, created especially for Nordo.
As Nordo embarks on a year-long hiatus during 2023 to plan for our next big step, we remain committed to storytelling and on the lookout for new mediums and opportunities to make art happen in Seattle.
Who is Nordo?
Nordo was originally conceived of by scenic designer and playwright Terry Podgorski, and theater director and chef Erin Brindley. Actors Maximillian Davis and Opal Peachey, Composer Annastasia Workman, General Manager Kelly Stevens, and Actor/Sound Designer Evan Mosher helped transform the back of a chocolate factory into a delicious and magical series of pop-up dinners in 2009 and 2010, integrating the performing, visual, and culinary arts in new and innovative ways. From there the ideas have continued to bloom as we are always reaching for more immersion, more spectacle, and more magic. In our home artists serve one another and the broader community. We believe in our artists being paid fairly, our food being sourced locally, and our work being brave, educational and always entertaining.
Nordo is part of Ripple Productions, a 501(c)3 non-profit arts organization. With a commitment to new and innovative storytelling, Ripple Productions seeks to push the boundaries of innovation by integrating the performing, culinary, and visual arts. Contributions are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law.