TEAM

Kewal Kartik

Kewal Kartik is an actor from the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan. His artistic journey began from hosting and acting for various events in his hometown. He left his home region due to the lack of opportunities, in order to pursue the arts as a profession.

Kewal holds a Diploma in Dramatic Arts from Madhya Pradesh School of Drama, and completed a year-long internship where he created and directed several original works. He has travelled and worked with various theatre groups across India, such as Rangrez Theatre Productions and Breathing Space- The Drama Company. To better himself as a performer, Kewal decided to come to ITI. In the future, Kewal plans to develop the theatre scene in his home region.

Lakshmana KP

Lakshmana KP is an actor, director, writer and teacher from Karnataka, India. He graduated from Intercultural Theatre Institute in 2019 and Ninasam Theatre Institute in 2012 and has been travelling across India, working in various productions with different theatre groups. He has performed in Bharat Rang Mahotsav and in Mahindra Excellence Theatre Awards (META), both international theatre festivals in Delhi. He has also taught in Adima Kolarand Rangayana Shimoga and repertory theatres in Karnataka. Lakshmana has had the opportunity to work not just in professional theatre, but also in theatre-in-education with children and young adults.

In Singapore, he was in Chowk Productions’ The Second Sunrise (2016), Pallavi in Time (2017) from: The Platform (2017) and Pallavi with Stillness (2018) as an actor, dancer, musician and technician.

Lakshmana is also a published poet and an activist for marginalised people and cultures of Indian society. He is part of Across The River Collective (a collective formed in 2019 by ITI alumni) and is currently teaching at Abhinaya Taranga, a theatre training school in Bangalore. He won the Shankar Nag Award in 2023.

Maheedhar

Maheedhar is an engineer turned theatre artist. Since 2018, he has immersed himself in theatre, gaining diverse experience from workshops in Hyderabad to a master's program in performing arts at the University of Hyderabad. With roles in multi-lingual productions and skills in set design, lighting, and more, he's versatile both onstage and off. He's explored clowning and storytelling for children and delved into directing and production, transforming creative writings into captivating performances. As an artist, he excels individually and collaboratively, always seeking diverse perspectives. He's passionate about theatre's educational potential, continuously exploring its impact. His works include Habib Tanvir's Charanadas ( Telugu adaptation of Charandas Chor) , Kundeti kommu ( Telugu play ), Telugu adaptation of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Nights Dream, Reth – a Hindi adaption of Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice. Raaste –(hindi play by GP Deshpande). 

Pooja Mohanraj

Pooja Mohanraj is a film and theatre actor from India. She is an alumnus of the Intercultural Theatre Institute, Singapore; holds a Masters of Theatre Arts from the School of Drama and Fine Arts, University of Calicut, India; and a graduate in Economics Honours from Lady Shri Ram College, University of Delhi. Her theatre journey started at the age of 10 as a member of the children’s theatre wing of Lokadharmi.

Her work in theatre extends to being a curator, arts and technical manager and an organiser of theatre festivals and exhibitions. She is passionate about developing theatre and acting pedagogy for actors and non-actors and has designed several programmes on the same.

Ruthi Larinawmi

Ruthi Larinawmi, a dedicated theatre enthusiast originally from Mizoram, brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the stage. She a Master's degree in Performing Arts from the University of Hyderabad and honed acting skills from the prestigious Intercultural Theatre Institute (ITI) in Singapore, Ruthi is currently based in Hyderabad where she passionately serves as a children's theatre educator at The Aga Khan Academy.

With a flair for performance and a deep-rooted commitment to her craft, Ruthi has left her mark on numerous productions, sharing her talent and knowledge through actor workshops and specially crafted productions for school children in her hometown. Her artistic vision revolves around the intricacies of body movements, delicately weaving narratives through subtle gestures and nuanced actions.

