Koh Wan Ching appointed Head of Acting at ITI

Acting and Movement teacher Koh Wan Ching has been appointed Head of Acting at Intercultural Theatre Institute, beginning on 1 July 2023. This appointment signals the first succession of leadership at ITI since the school - formerly known as the Theatre Training and Research Programme (TTRP) - was co-founded by Kuo Pao Kun and T. Sasitharan in 2000.

Koh Wan Ching is an established and highly regarded actor, performer and director in Singapore, having worked with several leading theatre companies over the last 20 years. She previously served as an Adjunct Lecturer in the BA Acting programmes at both LASALLE College of the Arts and NAFA. In 2020, she joined ITI's permanent faculty, teaching Acting and Movement to the international student cohort. ITI is fortunate to have her lead the school going forward.

“ITI is about living traditions, and people. I want more people to know about ITI and its unique programme, charged with the traditional and the contemporary. I want people to see our students’ experiments in theatre-making. I look forward to collaborations and deep engagement with local and regional practitioners. As I take on new responsibilities, I remember all with whom I have crossed paths because of ITI. I also thank each and every colleague, old and new, who works tirelessly so that the school on the hill does not fall apart…I celebrate all these human beings and their reasons for coming to ITI, and am honoured to be on this journey with them”

- Koh Wan Ching

Wan Ching’s appointment follows the engagement of younger, more innovative and diverse faculty at the school, whose students and alumni come from 18 countries.  

Wan Ching will assume directorial responsibilities from T. Sasitharan (Sasi), taking over leadership of the Professional Diploma In Intercultural Theatre (Acting) course. Sasi will retain the designation Director and ease out of daily administrative and curriculum-based tasks. He will assume a mentorship role while continuing to teach the Humanities (Cultural & Literary Theory module) and focus on research, writing and strategic planning.

Since Kuo Pao Kun’s passing in 2002, T. Sasitharan has helmed the artistic vision of ITI and upheld the integrity of its aims. Under Sasi’s stewardship, the foundation of the intercultural pedagogy has been elaborated and strengthened, and the school has grown to nearly 100 graduates - 100% of those continuing to work in the arts within the year after graduation. 

Read the full media release here: Koh Wan Ching Appointed Head of Acting