A Theatre driven by inquiry.
 

 About the Troy Foundry Theatre

 
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Mission

 
 
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We inquire.


We mould.


We create.

Troy Foundry Theatre is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit professional theatre company. Our mission is to explore the social issues of today by collaborating with a variety of artists from multiple disciplines to produce and perform new work and reinterpreted classics through the means of new writing, devising and immersive performances. We strive to create theatre which is unique and innovative.

Pictured (L-R): Artistic Director David Girard and Producing Executive Director Emily Curro.

 
 

Who are we?

We are Citizen Artists

The Troy Foundry Theatre is a group of like-minded artists that are committed to producing groundbreaking work in and around Historic Troy, NY. We are a theatre of inquiry, but the name Troy Theatre Foundry is truly purposeful. It conjures the kind of energy that is used to meld something out of the shapeless. We create by joining together. Troy Foundry Theatre is about harnessing creative energy and learning from one other.

Our Work

Our goal is to continue to learn and explore our craft, and create fearless and unflinching theatre. We want to embrace an aesthetic that is specific to Troy. As such, our work will be equal parts physically bold, even brutal, and at others, vulnerable and tender.

Our Process

The artistic aims of our organization are to explore popular culture and important issues in today’s society in an interesting, entertaining and insightful manner. We want to champion new drama and challenge the status quo. We would like to focus on new writing – or new writing based off of relevant extant writing. As we invite artists to come play with us, we want to develop an ethos of collaboration and empowerment, find those artists in places we don't always see and bring them into the light.

Our Audience

We’d also like to actively engage our audience. We'll talk to our patrons - both active and potential - to get their views on what they would like to see and information about their real life experiences to ensure our performances are appealing to our main target audience. It is important that our work be relatable and appreciated by a variety of different social groups and cultures. We want to especially bring young people and others into the theatre who might not ordinarily think to go and see a play.

 

Troy Foundry Theatre 2024

David Girard*
Artistic Director/Co-Founder

A native of Troy, David Girard is proud to serve as the Artistic Director for the Troy Foundry Theatre. David made his bones as an actor and teaching artist for many years with the troy-based New York State Theatre Institute. Currently, David is an Associate Artistic Director with the Saratoga Shakespeare Company, having directed their critically acclaimed productions of Romeo & Juliet, Macbeth and The Merry Wives of Windsor. David has also worked extensively with The Rep in several capacities, most recently Assistant Directing Gordon Greenberg (and appearing) for their acclaimed production of The Blue-Sky Boys. David is also an accomplished vocalist, spending several seasons moonlighting as a swing for the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Most recent directing credits include: Macbeth 2117 (Perry-Mansfield), Endgame (Siena College), The Birthday Party (Theatre Voices). Other favorites: Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo (Philly Fringe); Marcus, or the Secret of Sweet (Temple Theatres); Death in the Making and A Clean House (MFA Playfest, Temple U); Cloud 9  (Temple);  The Hothouse and A Steady Rain (Theatre Voices); Waiting for Lefty (Union College). Acting, Regional: Malvolio, Twelfth Night; Louis DeRougemont, Shipwrecked!; Costard, Love’s Labour’s Lost; Launcelot Gobbo, The Merchant of Venice (Saratoga Shakespeare Company). Captain Hook Peter Pan the Musical (TIS), Freddie Malins James Joyce’s The Dead (Cap Rep), Phaeton Metamorphoses (Cap Rep), Rutledge 1776 (NYSTI), Curley Of Mice and Men (NYSTI), The Reporter Orphan Train, Petruchio Taming of the Shrew (TCHH) The Soldier Reunion (NYSTI).

David is currently an adjunct professor with Union College, Siena College and Rowan University, as well as a teaching artist for the Brooklyn-based Stages on the Sound and Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School in Colorado. David is a Proud Member of Actors Equity Association. MFA in Directing, Temple University. www.davidmgirard.com

Emily Curro
Producing Exec. Director/Co-Founder

Emily Curro is Executive Director for Troy Foundry Theatre. She is a graduate of Russell Sage College (B.S., Musical Theatre and English) and holds an MFA in Theatre Management from Florida State University.  Emily spent several years with the Tony Award-winning Williamstown Theatre Festival as Associate Director of Marketing and Development before moving on to Manager of Marketing and Development with the Academy of Music Theatre in Northampton, MA, and then do Director of Marketing & Development for the Sanctuary for Independent Media in Troy. She is currently a full-time artist living in Troy, NY and 1/3 of indie folk minimalist vocal trio Hold on Honeys.  She believes the arts are an integral part of how we form communities; how we perceive and communicate with the world around us and with each other.

