Black Theatre Troupe of Upstate NY Presents TOPDOG/UNDERDOG

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; 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 focused on supporting predominantly Black artists and narratives. In 2018 the company's name was changed to Black Theatre Troupe of Upstate New York to better align with this intention. In June 2021, BTTUNY became the Resident Community Company at theREP.