In addition to her theatrical endeavors, Ruthi has collaborated with NSD (T.I.E. Wings) as a movement coach, further showcasing her versatile skill set and dedication to the art of storytelling through movement.

Sandeep Yadav

Sandeep is a versatile theatre artist hailing from Allahabad, India, has been working in theatre for last 14th years. He holds a diploma in acting from Intercultural Theatre Institute, Singapore and a master’s degree in Theatre Design from the Department of Theatre Arts at Hyderabad Central University. Throughout his career he has collaborated with both national and international directors. He's also served as an actor trainer in various film institutions, schools, colleges, and theatre groups in Hyderabad, Odisha, Delhi and Allahabad. his impressive collaborative work with institutions like the University of Hyderabad, Itfolk, Fats thearts Mumbai, IFFCO (Paradeep/Allahabad), and rang Vinayak rang Mandal Bareli is a testament to his dedication to the world of theatre. As a multifaceted artist, he has also delved into directing with a portfolio that includes original plays like Butterfly, Neela Parcham, Don't Play play and My Dear Moon Uncle. His recent achievement, the staging of "Beyond the

Saran Jith

Saran Jith is a multifaceted artist with over 18 years of experience in theatre, music, and visual arts. He graduated from the Intercultural Theatre Institute in Singapore (2015-2017) and holds an M.Phil Degree from the School of Letters, M.G. University Kottayam, Kerala (2013-2014), along with an M.A. in Theatre Arts from Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kerala (2011-2013), and a B.F.A. in Painting from the same university (2007-2011). Saran has performed in over 50 productions at national and international theatre festivals and is a trained Mizhavu percussionist under Guru Kalamandalam VKK Hariharan. He has collaborated with esteemed theatre companies such as Chowk Production, Esplanade Theatre Singapore, Theatre du Soleil Paris, and others. In 2019, Saran made his debut in the Malayalam film "41," directed by Lal Jose, earning a nomination for Best Debutant Actor at the SIIMA film awards. Currently, he is traveling with Indianostrum Theatre Company's productions, 'Flying chariot(s)' and 'Chandala Impure,' created in collaboration with Theatre du Soleil, Paris, while also serving as a research scholar in the Department of Theatre at SSUS since 2022. Saran's diverse artistic background and extensive experience exemplify his dedication and talent in the arts.

Uma Katju

Uma Katju is an actor, performer and theatre-maker from Delhi, India. Her practice and training are multi-disciplinary, and her artistic process is largely devised, improvisatory and collaborative in nature. In 2022, she created and performed her first full-length work Chickens with collaborator Momo Ghosh. The show received the Goethe Institut-New Delhi's Refunction Theatre Grant. As a performer, Uma has worked as an actor and musician, and more recently dancer. Her work includes Limbo: Few Last Words (Singapore, 2023) by Chowk Productions; Don Juan Comes Back from the War (Mumbai, 2023) directed by Rehaan Engineer; and Daughters Opera (Delhi, 2020) by Anuradha Kapur and Tammy Brennan. Her film work includes Mira Nair's A Suitable Boy (BBC/Netflix). Uma has worked as a musician on The Pallavi Series by Chowk Productions (Singapore, 2016-20) designing live music and sound for classical Odissi choreographies. In 2019, Uma produced and performed Dust. (Bangalore, 2019) for Across The River Collective, an intercultural initiative by ITI alumni and faculty, directed by Beto Ruiz.

Uma has taught extensively, combining vocal and physical practices from her traditional and contemporary theatre training. In 2023, she was the movement and voice instructor on Avalanche, a Final Year Production at the National School of Drama (NSD), Delhi. In June 2023, she designed and facilitated a self-directed research workshop for the Kattaikkuttu Repertory in Tamil Nadu, India. She was a Visiting Faculty at Ashoka University's Performing Arts Department (2018-22). She continues to teach independent workshops and classes. Uma graduated from the Intercultural Theatre Institute (ITI), Singapore in 2017.