1337

It's not an escape room. There are no puzzles to solve. 1337 sits closer to an un-cozy game — in the family of No Worries If Not or The Privilege of Escape — or to a choose-your-own-adventure book or video game. Instead of solving anything, you make choices: from the items we hand you, who you want to talk to, and how you spend your time on the line.

There are live actors on the phone with you. Their job is to push you and intrigue you. Talking back is welcome and expected; the hackers are rough on newcomers, and the piece works best when you push back.

The space is dark, and your experience always ends with a surprising — perhaps unwelcome — ending. We won't leave you there: we always spend time with you in a dénouement afterward. And you can end it yourself the instant you decide to — just hang up the phone.

Who is calling

Enthusiasts told the Immersive Experience Institute that an unfamiliar company makes attending “more of a gamble.” So — here's who's behind the wire.

I'm Cameo Wood — a filmmaker, screenwriter and immersive producer, and a Humanist celebrant working in end-of-life planning. Charming Stranger is my studio, and 1337 is being developed as part of Odyssey Works' New Frame program.

Before I made films, I helped build early internet phone systems, and I've never stopped thinking about how strange and intimate it is to have a stranger's voice right against your ear. As a teenage punk in the '90s I was one of the early phreaks — 2600 meetings, a soldered red box, Off the Hook on the radio. In 1995 a kid with a payphone and a tone dialer could reach into the most powerful network on earth. 1337 hands you that power for an hour, then asks what you'll do with it.

I've compiled academic research on the history and anatomy of this form — phone theatre, one voice, one listener — at anythingcanbesaid.to, which began as my lived-research project for the New Frame program.

Previous work. I wrote and directed the Emmy-winning film Real Artists. I'm a writer and co-producer on Culture House Immersive's Club Holmes, and I consult on immersive work. Work I've produced has been part of the Overlook Film Festival in 2025 and 2026.

Also producing. I'm a producing partner on two New York shows — Redwood and True Love Forever by Third Rail Projects.

Everything you hear was written and performed by people. We do not use generative AI for the writing or the voice.

How it works

1. Arrive. Check in at 100 Sutton, ten minutes before your appointment. Come alone — companions can't be admitted or wait on site.
2. Cross over. A staff member walks you around the corner to the Morgan Arts building and up three flights of stairs, to the edge of the forest.
3. Arrive in it. From here, anything can happen. There's a phone booth — that's the only thing that's certain.
4. Play. Spend the time however you like, with whatever's at hand — all of it circa 1995. There's no right way through. Staff are always nearby.
5. Leave when you like. Hang up the phone, or walk out, at any time. Both staying to the end and leaving early are correct endings.

The terms of the encounter

1. The encounter. Charming Stranger's 1337 is an in-person encounter for one participant at a time, in Brooklyn, NY. It runs about an hour. You attend alone; companions cannot be admitted, nor can they wait on site.
2. Age. Participation is limited to persons 16 years or older at the time of the encounter. Photo identification may be requested on arrival. A participant who cannot establish age will be refused entry without a refund.
3. Content. This encounter can contain psychologically intense scenarios, including, but not limited to: moments of complete darkness, loud or sudden noises, and themes some may find distressing. A participant may speak the safe phrase — “HOUSELIGHTS” — at any time to conclude the encounter, or simply hang up the phone and leave. If the safe phrase is spoken, no refund can be issued. Please reach out to info@charmingstranger.com with any content questions or concerns; we're here to help.
4. Allergy warning. Those with an allergy to conifers, theatrical smoke, and evergreens cannot be accommodated.
5. Health. You are responsible for assessing your own fitness to participate. The encounter is not recommended for people who are pregnant, or who have heart conditions, asthma, or serious conditions aggravated by stress and confined spaces.
6. Location. Participants will be escorted from New Frame: Prototopia to the venue at the beginning of their appointment. Arrive no more than five minutes before your appointed time. Latecomers cannot be accommodated. Companions cannot wait on site and cannot be admitted.
7. Recording. Photography and audio/video recording are prohibited inside the encounter. Phones are secured at entry and returned at the end.
8. Come back. After this premiere, repeat visits are encouraged — the encounter changes with the choices you make, so no two are quite alike.
9. Conduct. Staff may end an encounter for conduct that is unsafe, abusive, or intoxicated. No refunds are issued in that case.