“I remember when I felt like giving up,” actress Yeo Yann Yann recalled in her acceptance speech for her second Golden Horse Award in 2019.

Cultural Medallion recipient Kuo Pao Kun was one of Singapore’s most respected theatre practitioners. Together with T Sasitharan, he co-founded the Theatre Training and Research Programme (TTRP) in 2000, which was later renamed Intercultural Theatre Institute (ITI) in 2011. Yann Yann trained at ITI from 2000 to 2003 as part of its pioneer cohort, experiencing this unique programme shaped by Kuo’s artistic vision and multicultural practice. Kuo passed away in 2002 leaving a lasting legacy in the theatre scene. Since then, ITI, under the directorship of Sasitharan, has continued to evolve its groundbreaking approach to intercultural actor training.

The programme is one of its kind in the world and has a reputation for its rigour and intensity. It focuses on hands-on, actor-centred training that emphasises working across different cultures and creating original work. Each cohort—an intentional selection of just 12 students—immerses themselves in traditional Asian theatre styles—Japanese noh, Chinese jingju and kunqu, Indonesian wayang wong and Indian kutiyattam—while studying traditional and contemporary Western acting methods and techniques.

In their final year, the students work with professional theatre directors on two graduation productions and perform to a paying, public audience. Since 2015, Esplanade has been hosting some of these productions as part of a long-term collaboration that stems from its belief in ITI’s founding vision.

In 2025, ITI celebrated 25 years of producing more than 100 theatre artists from around the world. Graduates have gone on to excel not only as actors in TV, film and theatre, but also as all-rounded arts practitioners, policy makers, and cultural thinkers and leaders. In their respective fields, they continue to push boundaries, challenge expectations and create impactful work.

Read about eight ITI alumni to discover where their unique training has taken them and how they are making a difference in the arts.