There have been plenty of classic works written about Hell, that unholy place that we may or may not go to after we die (and let’s face it, if it DOES exist, I am most definitely going there). From Sartre’s No Exit to Dante’s Inferno, there has been no shortage of depictions of hell.

But, what if you combined those two literary classics and turned them into an immersive show? The result would be ONE EXIT, a producer from Los Angeles immersive group The Halogen Company.

Written by Daniel Manning and Julia Henning, the show will take people through The In Between, a place where past traumas will be unearthed, secrets will be revealed, and your soul will be put on the line. And hell, they threw in an escape room element as well. Sounds like a good time to me!

As someone who loves both No Exit and Dante’s Inferno, and I am very excited about the infusion between them, and according to Julia Henning, The Halogen Company’s founding member, it was an organic decision.

“As a philosophy and psychology major, the human condition is something I spend the majority of my time ruminating on,” Julia told us. “The notion that I could infuse theater with these themes spoke rather loudly to me.”

The idea originally came up for her after reading No Exit a few years back, with her ultimate goal to produce an immersive piece with the notion that hell is other people.

“When we are exposed by the other, we in some way or another suffer, yet we are simultaneously freed by our existential chains. I wanted to give an audience member the opportunity to really divulge themselves and to consider elements of their human nature in ways we don’t always have time to break down in theater,” she told us.

When figuring out the levels of hell, Dante’s Inferno made its way into the narrative.
“Inferno isn’t so blatantly referenced in our world, but to get the players out of being trapped in one room, Dante inspired the notion that there are levels of repenting and indulging that will ultimately guide you to a moment of undeniable truth.”

The show deals with the deadly sins in this world, more so than the torturous rings of hell. Henning explained how there are carnal and primal aspects of ourselves that we tend to overlook, and for some, completely ignore. It was important to The Halogen Company team to personify those sins in a way that reflected authentic human nature and had the ability to delicately deal with death and life in a way that didn’t feel too intrusive.

Heinning told us that she was drawn to the story of hell after reading a comic about life and death.

“Death asks life ‘why do people like you more?’, to which Life responds, ‘Because I am a beautiful lie’. After reading this, I was hooked on the notion that personifying these entities had the power to affect life choices,” she said.

She wanted to explore the connection to what happens after death and try to determine if hell would be so bad for everyone.

“Is it possible some might actually find solace there? Would it cause others to repent? The idea that hell isn’t just other people, it’s yourself, enabled ONE EXIT to explore the concept that life can be a beautiful lie and that in hell, truth is both subjective and objective,” she said.

As for the escape room element of the show, it’s less about using props and items to escape and more about getting guests to use their own personal information to do so.
“This ties into the concept that hell is at this point other people; other people are exposing your information to find an exit out. We approached the clues and the information with the awareness that some people might find this liberating and others deceiving.”

The Halogen Company will also be donating part of its proceeds from the production to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. According to a Blue Cross Blue Shield report, there has been a 47% increase in major depression since 2013. However, one in five don’t seek treatment, likely because they can’t afford it. As this show deals with traumatic and sudden deaths, they wanted to make sure they reach out and raise awareness for the issue, especially due to a personal connection.

“We just had a fellow graduate of Columbia College of Chicago taken away too soon. This person was someone we would consider on a successful career path, working on Broadway, becoming healthier and happier. It can happen to anyone. This is a millennial crisis. Because the immersive community homes many millennials, we feel this issue needs to be brought to the forefront. Yes, our play deals with death and suicide, but what we want to remind people of is it is not something to be glamorized.”

The show runs July 11th through 14th at The In Between in Los Angeles. Tickets are $45, and can be purchased at https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/4268459

For more information, visit them online at thehalogencompany.com.