Alex Tarantelli
Co-Founder

Alexandra Tarantelli is currently employed at Primary Wave Entertainment as a Senior Fund Accountant, where she is responsible for all areas related to accounting, finance, reporting and compliance for Primary Wave’s private equity funds. She is happy that she has been successful in finding her place within companies, like Troy Foundry Theatre, that enable her to utilize her accounting skillset within a creative environment in order to continue to contribute to the arts. Alex has her BS in Musical Theatre from Russell Sage College and Certificate in Accounting from Baruch College.

Ethan Botwick*
Associate Artistic Director

Ethan Botwick is honored to be a part of Troy Foundry Theatre's debut production. He most recently appeared in The Public Theater's production of Julius Caesar(Ensemble). Other credits include Romeo and Juliet (Saratoga Shakespeare Company), Comedy of Tenors, and Lion In Winter (Old Castle Theatre Company). Ethan also made his theatrical film debut this past spring in 'Super Dark Times'. It premiered at the TriBeCa Film festival and is set for a theatrical release September 29th. Ethan is a Proud Member of Actors Equity Association. 

Raya Malcolm
Associate Artistic Director

Raya Malcolm is an actor, musician & devising artist based in NYC. Originally hailing from Schenectady, NY, she has worked with companies such as Stages on the Sound & Brouhaha Theatre Project in NYC, Saratoga Shakespeare Company, Berkshire Playwrights Lab, and the new Great Barrington Public Theater. Her knack for singing and playing music has granted her the chance to music direct and co-compose on a number of productions, while working on her own music on the side. She graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelors in Theatre from Suffolk University, is a proud NYSSSA Theatre alum, and is a participant in the inspiring Actors' Synergy Mastermind group in NYC. www.rayamalcolm.com IG: @rayamalcolm

Katie Pedro
Associate Artistic Director

Katie Pedro is a Brooklyn based director and theatre maker interested in making female-centric work, plays with music, magical realism, and exploring queer narratives. Past directing credits include A Short Life of Trouble: A Play with Appalachian Folk Music (Everyday Inferno) Samuel Beckett’s Play, Landsharks, and Third Bride (Troy Foundry Theatre), Monte, Tennessee and Buffalo Buffalo (Exquisite Corpse Company), Pioneer (Hunger & Thirst Theatre), Maria Irene Fornes’ Fefu and Her Friends (Sarah Lawrence College), Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard (Dyckman Farmhouse Museum), Love Stories My Mother Told Me (Dixon Place). Katie is currently developing a new original piece, Models of Perfection. Associate Director: Hoodoo, Berlin, Germany. Apprentice, League of Professional Theatre Women. BS Russell Sage College, MFA Sarah Lawrence College. https://www.katiepedro.com/

Angelique Powell
Director of Engagement

Angelique Powell is a fervent supporter of the arts, a mischievous dreamer, arts administrator, educator and actor. She is extremely passionate about arts inclusivity and representation. She believes that as an artist, her purpose is to give others permission to heal and permission to be. Angelique is a Capital Region native, a graduate of Ithaca College and has been performing since the age of twelve. Angelique is a voracious advocate for arts accessibility to all and as a local actress, has prioritized, both professionally and in her personal creative work, giving a voice and a dialogue to those who have otherwise not been heard. Angelique has several years of experience as an arts administrator and community organizer at various local theatres and uses theatre as a vehicle to support, heal, educate and mobilize her community. 


Connor Armbruster
Musician/Performer

Connor Armbruster is a musician, composer, and performance artist born and raised in the capital region. He has made his home in Troy playing with numerous local musicians, writing string and fiddle arrangements, composing and performing his own music, and teaching in local school programs. Having performed music in several shows organized by TFT, he made his acting debut with the company as violinist James Curley in Where There's Smoke: Illium Burns. Connor's work can be heard on Masses (Armbruster), Friends and Family (Joan Kelsey's Silver Lining), My Street (Russel the Leaf), Where I'm Supposed To Be (Carolyn Shapiro), It's All A Dream (Reese Fulmer), Scratchin' the Surface (Hellcat Maggie), Phonehenge (Darksquare Bishop), and Heartland (Adirondack Whaling Company) among others. He's greatly looking forward to more performances with the TFT family.


