ITI Director T. Sasitharan at International Festival of Theatre Schools (IFTS) 2025

ITI Co-Founder and Director T. Sasitharan (Sasi) was invited to the International Festival of Theatre Schools (IFTS) 2025, held from 3 to 5 February in Kerala, India.

As a thought leader and venerated artist-educator, Sasi often speaks at theatre and art events in the region and overseas, sharing his views on the need for intercultural working processes, sustaining living traditions, and evolving contemporary practice to create meaningful, purpose-driven theatre.

At IFTS, Sasi presented his keynote speech, Looking Back, Imagining Tradition, emphasising the necessity of making art, even amidst catastrophe. He also conducted two workshops: On Dramaturgy and Its Applications and Interculturality in the Rehearsal Room. Following his talk at the Parliament of Ideas session, IFTS honoured him with a memento in recognition of his contributions—we extend our gratitude to the organisers for this thoughtful gesture.

ITI alumni Sreejith Ramanan ('08), Faculty of the School of Drama and Fine Arts Thrissur in Kerala; and Noushad Mohamed Kunju (’05) were also in attendance. Noushad is an Associate Professor in the Department of Theatre Arts at the Central University of Hyderabad, India. Noushad is also a member of ITI's Examination Board.

View photos here