4 NOV 2026 | SINGAPORE
A memorandum of understanding (MOU) has been signed between Singapore Drama Educators Association (SDEA) and the Intercultural Theatre Institute (ITI). The agreement sets the foundation for greater cooperation and collaboration between the two organisations, each with more than twenty years of impact and advocacy for the arts.
The MOU will see SDEA and ITI explore opportunities to work together on three main pillars:
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Upstream engagement efforts to cultivate interest in drama, theatre, and intercultural practices
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Capability development opportunities through training, mentorship, exchange, and collaborative learning initiatives
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Thought leadership initiatives through research, convenings, and knowledge sharing activities contributing to the advancement of drama education, theatre training, and intercultural performance practices
“Many of us who work in theatre may credit our beginnings to that one teacher: the literature teacher who insisted on dramatizing the text, the drama instructor with boundless energy who always let us play games.” reflects Koh Wan Ching, Head of Acting at ITI.
“To nurture theatre artists, we must uplift drama educators at the same time. ITI looks forward to seeing how our intercultural learning methodology could enrich the work of educators. The conversation has just begun and we are excited to join the table.”
A First Step: A Conference and a Learning Festival
The first collaboration between the two organisations will be a partnership between SDEA’s upcoming Level Up! Fest, a learning festival specially curated for the Drama CCA Instructors and Teachers-in-charge on November 24-25, and ITI’s Asian Intercultural Conference which brings together artists, academics, and cultural policy shapers around the theme Staging the Unseen: Bodies, Power, and Belonging from 25-28 November.
Over 200 SDEA members and 109 ITI alumni working regionally will be able to enjoy discounts to both programmes, bringing drama educators and arts practitioners into the same space.
ITI Head of Acting Koh Wan Ching will also be kicking off Level Up! Fest with a workshop on preparing students for physical storytelling, on 24 November, 9:30am-12:30pm.
“In Singapore’s culturally diverse society, arts educators play an important role in creating spaces where young people encounter different perspectives, question assumptions and explore who they are in relation to others.” shares Aishwariyah Shanmuganathan, President, SDEA Committee 2025-2027.
“Embracing intercultural theatre practices deepens this work, helping us move beyond celebrating differences towards engaging with them thoughtfully. This partnership offers educators opportunities to enrich their own practice and nurture these capacities in their students.”
Future Opportunities
While this is not the first time ITI and SDEA have worked together over the last two decades, Aishwariyah Shanmuganathan is hopeful that the MOU enables deep and relevant explorations in the future, for its 220 members, as well as educators and practitioners of tomorrow.
“Bringing our communities together allows drama educators and theatre practitioners to support one another, exchange knowledge and ask deeper questions about the relationship between artistic practice and education”
In establishing this partnership, the two organisations recognise the value of not only formalised connections on an institutional level, but also in the long-standing relationships built between arts practitioners, educators, administrators, and individuals who form the fabric of the arts ecosystem.
Koh Wan Ching shares: “ITI has been a leader in intercultural theatre education in Asia, carrying forward the legacy of its founders Kuo Pao Kun and T. Sasitharan. ITI’s commitment to intercultural exchange is central to our mission of investing in the future of arts education, talent development, and safe-keeping cultural traditions & practice. In pursuing this partnership with SDEA, ITI hopes to bring 25 years of embodied research into intercultural training and practice towards deepening the practice of arts and education in Singapore and around the world.”
Reflecting on the partnership, Aishwariyah Shanmuganathan shares: “As established organisations, we have a responsibility to build on our experience while remaining open to change. This partnership creates space for us to rethink familiar approaches and explore how our work can respond to the needs of today’s learners, artists and society.”
Find out more about Level Up! Fest at: https://sdea.wildapricot.org/level-up-fest
Find out more about the Asian Intercultural Conference at: www.itiaic2026.com
For interviews and other media enquiries, please contact:
Mark Benedict Cheong
E: mark@sdea.org.sg
tess pang
E: tess@iti.edu.sg
Download this press release here