The Lower Case

03/30/2024

Tomorrow! Last event in the space!

03/12/2024

Dear community -

It’s with a mix of emotions that we share some news with you. After much contemplation, we’ve made the difficult decision to close the doors of The Lower Case come March 31, 2024. We’ve loved being a home for a lot of the local experiential community, intersecting LARP, immersive theatre, video games, installation art, role playing games and more. If you’ve got an event in mind or want to co-produce an event before the end of the month, drop us a line at [email protected]

What’s next? We’re still around and want to maintain connections in the community. After we close, we’re shopping for a space each month to run the monthly immersive playtests; reach out if you can offer one!

Why are we closing? It was simply too expensive to keep running the space. Despite our best efforts, the revenue from bookings and ticket sales just couldn’t keep pace with the costs and desired renovations. The concept for The Lower Case was born in the summer of 2021, when we wanted an ideal immersive space for our own projects (central location, lots of nooks and reusable equipment). The slow trickle of rentals and event bookings didn’t quite materialize into the self-sustaining business we’d hoped for. We have been in negotiations with TLC’s landlord for them to subsidize renovations, but a deal has not yet materialized.

However, we can see there is demand for this kind of space, and while we can’t make any promises, TLC may re-emerge in some other form in the future; please reach out if this interests you. We truly appreciate your support and this vibrant community we are in, and we hope to cross paths in the future.

With warm regards,
The Lower Case
Dustin, Yvonne & Ken

03/10/2024

OPEN IMMERSIVE PLAYTEST 14 is this Wednesday, March 13 7-9 pm.

Bring something you’d like to get playtested, or just show up and give feedback on new projects in development!

02/14/2024

OPEN IMMERSIVE PLAYTEST #13 is Weds Feb 21 7-9 pm. Join us as a playtester, or bring a playtest yourself!

RSVP here: https://partiful.com/e/b3kR4j34dvMGgyh6NtoT

We are also hosting a playtest of http://synch.live, a live action cooperative game modeled on flocking birds. Put on a player hat, turn off the lights, and see if your group can work together without talking or touching, to solve the game challenge”

A monthly meetup at The Lower Case — this is an "unconference", where anyone can bring a new immersive idea they want to try out. At the beginning, anyone who has playtest in mind will briefly present it, including # of people they need and an estimated duration. Then, we'll split up into our sepa...

02/13/2024

We are excited to announce our upcoming event:
Link in bio to reserve your spot!
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SWNGLOW Presents: The Burrow! A free party at The Lower Case. Showcasing local DJs and Beatmakers throughout NY & NJ. Some of the best will bless the stage for our debut event: , , , and will bring you a special blend of incredible sounds and energy!
Be prepared to dance all night!!!

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01/26/2024

3 more shows remain for The Nose: tonight, Saturday and Sunday matinee!

Only 7 tix left for Saturday!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-nose-a-full-and-complete-explanation-for-the-events-of-nov-14-16-1983-tickets-771973582767

01/25/2024

The last weekend of performance starts tonight! Catch this immersive theatre show where a man loses his nose, then gets it back, and the audience is recruited as investigators (with 🔦) to find out why. Tickets on our site!

Last shows Thurs, Fri, Sat 7 pm and Sun 2 pm

01/20/2024

Keeping watch while the Theatre happens

01/17/2024

A comedy where the audience solves an absurdist mystery in 1980’s NYC. Through the end of January in Manhattan.

01/02/2024

The Nose is a new immersive theatre show opening at The Lower Case on Jan 12th, with previews on January 9th.
I'm directing this show, adapted by playwright Madison Wetzell from the 1836 proto-surrealist short story.

The show is ambitious, and silly, and uses novel audience participation elements, which I've been longing to try out since pre-pandemic. You are an investigator, and the characters want to explain what they've seen to you, and maybe you can make everything make sense (you cannot).

Our cast is pretty incredible, and we've transformed the space into 8 distinct locations (am I pitching a video game?).

Main run: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-nose-a-full-and-complete-explanation-for-the-events-of-nov-14-16-1983-tickets-771973582767?aff=ebdsoporgprofile
Previews: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/preview-the-nose-a-complete-explanation-for-the-events-of-nov-14-16-1983-tickets-772022418837?aff=oddtdtcreator

12/13/2023

Tonight! The 12th in our monthly Bring-Your-Own-Immersive-Playtest Series. RSVP below, or just show up!

A monthly meetup at The Lower Case — this is an "unconference", where anyone can bring a new immersive idea they want to try out. Join us the second Wednesday of every month! At the beginning, anyone who has playtest in mind will briefly present it, including # of people they need and an estimated...

11/19/2023

Our inaugural TTRPG GM Symposium was so great! The presentations and Q&A were informative & well considered. Fantastic group of Attendees; game masters, game designers, event planners, & professionals! Thanks to .russo & for their awesome sessions. Looking forward to the next one!

11/18/2023

TTRPG Game Master Symposium live-streaming now!

twitch.tv/tabletoptown

10/28/2023

Haunted Portrait Studio at our Spooky Season Carnival in an hour, is your costume ready?
Featured photographer for the portrait studio

10/21/2023

In case you missed it after our FMV Jam in September, check out the recording of us playing through all the games (skip ahead to 45 minutes)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Piu9GPSu4Rg

Featuring the dev and commenting talent of
Dustin Elliott Rahnasto Freeman
Russell Sullivan
Lee McGirr
Jesse Pudles
Annina Bernadette
and more (comment if I missed someone)...

10/02/2023

Board Games, Costumes and an Escape Room Playtest night tonight, join us!
https://thelowercaseny.com/events

09/11/2023

We're going live in half an hour, showing off all the games built over the weekend for FMV jam. Check it out on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/thelowercaseny

And play the games yourself here: https://itch.io/jam/fmv-jam-nyc/entries

09/05/2023

We're all ready for the FMV Game Jam this weekend, hosted by Dustin Elliott Rahnasto Freeman and Russell Sullivan

Check out Dustin's tour of the space:

https://itch.io/jam/fmv-jam-nyc

08/16/2023

A game jam from 2023-09-08 to 2023-09-12 hosted by ahintoflime & Escape Character. Welcome to FMV Jam NYC! Join our Discord | NYC Jammers: Tickets Available Here - Location What's FMV Jam? Jam with us and make an "FMV game" in a week...

08/15/2023

Well look here...it's like The Lower Case logo

Crescent Moon bridge in Yongqing Fang, Guangzhou, China.

More details/photos: https://bit.ly/47rkOY3

08/14/2023

Installation Mashup continues all this week, with 9 light sound and interactive works.

Come on by: Monday - Thursday 13:30 - 20:00 and check out

Address: 225A Grand Street in Manhattan near Grand Street Station https://goo.gl/maps/YYYQJqRdJ4SA3uMMA

$15 Suggested Donation

08/07/2023

Claire Kwong is one of 10 artists with work in next week's INSTALLATION MASHUP.

The Lower Case is open Aug 13-17, 1:30 - 8 pm. $15 suggested donation, info here: https://thelowercaseny.com/events/installation-mashup-week

Grab a ticket for the opening night party on August 12: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/installation-mashup-opening-night-party-tickets-672512301397