Albany, NY – October 13, 2026 – Black Theatre Troupe of Upstate NY (BTTUNY) is excited to announce its upcoming and first production of the 2026-2027 season:
MY CHILDREN! MY AFRICA! By Athol Fugard, Directed by Jean-Remy Monnay.
October 22-November 1, 2026
Set in 1985 South Africa during apartheid, this powerful drama follows an idealistic teacher and two gifted students as they navigate a world divided by race, politics, and generations. As hope gives way to unrest, each must decide what they’re willing to fight, and sacrifice, for the future.
- MEET THE CAST:
Nellson Moore as Mr. M
Allison Krawczyk as Isabel
Shaquin Robinson as Thami
Rachel DeAngelus as Isabel Understudy
- theREP, Lauren & Harold Iselin Studio Theatre
- For tickets: https://secure.proctorscollaborative.org/overview/my-children-my-africa-bttuny-2026
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 New York 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 New York’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.
