A bittersweet farewell to Nordo’s Pioneer Square chapter

Treasured Guests,

After 30+ original productions, Nordo has shuttered our two venues on Main Street in Pioneer Square: The Culinarium and the Knife Room. In 2023, we will redirect all our resources towards our next chapter – a large scale immersive facility for Seattle.

Down the Rabbit Hole tested the possibilities by transforming our warren-like basement into a performance space with four immersive art installations, complete with soundscapes, projection mapping, sculpture, and delectable courses of food hidden within. Since our opening over a year ago it has engaged more than 5000 guests across over 100 performances. It is Nordo’s most successful production to date.

Despite the roaring success of Down the Rabbit Hole, we ran into two problems: we can only fit 45 people per seating (an economic issue,) and there is no access other than a narrow set of stairs (a values issue.) The concept is a winner; the space needs to change. We have squeezed every bit of possibility out of both venues. On a practical level we have survived (and thrived) through our Culinarium windows being shot out, our street being dug up for months during the streetcar boondoggle of 2017, and, of course, the global pandemic that shut us down for two years.

We have turned our space into a 1960’s airplane, a haunted hotel, a futuristic dream spa, and a Spaghetti Western style saloon, among dozens of other worlds. We are watching other cities commit to large scale immersive destinations like Santa Fe, Las Vegas, Denver and New York to name a few. This is the future. And it is the style of work Nordo has been committed to since we created an imaginary restaurant in a chocolate factory in the fall of 2009.

Nordo has always been “something else entirely,” at our best moments completely indescribable. As we begin laying bricks for the new Nordo, we will commit to the most creative and unique flavors in our secret recipe, while also creating a space that far more people can enjoy.

The next adaptation for Nordo is about accessibility and sustainability. 2023 begins our journey of planning, identifying both artistic and funding partners, and searching for real estate. The dream is big. In 2012, Nordo transformed a three-story building into an imaginative museum full of edible food folklore and culinary history with its Cabinet of Curiosities. Since then, we have honed our skills and created infrastructure, a foundation, and a following to take this concept large scale. This ambitious future requires every bit of Nordo’s resources and talent as well as the support of the city. Our goal, as always, is to provide local artists well-paid opportunities while transporting our guests into a fantastical and delicious world. The next phase of Nordo will scale this commitment into a tourist propelled, locally accessible, destination.

As exciting as this plan is, there are many artists, talented culinary professionals, administrative and service staff who are affected by this venue closure. In writing to you, and sharing this message with them, we hope to be true to our values of transparency and acknowledge the blood, sweat, and tears that have gone into our little building nestled into Nord Alley.

We wrapped up our time at our beloved Culinarium with our favorite annual holiday tradition: a Scot Augustson bawdy holiday revue, Homicide for the Holidays. Now, we look to the future.

Trust we will be keeping you updated on every step of our process as we launch into this new and exciting time.

Erin and Terry

Erin Brindley, Co-Artistic Director

Terry Podgorski, Co-Artistic Director