by Patrick White
Black Theatre Troupe of Upstate New York (BTTUNY) is constantly surprising and challenging its participants, audiences and greater community with daring selections requiring great skill and commitment. Athol Fugard’s My Children! My Africa! moves to the head of the class of hugely successful productions that they’ve produced to date. It plays in the Lauren & Harold Iselin Studio upstairs at Capital Repertory Theatre through 11/1. Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30pm, Saturday and Sundays at 4pm.
After a very helpful, brief background film on the history of apartheid the play proper opens with a young black man, Thami Mbikwana, and young white woman, Isabel Dyson, in neat school dress tearing into each other verbally while their powerful, avuncular teacher Anela Myalatya (affectionately known as Mr. M) tries to contain them before bellowing “Come to order!”
We are in a debate society meeting in Camdeboo, South Africa in 1985 (9 years before the end of Apartheid and 5 years before Nelson Mandela’s release from prison) and Mr. M is coaching his two brightest students. Outside, the streets are catching fire with the resistance to the oppressive apartheid regime growing daily but in Mr. M’s disciplined classroom, we are treated to the poetry of Keats and Shelley.
What follows are two practice closing arguments on whether men and women should have two different syllabuses. These speeches are expertly handled with Allison Krawczyk taking special care with the caution that if you treat women as a group to be treated differently that very same argument could be used to treat other groups differently and thereby winning the audiences vote.
Allison Krawczyk as Isabel Dyson in the Black Theatre Troupe’s production of Athol Fugard’s “My Children! My Africa!”, directed by Jean-Remy Monnay. Photo: Willie David Short V. 
Shaquan Robinson as Thami Mbikwana and Allison Krawczyk as Isabel Dyson in the Black Theatre Troupe’s production of Athol Fugard’s “My Children! My Africa!”, directed by Jean-Remy Monnay. Photo: Willie David Short V. 
Nellson Moore as Anela Myalatya/Mr. M in the Black Theatre Troupe’s production of Athol Fugard’s “My Children! My Africa!”, directed by Jean-Remy Monnay. Photo: Willie David Short V. 
Nellson Moore as Anela Myalatya/Mr. M and Shaquan Robinson as Thami Mbikwana in the Black Theatre Troupe’s production of Athol Fugard’s “My Children! My Africa!”, directed by Jean-Remy Monnay. Photo: Willie David Short V. 
Nellson Moore as Anela Myalatya/Mr. M and Shaquan Robinson as Thami Mbikwana in the Black Theatre Troupe’s production of Athol Fugard’s “My Children! My Africa!”, directed by Jean-Remy Monnay. Photo: Willie David Short V. 
Nellson Moore as Anela Myalatya/Mr. M and Shaquan Robinson as Thami Mbikwana in the Black Theatre Troupe’s production of Athol Fugard’s “My Children! My Africa!”, directed by Jean-Remy Monnay. Photo: Willie David Short V. 
Nellson Moore as Anela Myalatya/Mr. M and Shaquan Robinson as Thami Mbikwana in the Black Theatre Troupe’s production of Athol Fugard’s “My Children! My Africa!”, directed by Jean-Remy Monnay. Photo: Willie David Short V. 
Nellson Moore as Anela Myalatya/Mr. M and Allison Krawczyk as Isabel Dyson in the Black Theatre Troupe’s production of Athol Fugard’s “My Children! My Africa!”, directed by Jean-Remy Monnay. Photo: Willie David Short V. 
The two young performers, Shaquan Robinson and Allison Krawczyk shine in this opening scene. Their playful, competitive spirit sparks in these monologues and a quiz show format which is really entertaining, especially as a counterpoint to where the play is heading in the second act with its tragic conclusion.
Nellson Moore has crafted some indelible performances in the Capital Region since I first noticed him in Jump at Albany Civic Theater in 2023. He’s done excellent work playing Hoke in Driving Miss Daisy (again at ACT) and King Henry II in The Lion in Winter at Confetti Stage but he has never been better than as Mr. M in this play!
Nellson is having the time of his life playing the inspirational teacher and there isn’t a moment on stage which he hasn’t filled with Mr. M’s magic. He has a powerful voice that can plead, tease or bellow and his nonverbal exclamations whether harumphs, sighs or the most delicious high pitched chuckle are wonderfully expressive. He knows exactly what he’s talking about and Mr. M’s thoughts and feelings have been thoroughly imagined by this remarkable actor. This is a magnificent performance that would be more than reason enough to grab tickets to this show.
The play is also well worth attending for the opportunity to catch one of Fugard’s lesser produced masterworks. Fugard can tell small, personal stories (Master Harold & the Boys, Valley Song, The Road to Mecca all produced as readings at Theater Voices) but here his small personal story runs headlong into history when Thami joins a group of protesting students and is in direct opposition to Mr. M’s traditional ways. It is a big, combative subject that asks the audience when is revolutionary action required. It is a call to arms which can be seen playing out every day in big ways and small from international incidents to local school districts.
Jean-Remy Monnay handles the shifts in tone exceptionally well and has guided his cast to a very accomplished performance of this long, difficult text filled with political and philosophical debates. The play was over 2 1/2 hours long but my attention was riveted to this story every minute.
There’s a chalkboard, a single school desk with the seat attached, two benches and a teacher’s desk facing them. Set by David Zwierankin, Lighting by Maya Krantz, Costumes by Sheilah London-Miller. All perfectly chosen: simple and spare. I wish they had found some way to reduce the time on the scene changes, with a play this long every second counts.
How lucky are we to have BTTUNY producing these modern classics? Not every community can boast of such theater companies producing challenging, important work. If you are interested in change in our society, I heartily recommend the most enjoyable revolutionary act of going to see My Children! My Africa!
The Black Theatre Troupe of Upstate New York presents Athol Fugard’s “My Children! My Africa!”, directed by Jean-Remy Monnay, in the Lauren & Harold Iselin Studio Theatre at Capital Repertory Theatre, 251 North Pearl Street, Albany, NY, from October 22-November 1, 2026. CAST: Nellson Moore as Mr. M, Allison Krawczyk as Isabel, Shaquin Robinson as Thami, and Rachel DeAngelus as Isabel Understudy. CREATIVE TEAM: Set by David Zwierankin, Costume Designer, Hair, and Makeup Designer Sheilah London-Miller, Costume Assistants: Regina Wright Robinson, Kendra L. Neal, Properties Designer Kirzette Kiffen, Lighting Designer Maya Krantz, Light Board Operator Aaron Wenk, Sound Designer and Sound Board Operator Jacqui Anscombe-Waring, Sound Assistant Mikel Jean-Baptiste, Movement Consultant Hettie Barnhill, Afrikaans Consultant Barbara Rubin, isiXhosa Consultant Ziaphora Dakile, Stage Crew Rowan Brown, Rachel DeAngelus, Kirzette Kiffen, Set Construction, Painting, and Assistance David Zwierankin, Proctors Collaborative Scene Shop, Stage Manager Dasha Hegeman, Assistant Stage Manager Rowan Brown
Tickets: $27.50 General, $12 Students and $19.50 Military/Veterans and Seniors
Content Advisory: includes curse words and references to racism, violence, and death. There are flashing lights onstage and a gunshot sound effect offstage.