Opening vs. Re-Opening

Opening Night is a special brand of chaos. It looks different for every arts organization, but for Nordo it’s an undeniable feeling in the air – we’re going to have an audience. An audience that will intimately know every movement of a performer in our uniquely long space. We have to serve them, feed them, keep them entertained, and (hopefully) sufficiently buzzed from our impeccably poured wine or cocktail selections. We have to keep track of them to be sure we don’t start a new act while they’re getting some air or visiting the loo. We maintain organized chaos from dining room to green room; a kitchen staff, servers, performers, band members, and bartenders running trays, staying hydrated, doing costume changes, clearing silverware. And above all, somehow, we have to keep the integrity of the theatrical experience: All those secrets that keep things running smoothly and maintain the mystery of a seamless transition with some amazing, pulse-racing moment of art that we will all remember time and time again. The magic of theater. The magic of Nordo.

It’s been 495 days since we experienced our last Opening Night, Sara Porkalob’s The Angel in the House. It’s been 237 days since we hosted our last dinner re-opening event in the space, Bloody Delicious.

It is a strange feeling for us to be Re-Opening without an Opening Night. We are most known, after all, for immersive dinner theater experiences that guide you through an evening of storytelling and culinary complexity. We even found a way to bring an evening out at Nordo to your living room with our Room Service Experiences during the darkness that was this past year. What we have discovered, however, is that when we are provided the opportunity (or faced with restrictive guidelines) to focus on the menu, the food itself simply shines.

So what is there to be celebrated about a Re-Opening rather than an Opening Night? Well, we are able to highlight our musicians as major players in the ambience we aim for. We’re able to really curate a unique and local menu that has fewer boundaries than is usually introduced when creating a multi-course meal themed around a show.

But regardless of circumstance, without fail every single time, the most thrilling and important part about opening Nordo’s doors is having you with us.

Our communities have gone through so many ups and downs in the past two years alone, and there is more change yet to come – but we believe in that special feeling when we are able to swing open our big bay windows, seat you at your table, and smile as our space springs to life in all its’ glory with your presence. What we’ve missed most of all in the midst of these uncertain times has been our ability to host you, to share our space and experiences with you. And now, in a season where change is undeniable and transformation awaits us around every corner, we’re here to host you once again. It may be under different circumstances, we may need to wait a little while for our next been Opening Night experience, but there is no denying that this Re-Opening brings an entirely fresh feeling of excitement. The menu calls for fresh, local, seasonal offerings that remind us that change is the most natural part of our existence; while our private party rooms and Chessboard dining room make spaces where our celebratory dinner of transformation is not to be shared alone.

We’ll see you at the theater!

The Nordo Team