In the Press

Arts Picks: Dance production Abhinaya, theatre production 4.48 Psychosis and more

'Combining lyricism with dark humour, this play by English playwright Sarah Kane is an unvarnished look at the difficulty of questioning and communicating with the outside world through the lens of depression.

Presented by the Intercultural Theatre Institute, an independent theatre school for contemporary artists, the show is performed by this year's graduating cohort, which includes students from India, Malaysia, South Korea and Taiwan. It is directed by alumnus Andy Ng Wai-shek, who was previously named Director Of The Year at the International Association of Theatre Critics (Hong Kong) Critics Awards for his experimental production, Ink Maze.'

- The Straits Times

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Finding oneself in Sarah Kane - Interview with ITI's 2020 graduating cohort (Part 2)

'The graduating students of Intercultural Theatre Institute (ITI) are presenting 4.48 Psychosis by Sarah Kane this year. Sarah Kane's final play, 4.48 Psychosis, takes on a unique form that tries to communicate the experience of suicidal despair. They will be putting a fresh, multicultural spin on this modern classic, directed by award-winning director and ITI alumnus Andy Ng Wai-shek.

We spoke to Kyongsu Kathy Han and Li-chuan Lin (a.k.a. Aki) who have had previous encounters with Sarah Kane’s 4.48 Psychosis.'

- Arts Republic

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Finding oneself in Sarah Kane - Interview with ITI's 2020 graduating cohort (Part 1)

'The graduating students of Intercultural Theatre Institute (ITI) are presenting 4.48 Psychosis by Sarah Kane this year. Combining lyricism with dark humour, the play is an unvarnished look at the difficulty of questioning and communicating with the outside world through the lens of depression. ITI will be putting a fresh, multicultural spin on this modern classic. They will be directed by award-winning director and ITI alumnus Andy Ng Wai-shek.

We spoke to the 2020 graduating cohort of ITI in two parts to find out their first impressions of Sarah Kane’s text and their experience working with director Andy Ng.'

- Arts Republic

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Preview: 4.48 Psychosis by Intercultural Theatre Institute

'Intercultural Theatre Institute (ITI) is back with a new set of graduating students with their very first production of the year. This March, watch as they perform Sarah Kane’s 4.48 Psychosis, as directed by award-winning director and ITI alumnus Andy Ng Wai-shek.

Combining lyricism with dark humour, 4.48 Psychosis is an unvarnished look at the difficulty of questioning and communicating with the outside world through the lens of depression. 20 years after its premiere at London’s Royal Court Theatre in June 2000, ITI presents a fresh, multicultural interpretation of this modern classic, also Kane’s last and best-known play.'

- Bak Chor Mee Boy

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[Interview] 4.48 Psychosis is “already an intercultural work to me”, Director Andy Ng Wai-Shek

'In slightly over a week, the graduating cohort of Intercultural Theatre Institute (ITI) will present the first ever multi-lingual adaptation of Sarah Kane’s 4.48 Psychosis. I spoke to director Andy Ng Wai-Shek, an award-winning practitioner from Hong Kong and alumnus of ITI’s pioneering batch, to find out more about the production.'

- Isaac Tan

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Intercultural Theatre Institute presents multicultural adaptation of 4.48 Psychosis this March

'Intercultural Theatre Institute (ITI), an independent theatre school for contemporary artists, will be presenting a multicultural adaptation of 4.48 Psychosis from 12–14 March 2020 at Drama Centre Black Box.

Written by renowned British playwright Sarah Kane, combining lyricism with dark humour, 4.48 Psychosis is an unvarnished look at the difficulty of questioning and communicating with the outside world through the lens of depression.'

- The Online Citizen

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How Sankar Venkateswaran melds social conscience with experimental theatre

'Recent years have seen the mellowing of director Sankar Venkateswaran into a theatre maker with a strong social conscience, whose commitment to offbeat experimentation remains unshaken. Last November, he was the recipient of the Bengaluru-based Ranga Shankara Theatre’s annual national prize—The Shankar Nag Theatre Award—given to a “theatre all-rounder below the age of 40”. Venkateswaran, 41 now, is a veritable veteran of the stage, an accomplishment he wears lightly even after two decades in the performing arts.

...“Even as a trained director, I could only work with those who had emerged from a training similar to mine,” he remembers. This conflict led him to the Intercultural Theatre Institute in Singapore in 2003, where he decided to undergo training as a performer. “I wanted to have a first-person perspective of the actor, which I felt was lacking in my craft,” he explains.'

- Forbes India

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Help is sweet for arts groups

'While in-kind donations may not add up to a large sum, they are invaluable to small arts groups who juggle a tight budget.

The Intercultural Theatre Institute (ITI) has received in-kind donations ranging from wine for its gala receptions to paper for programmes.

General manager Goh Su Lin says: "Because of the limited resources arts organisations like ITI have, their
donations have opened doors that we would not otherwise have access to. It has enabled ITI to redirect our
budget to focus on our mission to train actors."'

- The Straits Times

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LIE WITH ME by Intercultural Theatre Institute

'Lie with Me is presented by the graduating students of Intercultural Theatre Institute (ITI). Written by Kaite O’Reilly and directed by Phillip Zarrilli, the piece explores the complex dynamics of modern-day relationships.

...One walks away from this production feeling overwhelmed, but strangely comforted by the fact that we are not alone in the struggles and trials of the complex world of relationships.'

- Centre 42 Citizen Reviewer

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Chain reaction: Lie With Me by Intercultural Theatre Institute

'ITI’s graduation production, Lie With Me is filled with broken characters, caught in capsules of emotional decrepitude. The work, written by Kaite O’Reilly is based on Arthur Schnitzler’s La Ronde, repurposed to examine the fissures of contemporary relationships.

...While there were clear stand-out performances, all of the actors had equal opportunity to showcase their skills. O’Reilly describes the structure of Lie With Me as a ‘daisy chain’ and the ostensibly separate pieces come together into a fragile but viable whole. For the graduating class of the Intercultural Theatre Institute, Lie With Me is as good a coming out as there can be.'

- Arts Equator

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