The ritual of going to live theater is usually the same: you arrive a little before curtain, get your tickets checked at the door, maybe grab a drink or stand in line for the restroom, then  settle into a red velvet seat and wait for the curtain to rise. But at Bottom of the Ocean (BOTO) you will do none of those things. Instead, you will follow a small white neon light outside of Bushwick United Methodist Church, descend the stairs and stop at a large steel door. The door will open slightly, and you will be asked for the password. “BOTO,” you will say

BOTO is an immersive theater experience from Houseworld Immersive, the group that also created the shows Houseworld and Whisperlodge. Houseworld Immersive specializes in immersive theater for small audiences, allowing for a more intimate experience. BOTO was created by Andrew Hoepfner, also the founder of Houseworld Immersive. Hoepfner first got the bug to start creating immersive theater in 2014 when he saw Sleep No More, one of the most successful and well-known immersive theater shows in the city. In Sleep No More, audience members don masks and explore through the world of the show as a group, but audience members can sometimes be taken into one-on-ones with cast members and truly become a part of the show. When Hoepfner saw the show, he was disappointed to never receive a one-on-one, but then he thought: “What if I made a show that was all one-on-one?” 

Hoepfner enjoys creating pieces for an intimate audience; in BOTO there are only five audience members per performance. This format is what Hoepfner wants for his audience, allowing them to “exist in a different state for two hours,” to “turn off [their] phones and be present.” Hoepfner describes BOTO as a “serene guided meditation,” where “you enter a hidden underworld in Bushwick and five guests are led by three spirit guides through a sequence of invented rituals.” Each individual person will come out with their own unique experience through each room.