THE COOPING THEORY 1969 Offers Audiences An Immersive Paranormal Experience

DDM Productions & RPM Underground today announced dates for Poseidon Theatre Company's Who Killed Edgar Allan Poe? The Cooping Theory 1969: An Immersive Paranormal Experience. Conceived and directed by Aaron Salazar, this new spellbinding production is the only story-driven, multi-room immersive experience in the heart of Times Square and features a book by Nate Raven (who also co-directs), original score by Manuel Pelayo & Giancarlo Bonfanti with additional material by Edgar Allan Poe. Previews begin Monday, August 19that RPM Underground, 244 West 54th St. between 8th Avenue and Broadway. The official opening will be on Monday, September 16th and the run continues through November 2. www.knock3xs.com

A modern Edgar Allan Poe story meets a 1960s horror movie. The year is 1969. After you knock 3xs (three times), your journey begins. You are invited to join the gathering. A new generation of The Poe Society hosts a cocktail party to commemorate the anniversary of the mysterious death of Edgar Allan Poe. Drink, eat and mingle with The Society. The meeting commences, and the room is smudged for protection. An otherworldly medium arrives to reach out to the spirit of Poe. A seance ensues and quickly goes awry! As The Society seeks answers to Poe's unresolved death, what they find out is their own terrifying truth. What happens next? Find out for yourself.

Journey beneath Manhattan into RPM Underground, where a masterpiece of design and ambiance awaits you with a full bar available for your enjoyment throughout the experience. Cocktails, Myth, Mystery, Murder...Ghosts...experience the world and words of Edgar Allan Poe like you never have before.

Is this like a Haunted House? No. But prepare to journey into the world of the paranormal words of Edgar Allan Poe. No one will touch you or ever jump and "spook" you and your guests.

What is the cooping theory? Cooping was a form of electoral fraud in the United States during the 19thcentury by which unwilling participants were forced to vote, often several times over, for a particular candidate in an election. Generally, innocent bystanders would be grabbed off the street by so called 'cooping gangs' or 'election gangs' working on the payroll of a political candidate and they would be kept in a room called the "coop" and given alcoholic beverages in order for them to comply. If they refused to cooperate they would be beaten or even killed. Often, their clothing would be changed to allow them to vote multiple times. Sometimes the victims would be forced to wear disguises such as wigs, fake beards or mustaches to prevent them from being recognized by voting officials at polling stations. Edgar Allan Poe is thought by some to have been the victim of cooping before his mysterious death in early October 1849.

"Nobody ever talks about this aspect of Poe's mysterious death, ever," says creator Aaron Salazar. "We can't offer an answer to this theory. We delve into the Spirit of this fallen genius, marrying the paranormal and his words to tell the tale of The Poe Society of 1969, who search for justice for their idol and hope to resolve the mystery. As the tale unfolds all around them, it's up to the audience to choose how they piece together what happened to the Society that fateful night in 1969."

The creative team features venue design by Seok Huh, sound design by Sung Oh, costumes by Samantha L. Johnson, hair and makeup design by Jeremy Gatzert. The production stage manager is Allie Marotta and the associate producer is Rachel Sheen. The production is executive produced by DDM Productions.

Aaron Salazar is a New York City Director, Producer, and Podcast Host. He is the Founder and Producing Artistic Director of Poseidon Theatre Company. He has steadily been making a name for himself in the site specific/immersive theatre genre in NYC with his productions of the original Off-Broadway production of The Cooping Theory: Who Killed Edgar Allan Poe? and the current Who Killed Edgar Allan Poe? Currently, he is developing multiple immersive productions under the umbrella of his artistic home. Salazar spent the last 20 years working in multiple disciplines in the performing arts, working on over 40 productions including plays, musicals, concerts and dance productions. Salazar was a celebrated arts educator for over a decade working with students in the greater tri-state area and Northeast. His students have gone on to achieve success on Broadway, Off-Broadway, regional theatre, and film. Salazar is the co-host of the Creative Hustle Podcast "The only podcast for the creative and artistic entrepreneur" and the producer and host of the new Poseidon Theatre Company Podcast.

Nate Raven is an accomplished actor and writer. As a writer, Nate wrote the original 'The Cooping Theory' which played Off-Broadway in 2016 and has worked with Poseidon Theatre Company since its inception. He also wrote the short films, 'Perfect' (touring festivals currently) and 'My Yours His' for which he won Best Drama Screenplay in NY Film Festival, Top Shorts Film Festival, and LA Film Festival. As an actor, he has toured the world playing roles such as Tick 'Priscilla Queen of the Desert', Bob Wallace 'White Christmas', Billy 'Anything Goes', and Lumiere 'Beauty and the Beast' national tour, as well as many others. He is currently working on a feature film and a TV series. Follow his adventures on Instagram: @nateraven1

Poseidon Theatre Company enters into its third year in NYC under the direction of Artistic Director and Founder Aaron Salazar. PTC is committed to the exploration and development of site-specific immersive work that utilized the fusion of classic texts as inspiration to create one-of-a-kind theatrical experiences in New York City. Marrying words, movement and original cinematic scores, PTC strives to engage both theatre enthusiasts and new audiences alike into a world of total sensory submersion inside the heart of each story it tells.

DDM Productions(Drew Desky & Dane Levens and Michael Mills) is a NYC-based production company focused on collaborative theatrical producing. www.ddmproductionsnyc.com

RPM Underground has reimagined the karaoke experience! An 11,000 square foot bar and eatery celebrating American pop culture: the venue features a record store filled with unique vinyl finds, and a speakeasy with 18 private pop-themed karaoke rooms and two full-service bars. www.rpmunderground.us

Performances of Who Killed Edgar Allan Poe? The Cooping Theory 1969: An Immersive Paranormal Experience are on Mondays at 7:00 pm, Wednesdays at 3:00pm and 7:00pm and Saturdays at 3:00pm and 7:00pm. The Halloween week (10/28 through 11/2) performance schedule will be: Monday at 7:00pm, Tuesday at 7:00pm, Wednesday at 3:00pm and 7:00pm, Thursday (Halloween) at 8:00pm, Friday at 7:00pm and Saturday at 3:00pm and 7:00pm. On the evening of Halloween, all ticketholders will be invited to a costume party contest hosted by The Poe Society.

Tickets are $75 and available for purchase online at https://ci.ovationtix.com/35221/production/1013243. Only 60 tickets are available per performance.

This immersive experience is 21 +. Valid ID is required to enter. There is a $25 beverage/food minimum per guest.

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