13TH FLOOR COMPANY MEMBERS
JENNY MCALLISTER, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Jenny McAllister is an actor, movement artist, director/choreographer and script writer who has been performing and creating work in San Francisco for over 15 years. She has been the Artistic Director of 13th Floor since 2010, where her work has been presented by ODC Theater, Z Space, Joe Goode Annex, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Yerba Buena Gardens, and a variety of immersive locations including a gothic mansion, a hotel, a bar, a Val-U-Mart installation, and a swimming pool. McAllister’s creative process and productions have been supported by grants from the Zellerbach Family Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, TBA/CASH Grant, Dancers’ Group Lighting Artist in Dance Awards, The Fort Mason Foundation, The Fleishhacker Fund, The Rainin Foundation, ODC Theater, and the Mellon Foundation.
Since 2017 she has also been the lead script writer and theater director for Take 3 Presents, an immersive theater event company based in Oakland. Her immersive and site-specific theater direction and choreography has recently been commissioned for other private events such as Mad Kingdom, Rock and Mortar, and 3 Story.
McAllister has performed as an actor and movement artist in the companies of many local luminaries including Lizz Roman & Dancers, Epiphany Dance Theater, Keith Hennessey Circus of Resistance, Chris Black, EmSpace , Fellow Travelers, Twisted Oak, Deborah Slater, and detour dance. Her early training included A.C.T. in San Francisco, the Limon School in NY and Oakland Ballet.
COLIN EPSTEIN, PERFORMER/COLLABORATOR
Colin Epstein is a dancer, acrobat and actor, and has been a member of 13th Floor since 2013. He is the director of Twisted Oak Dance Theater, and has performed with local companies such as Lizz Roman and Dancers, Kim Epifano, Kelly Kemp, detour dance and Deborah Slater Dance theater. He produces an annual series titled Constants & Variables, showcasing some of the best dance, theater and circus companies in the Bay Area, and also teaches acrobatics and inversion skills for dancers at Athletic Playground and ODC. Colin's roles with 13th Floor have included Leo Bloom in A Wake, Hermes in The Broken Knife/An Original Graphic Novel for the Stage, Clyde in The End of the Story, Norris in Next Time, I'll Take the Stairs, Blake in Lightning Strikes Anonymous, Dr. Tyr Rodriguez in Space Pilots in Spaaaace! and Ivan in An Assemblage of Monsters.
URIAH FINDLEY, PERFORMER/COLLABORATOR
Uriah found his way into the world of working in Immersive Theatrical Experiences by way of his work with Nonchalance, a Situational Design Agency based in San Francisco. What began as a one-project deal with the agency blossomed into him co-producing The Jejune Institute and The Latitude Society, some of the most well-received city-scale experiences San Francisco has ever seen, the remnants of which can still be found embedded in the city streets to this very day. 2017/18 was Uriah's first season with 13th Floor - he creates all the sound design for all the company productions, as well playing the roles of Gothbot in Space Pilots in Spaaaace!, Andrew in Clawfoot, and Gideon in An Assemblage of Monsters.
ZACH FISH, PERFORMER/COLLABORATOR
Zach Fish is an acrobat, actor, dancer, and fight choreographer, and has been a member of 13th Floor since 2013. He is co-founder of the performance and teaching duo Ninja Hoops and PlayMore, creates work for Take 3 Presents, an entertainment & event production company, and also teaches acrobatics at Athletic Playground. Zach’s roles with 13th Floor have included The Ghost of Tim Finnegan in A Wake, Nikolas in The Broken Knife/An Original Graphic Novel for the Stage, Sebastian in The End of the Story, Arthur in Next Time, I'll Take the Stairs, Paul in Lightning Strikes Anonymous, Tiger in Tiger and Otter, Chief Engineer Lt. Quincy Gould in Space Pilots in Spaaaace!, Morag in Clawfoot and Silas in An Assemblage of Monsters.
DEREK HARRIS, PERFORMER/COLLABORATOR
Derek Harris is a multidisciplinary artist who believes in creative expression through any means necessary and has experience in the visual arts, photography, film, theater, music, dance, choreography, and writing. Derek began his formal dance training at the University of Oklahoma, the American Dance Festival, and the Joffrey Workshop. Since moving to San Francisco in 2007, he has work as a dancer with Ziru Dance, Hope Mohr Dance, punkkico, Deborah Slater Dance Theater, and Human Creature Dance Theater which he cofounded in 2008. As a musician/lyricist, he co-founded the underground comedy rap duo Power Raymond, and is also a co-founder of the alt hip-hop group Real not Real. He has choreographed for stage, film, commercials, and music videos; presented work nationally; and performed internationally. 2017/18 is Derek's plays Commander Shiro Morgan in Space Pilots in Spaaaace! and Felix in An Assemblage of Monsters.
JESS KANDUS, PERFORMER/COLLABORATOR
Jess Kandus is an interdisciplinary artist and academic, and has been based in Oakland, California since 2010. Jess has performed in and created pieces as an actor, dancer, clown, cartographer, and multimedia artist for productions and events throughout the Bay Area, including work with companies such as Take 3 Presents, Foma Labs, and Freaks en Flique. Jess received their BA in Social Geography and Queer Studies at Mills College. Jess also studied dance, somatics, and improvisation in the Mills Dance Department under Yukie Fujimoto, Shinichi Ioga-Koga, and Sheldon Smith. During their time at Mills, Jess developed their own theoretical research with the concepts of Somatic Geography and Somatic Cartography, exploring the intersections between space, place, identity, and somatics. Jess joined 13th Floor this past year, playing the role of Captain Tabitha Knight in Space Pilots in Spaaaace! and Lady Clementine An Assemblage of Monsters.
SYDNEY LOZIER, PERFORMER/COLLABORATOR/COMPANY MANAGER
Sydney Lozier is a modern and musical theater dancer, as well as a teaching artist. She first had the opportunity to work with Jenny McAllister during her time at the University of San Francisco, where she received her bachelor’s in Performing Arts and Social Justice. Since then, Sydney has received her Masters in Education from USF while performing for choreographers like Eli Nelson, Amie Dowling, Caroline Liviakis, Natalie Greene, Colin Epstein, and Scott Wells. Sydney was inaugurated into her first performing role with 13th Floor as party planner Amanda in Space Pilots in Spaaaace! Episode 2: Crashing the Party; she looks forward to the next opportunity!