Michael Gregg
Musician

Michael Gregg has just always been this way, try as he might. A lifelong resident of Troy, New York, he plays the banjo and fancies himself the life of the party. In his free time, he’s just one of the guys, a real salt-of-the-earth type.

Iniabasi Nelson
Performer

Iniabasi Nelson, born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, fell in love with acting through the development of a character to tell a story. He is a State University of New York at Albany graduate, where he studied Theatre and Psychology. He most recently worked on the 2020 Troy Foundry Theatre world premiere of Models of Perfection as Brother. Iniabasi has also worked with Black Theatre Troupe of Upstate NY in Yours for the Oppressed and with Confetti Stage in their production of The Mountaintop playing the great Dr. Martin Luther King jr. His dream is to one day tell stories for the world. Thanks to TFT.
Visit Instagram page: Iniabasi_N

Kelly Artis
Performer, Hair/Cosmetics

Kelly Artis

Kate Kern
Production Stage Mgr

Kate Kern is thrilled to have another opportunity to create with the wonderful people at Troy Foundry Theatre. Kate is a current Business/Theatre student at Russell Sage College and has acted as the Stage Manager for the Theatre Institute At Sage during the following shows: The Diary Of Anne Frank, Oliver, Unofficial Transcript, Baskerville, Tribes, and many more. Kate would like to thank those in her life for always supporting her, especially Nathan. She looks forward to continuing to work in the arts once she graduates this fall and hopes to be a part of more innovative works such as this in the future.

Shannon Rafferty
Performer

Born and raised in the capital region, Shannon Rafferty has performed on many regional stages locally and throughout the country. She is a graduate of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy and holds a BA in Theatre from Russell Sage College. Some of her favorite stage credits include Annie Sullivan, The Miracle Worker (NYSTI); Sally Bowles, Cabaret (Park Playhouse), Abigail, The Crucible (Cap Rep); How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (Walnut Street Theatre/ Riverside Theatre); Hero, Much Ado About Nothing (Saratoga Shakespeare); Christmas Past/Sissy, A Christmas Carol (NYSTI); Antonia, Man of La Mancha (Cap Rep); Rose, The Secret Garden (11th Hour Theatre Company); The Marvelous Wonderettes (Merry Go Round Playhouse/ Cap Rep). Film/TV Credits include Off Campus, The College Hangover, Orphaned, The Skeptic, Love Conquers Paul, and most recently, American Dresser with Tom Berenger and Keith David. Shannon is also a member of Guilty Pleasures Cabaret, a female run company, where she frequently performs with the vocal group, The Sirens. Shannon is a proud member of Actor’s Equity and is thrilled to be joining the TFT family. www.shannonrafferty.com



Camryn Beck
Director, Performer

Camryn Beck is a theatre artist and creator living in Troy, NY. She is a recent graduate of Russell Sage College, where she received her B.A. in Theatre and English magna cum laude with honors. Artistically, she has worked with several companies in the Capital Region, including the Theatre Institute at Sage, Proctors, Confetti Stage, and CM School of Fine Arts. In addition, she works full-time for the Educational Programming Department at Catskill Animal Sanctuary. Camryn is extremely honored and proud to be a part of the TFT family.



Tim Leonard
Electrics & Production

Tim Leonard

Willie David Short V
Photog/Docu/Lighting

​​Willie D. Short is a Manhattan born photographer turned theatre enthusiasts and Certified Drone Pilot. He attended high school and college in Troy, which ended in a Bachelors degree in Creative Arts with a minor in Psychology. Being an artist is apparently intertwined into everything he has done and continues to do. His true love is photography but that love has spiderwebbed him into so many different titles. Today Willie can say he went from being a devoted fan in love, to sitting backstage as the TD, Photographer, Lighting and Sound Designer and board operator in a six month period. His views of the stage are unique, captivating, and compelling.

