Albany, NY – January 1, 2025 – Black Theatre Troupe of Upstate NY (BTTUNY) is excited to announce its first musical production, the upcoming second show in its 2024-2025 season:
Book & Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens. Music by Stephen Flaherty.
February 6 – 16, 2025 at Capital Repertory Theatre
Directed and Choreographed by Hettie Barnhill
Musical Direction by Emily Rose Rivera
ONCE ON THIS ISLAND is a Caribbean retelling of the “Little Mermaid” story, set in a fictionalized version of Haiti. This one-act musical is a love story and a coming-of-age story that is appropriate for the whole family. Ti Moune, a peasant girl, rescues a wealthy boy from the other side of the island, Daniel, with whom she falls in love. Unbeknownst to Ti Moune, the pompous gods who preside over the island make a bet with one another over which is stronger, love or death – the stakes being Ti Moune’s life. Exceedingly funny and touching, with passionate music, gorgeous harmonies, and memorable characters, this award-winning show is always a crowd favorite.
This show features 24 local BIPOC actors, and is BTTUNY’s first musical production. It is a milestone production for the company, both in scope and in talent. As is usual with BTTUNY’s productions, the cast is a combination of seasoned performers and newer performers, including five local children. With a production team of over 15 people supporting the actors, this is a true community effort, resulting in a very professional product.
Performances will be at theREP’s Main Stage – located at 251 N Pearl Street in Albany, NY
February 6 – 16, 2025
Thursday & Friday at 7:30PM
Saturday & Sunday at 4:00PM
There will be an ASL-interpreted performance on Sunday, 2/9 if there is sufficient interest. Please call 518-833-2621 or email: bttuny518@gmail.com by 1/24 to enquire.
To purchase tickets, visit BTTUNY’s website at:
https://www.blacktheatretroupeupstateny.org/season/once-on-this-island
ONCE ON THIS ISLAND is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). https://www.mtishows.com/once-on-this-island
BTTUNY HISTORY:
The Black Theatre Troupe of Upstate New York (BTTUNY) was originally founded under the name Soul Rebel Performance Troupe in 2009 by veteran actor Jean-Remy Monnay. Monnay was born and raised in Haiti, later moving to NYC at the age of 18. In 1997, he moved upstate and began to get involved in the Capital Region theatre scene. He soon discovered that there were very few BIPOC artists working in the area, and very limited opportunities for those artists to find work. The creation of Soul Rebel Performance Troupe was in response to this lack of access; it provided a home for artists of color, LGBTQIA+ actors, and other overlooked and underrepresented identities. The company was granted 501(c)(3) status in 2011, as it further committed to its mission and began to grow its performance season and outreach programs into a more vibrant array of activities. Over the years, the company’s focus became more clearly about supporting BIPOC, and predominantly Black, artists and narratives, and in 2018 the company’s name was changed to The Black Theatre Troupe of Upstate NY in order to better align with this intention. In June 2021, BTTUNY became the Resident Community Company at Capital Repertory Theatre (theREP).
MISSION: The Black Theatre Troupe of Upstate NY’s goal is to foster cross-cultural understanding and to create more diversity on stage and in theatre by highlighting, producing and promoting performance and theatre arts by marginalized artists in upstate New York. We aim to expand the cultural landscape and create a place for Artists of Color to grow and thrive.