INTERVIEW: Troupe Productions Organizes Community On A Whim
“I knew, looking at that business model, that we could come up with something that was much better. Something that wasn't screwing over the artists involved… This room is full. The people are full, and their souls are also full.”
There was nothing unlucky about Friday the 13th for Troupe Productions. As the 518’s newest promo and event management team conducted a soundcheck for the inaugural edition of their new songwriter spotlight event, Indie Whims, there was a buzz of anxious anticipation.
The team sprung about September’s Too in Albany prepping and slowly turning the space into a reflection of their vision complete with an arts and crafts table and a carefully constructed photo booth. Every bit of the presentation had been handcrafted by one of the six organizers and the labor of love that went into it all was palpable, setting a warm and engaging tone for the night ahead.
Even so, any entertainer who has crossed the bridge into promoting will tell you that putting on this new hat brings with it a whole new level of pre-show anxiety. Especially when launching a brand new series, the amount of unknowns and risk taking involved is enough to send anyone’s blood pressure sky high. However, it became clear by the time the first ever Indie Whims showcase reached its apex that the only thing this show would be “suffering” from was success as a standing room only crowd packed the parking lot full to capacity.
With powerhouse sets throughout the evening, Areli added some operatic power-pop flair while Keegan James — whom host Erica Rose described as “the rising pop prince of upstate New York” — debuted his newly released EP in full. Shannon Tehya closed things out with a high-energy romper of a set complete with several guest appearances that left the evening on a high note, everyone looking forward to the next edition of Indie Whims.
I was fortunate enough to sit down with the entire Troupe Productions team in the green room before the event, which includes Tehya, Areli, James, and Rose — Nocturnne and Hunter Frost round out the team of local entertainers.
“We all bring such an incredibly diverse skill set,” Tehya told me. “Every person in this group pulls their weight so hard, and we all have a specific area of expertise.” The group have taken it upon themselves to become not just promoters, but advocates for equitable entertainment.
“A big part of our mission is making sure that when we bring more people in to perform and be a part of it, they're taken care of the way we would expect to be taken care of,” Frost said. He emphasized that this is a big issue among performing arts in general, not just in music. For Tehya and Nocturnne, a large part of the motivation stemmed from their previous experiences with Bridging the Music, a booking company who has been accused of predatory practice (which was covered in depth in our November 2025 print edition’s Newsfront).
“I knew, looking at that business model, that we could come up with something that was much better. Something that wasn't screwing over the artists involved,” Tehya said proudly. “This room is full. The people are full, and their souls are also full.”
“We're really trying to emphasize artist merchandise too,” added Rose, noting that there is a real effort to provide both a platform for the artists to come in and make money and also teach the audience the best way to support artists directly and build community.
“Right now more than ever, we need community,” added Nocturnne. “You can see that with all of the people here.”
That focus on community really shines through in a desire to give both the artists and the audience everything they need for an ideal experience. Frost spoke of the importance of providing a space that was music-first. "It's so difficult for people to have a space where they can be heard intentionally, rather than getting stuck in the corner of bars or restaurants — places where they're not valued for their creative outputs and their ability to do something beautiful.”
There’s also a real push for balance to appeal to more introverted showgoers.
“A lot of times the audience probably feels like they're being sold something,” Nocturnne said. “Come listen to this person, pay to see this person sing you their songs, pay attention. Here we're saying: this is a space for music, but why don't you bring something that feeds you? Come as you are; bring a craft. It's really laidback, and people can just kind of hang out.”
The team spoke of grand ambitions, and told me that they are without a doubt the most organized group in upstate New York. They have designs on grant applications, and are committed to making this a long-term answer to what they feel is a great need for the 518 music scene. For now, they’ll be keeping it a monthly series and seeing how it grows from there. If you want to follow along for yourself, or maybe even join in on the budding community, you can catch the second installment of Indie Whims back at September’s Too in Albany on Friday, March 13 featuring performances from Frost, Nocturnne, and Carolyn Shapiro.
RSVP to secure your seats at: https://www.keeganjamesmusic.com/event-details/indie-whims-speak-for-the-trees/form