Shayne D. Cameris*
Associate Producer, Performer

Shayne David Cameris, originally hailing from the Adirondacks, is a theatre practitioner based in the Capital Region. He takes great pride in the fact that he’s been a part of Troy Foundry since its inception in 2017 and he’s thrilled to be taking this new step as Associate Producer with the company. Shayne has spent a majority of his theatre career as a performer, but in recent years he’s found joy in other facets of making theatre and continues to expand his horizons to find more and more new and exciting ways to help raise voices and take chances. With TFT, he’s worn many hats but you’ve seen him onstage in City of Myth: Ilium Sings, Where There's Smoke: Ilium Burns, The Prohibition Project: Ilium Was, Catastrophe Carnivale and New World Order. He’s been on and off stage with some of the area’s leading professional arts organizations. Some credits include: Capital Repertory Theatre - What the Constitution Means to Me (PSM), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2nd ASM/Mechanical Understudy), The Wizard of Oz (1st ASM), Jersey Boys (2nd ASM/Bob Crewe), Fly (Reynolds), Blue Sky Boys (CJ Caldwell); Theatre Institute at Sage - Diary of Anne Frank (Mr. Van Daan); Lake George Dinner Theatre - Buyer and Cellar (Alex More) and The Hound of the Baskervilles (Sir Henry, et. Al); Saratoga Shakespeare Company – Twelfth Night (Antonio/ASM), Henry IV Parts 1 and 2 (Mistress Quickly et. Al), The Winter's Tale (Clown); Theater Voices - The Birthday Party (Stanley); Siena College - Endgame (Hamm) among others. Shayne is also continuing to create and develop some new work of his own with the support of his Troy Foundry family. Proud member of Actors’ Equity Association.

Travis Wright
Sound

Travis Joseph Wright is a Freelance Sound Designer and Composer who currently lives in New York City. Their work focuses on building tools that give both audiences and actors the ability to play with the sound of the performance. Travis is so happy t

Travis Joseph Wright is a Freelance Sound Designer and Composer who currently lives in New York City. Their work focuses on building tools that give both audiences and actors the ability to play with the sound of the performance. Travis is so happy to be a new company member with Troy Foundry Theatre and has recently worked on their productions of Deed Without a Name and Where There's Smoke. In next year's season they hope to dive even further into the question of how do we, as individuals, hear the world around us?


Associate Artists

Kristoph Dimaria
Will Kempe Players

Kristoph Dimaria is a professional musician, practicing clown, collaborative theatre maker, activist, and small business owner. Director of Development, Musical Director, and founding member of Will Kempe's Players, a Troy-based Shakespeare cooperative.  Associate member of Troy Foundry Theatre. Performs as Ragliacci. Black Lives Matter. Womxn Matter. Indigenous Land Rights Matter. Enjoys curiosity, cuisine, and cycling. Loves the mountains. Dreams of travel. Offers clown workshops, notary public services, and is a certified wedding officiant. Appreciates you.

Morgan Heyward
Illuminate Theatre

Morgan Elizabeth Heyward is an Albany area actress and theater creative. After graduating from Russell Sage College with a BA Heyward set out to create opportunities for black actors in the Albany area by starting , Illuminate, A theater Cabaret series. With the support of the community Illuminate Theatre has become a full fledged production company. Heyward has also made  made several capital region appearances as an actress, including"For colored Girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf" at the Albany Barn , "Milk like sugar" with Callaloo and most recently "The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington" with Black Theatre Troupe of Upstate NY, Inc. Heyward returned to Russell Sage this past fall where she co-produced and starred in her first original one act play, Dear Lil’. Morgan starred as “C” in Troy Foundry’s world premiere of A Deed Without a Name. Most recently Morgan worked on the devising team for Where There's Smoke. 

Author of Dear Lil’
Morganheyward.com
Instagram: morgan_heyward518 and Illuminatetheatre518 


Jean-Remy Monnay
Black Theatre Troupe of Upstate NY

Jean-Remy Monnay (Remy) was born in Haiti. In 1982, at the age of 18. He moved to New York, hoping to continue his education, and acting career. He has appeared in over 200 plays, films, commercials, Voice Over and Documentaries. He has produced and directed many plays including Barbecue, Dead and Breathing, AIN’T Misbehavin’, The Light, A Lesson Before Dying, Yours for The Oppressed, The Niceties, Mountaintop, Camp Logan, Fences, Eclipsed, Harriet Tubman Visits A Therapist, Medal Of Honor Rag, Slow Dance On The Killing Ground, Intimate Apparel, The Exonerated, American Dream, Wedding Band, Reunion in Bartersville, The Exonerated, American Dream and many more.

Remy is an Associate Artist for The Capital Rep Theatre in Albany and The Producing Artistic Director of the Black Theatre Troupe of Upstate NY (BTTUNY), founded in 2009, which mission is to promote performances and theatrical pieces by, and about, artists of color. In highlighting these works, we hope to foster greater understanding, appreciation and participation in the performing arts within communities of color.

He became a SAG/AFTRA members in 2019 and recently retired after 30 years of service with NYS in 2018.

* Denotes a member of Actors' Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers.