Who We Are

Co-Founders

katya stepanov

Katya Stepanov is an award-winning director, actor, writer, and immersive experience designer with a mission to build understanding across cultural divides and guide authentic social change. Katya is a co-founder of Rebis and In the Basement Theater Company, and founder of The Inheritance Project. She is the creator, director and writer of “Inheritance” (Wildrence), an immersive play and VR experience exploring Russian-Jewish immigrant identity and culture, for which she received the 2019 COJECO Blueprint Fellowship. Through Rebis, she is a co-creator of Those Before Us, an audio-immersive dance experience which brings to life marginalized history in public spaces through interactive performance. As an actor, she has performed at La MaMa, Pittsburgh Irish & Classical, Barrington Stage, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Triad Stage, CATF, Theater Novi Most, and is a founding company member of Girl Be Heard! Katya has taught at numerous theaters, universities, institutions and agencies including Deloitte Greenhouse, Mindshare, Wagner College, Barrington Stage, and North Carolina School for the Arts. Belonging to a mixed American-Russian culture sparked her investigation into Russian Theater, and inspires her process of creating an ensemble through physical methods such as Viewpoints, Laban, Suzuki, Michael Chekhov, Meyerhold, Meisner, Comedia, Stanislavski and Grotowski. Katya recently collaborated on experiences for You Are So Lucky (Alder Manor), Busroots VRV (Future of Storytelling), and Inheritance (Wildrence). Katya is a BFA graduate from Carnegie Mellon University's School of Drama, and an Andrew Carnegie Scholar with additional training from the Moscow Art Theater and Rhodopi International Theatre Laboratory. In addition to her work as an artist and entrepreneur, Katya designs creative urban scavenger hunts at The Go Game, and teaches yoga at Y7.

jesse carrey

Jesse Carrey is a professional director, choreographer, producer, performer, and floral designer based in Brooklyn, NY. His mission is to expand consciousness through storytelling, and approaches his work from the macro, understanding the heart of the experience which then breathes life into every last detail that can transform an audience. Jesse is the co-creator, executive producer, and director of Those Before Us, an audio-immersive dance experience inspired by the history of Governors Island, which premiered in August 2019. Those Before Us aims to be brought to many other historical spaces that can engage the community through empathetic storytelling, dance, and state-of-the-art technology. He has also traveled the country as a lead actor in The Macallan Manor, an invite-only immersive experience by Macallan. Jesse has most recently collaborated on experiences for You Are So Lucky (Alder Manor), Busroots VRV (Future of Storytelling), The Lady in Red Converses with Diablo (Arts@Rennaissance), and Inheritance (Wildrence). Jesse is the writer of Macrocosmic, a publication dedicated to the principles of storytelling which has become an important part of his process as a creator. With a background in musical theater, Jesse is passionate about experimenting with different mediums to create new and exciting work for the audience of today, bringing storytelling into a new age at the intersection of technology and creativity. He can also be found spreading joy through creative urban scavenger hunts with The Go Game, and floral design at Fleursbella. BFA Carnegie Mellon (Musical Theater) www.jessecarrey.com