Black Theatre Troupe of Upstate NY honored with human rights award from city

Jean-Remy Monnay helps uplifts voices to those often unheard

“I like sharing and talking to people. I like to make people happy. We’ve got to change the world through respecting each other and respecting ourselves.”

Perhaps no sentiment better represents the energy and enthusiasm of Jean-Remy Monnay, Founder and Artistic Director of Black Theatre Troupe of Upstate NY. To know him even for a moment is to see the joy that is so deeply engrained in who he is and the work he does. “If I wake up stressed, I get a cup of coffee, I get on the bike and get my blood going,” says Monnay. “Because [my mood] is going to affect everyone else. I like to laugh. I like to make people laugh. I like to be happy. It’s not fake. It’s not rehearsed.”

Since 2012, Monnay and BTTUNY have been a significant part of the Capital Region theatre community. It has been Monnay’s personal mission to find ways to create opportunities for BIPOC actors and to highlight the work of BIPOC playwrights. He recalled, “There wasn’t enough. The local stages were not diverse at all. I was one of maybe five black actors in the area. So, we decided to do something about it.”

The productions mounted by BTTUNY have been just as diverse as their casts, production teams, and leadership. From their first production of “Camp Logan” in 2012, to their most recent success producing their first musical, “Once On This Island,” the impact of Monnay’s company has grown in the region.

Most recently, Monnay and the company were celebrated by the City of Albany Commission on Human Rights, which presented them with their annual recognition award. According to the city, “The Commission presents annual awards to those individuals and organizations within the City of Albany who best exemplify the Commission’s objective of fostering a climate of mutual respect, tolerance, and understanding among all groups living in and working in the city.”

There is no better distillation of what Monnay and BTTUNY have brought to Albany. They have elevated voices that were historically silenced. They have told stories that many have never heard. Their work makes the Capital Region better. Every day, they work to change the world through respecting one another. The City of Albany and the entire Capital Region are better for it.