Surreal, Immersive Production HOUSEWORLD Premieres in Brooklyn Tonight

Houseworld, a new surrealist immersive theater performance, will receive its world premiere at a transformed historic rectory in Brooklyn, tonight, October 8, through November 21. One by one, 30 guests, greeted by an uncanny cast of characters, will step into a dream world designed to explore different facets of the human psyche. Guests are free to find their own path, from the dark recesses of the basement to the illumination of the attic. Intimate encounters that range from the dark to the delightful seek to ignite the senses and jolt audiences into a different psychic state.

Houseworld features a diverse group of 20 performers including; G-train subway platform performer Joe Crow Ryan who plays The Bathtub Guru, a tub dwelling eccentric who dishes out red herrings and clues alike; Jason Trachtenberg of the indie-rock/art pop band the Trachtenberg Family Slideshow Players who plays Nevins, a game obsessed hermit who delights in inducting audience members into "Picnic," his favorite board-game; and sound healer and musician Jesse Paris Smith, Patti Smith's daughter, who plays the Angel of Peace and Light.

Performances of Houseworld will take place October 8-November 21 (see schedule above) at 8pm Thursday through Saturday there will be a second late night performance every Friday and Saturday at 10:30pm. Critics are welcome as of Thursday, October 15 for an official opening on Sunday, October 18. Performance will take placeat the San Damiano Mission, which is located at 85 N. 15 St, Brooklyn, NY 11222. General admission tickets are $60 and can be purchased by visiting www.houseworld.nyc. Beverages and food will be supplied free of charge throughout the experience. Houseworld is created by Andrew Hoepfner, a playwright and musician based in Brooklyn. Hoepfner is the bassist in Young Jean Lee's musical, We're Gonna Die, which performed August 2015 in London, featuring David Byrne as lead vocalist. Andrew is also a musician in César Alvarez's science fiction immersive performance, The Universe Is a Small Hat. Andrew has spent many years touring internationally in the bands Creaky Boards and Darwin Deez. The first iteration of Houseworld was an underground success. Gawker called the event, "a triumph," and a, "momentary respite from the outside world and a safe space in which to ignite your senses."

Houseworld features: Angela Carlucci, Salvatore Musumeci, Jenny Reed, Ben Pagano, Dennie Hausen, Rick Patrick, Uriel Shlush-Reyna, Sherry Katapodes, Beth Pagano, Mike Campbell, Jesse Paris Smith, Jason Trachtenburg, Larkin Grimm and Joe Crow Ryan.

About the Artists

Mike Campbell is a lifelong composer and multi-faceted artist. From driving trucks, to handcrafting unique chess sets, to writing scores of piano music, Campbell strives to gently lift the spirit of the world around him. His notable successes include performing his original music at Carnegie Hall twice as part of the annual Tibet House Benefit.

Jesse Paris Smith is a composer and multi instrumentalist. She has performed globally with artists including Soundwalk Collective, Tenzin Choegyal, and her mother and brother, Patti and Jackson Smith. Smith's compositions have been commissioned for films, commercials, art installations, audiobooks, and live film score performances. She is a graduate of the Sound and Music Institute, a 9 month professional training focused on integrative practices of music and sound therapy. Smith is on the Associate Board at Tibet House US, co-founder and co-host of a weekly seasonal event called Mindful Music and Sound Series, and is a regular participant of the Tibet House US Annual Benefit concert at Carnegie Hall. She also co-curates and hosts Talkingstick, a monthly true storytelling and music event at The Rubin Museum of Art. In September 2014, with cellist, Rebecca Foon, Smith launched Pathway to Paris, a year long event series, focused on innovative solutions for climate change leading up to the UN Climate Change Conference happening in Paris in December, 2015. In light of the Himalayan earthquake in April, she also founded Everest Awakening, an initiative to bring together musicians, artists, writers, poets, and activists to raise funds and awareness for the Himalaya.

Jason Trachtenburg is a musician best known for his work in The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players, a band that wrote songs based on found slide collections and performed them live along with the slideshows. Trachtenburg currently performs with his indie swing ensemble, The Pendulum Swings, as well as in his new musical, Dr. Glassheart.

Folk musician Larkin Grimm was born to hippie devotees of the religious cult The Holy Order of MANS and grew up in a commune. While studying at Yale, she met Dave Longstreth played in early incarnations of Dirty Projectors. Grimm has released and toured several albums of her music.

Joe Crow Ryan is a folk musician who has gained notoriety in New York City as one of its most prominent subway buskers, and as the subject of VICE's documentary "Life of a New York Subway Performer."

The San Damiano Mission is a storied church property in Williamsburg built in 1911. Over the century, it changed hands several times, from Slovakian friars, to Indian Carmelites, to the Armenian Epiarch and finally to priests of the Brooklyn Diocese. The rectory stood empty for years until September 2014, when it was rescued by the Franciscans. San Damiano's ornate church sanctuary, iron gated courtyard, and four-story rectory, complete with secret rooms, make a perfect repository for the mysteries of Houseworld.

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