Sasitharan, T

Thirunalan Sasitharan (b. 1958), also known as Sasi, is a multifaceted activist with diverse interests in acting, art criticism, arts education, journalism, philosophy, and intercultural theatre. He has made significant contributions to the Singapore arts scene, including building important arts institutions and serving as a respected leader and thinker.

Sasitharan, a native Singaporean, received his education at Victoria School and the National University of Singapore (NUS). During the 1970s, the former National Library of Singapore, located on Stamford Road, conducted theatre workshops for young people. These workshops were led by local practitioners from arts companies such as the Experimental Theatre Club, the Stage Club, and Stars. Sasitharan participated in these workshops and gained experience in various aspects of theatre, including acting, directing, playwriting, prop-making, makeup, lighting, and sound. He first discovered his passion for theatre during his time in Victoria School in 1971, and this interest grew while he was studying philosophy in NUS. In 1981, Sasitharan was approached by Kuo Pao Kun, a pioneering Singaporean dramatist and arts activist, who had seen Sasitharan’s theatre work. Kuo invited him to co-write and perform a script titled "No Parking on Odd Days".

From 1983 to 1989, Sasitharan taught philosophy at NUS before transitioning to journalism and becoming the art editor of The Straits Times, the national English newspaper, from 1988 to 1996. In 1996, he succeeded Kuo Pao Kun as the artistic director of The Substation, a local theatre institution, where he served until 2000. Sasitharan and Kuo then established the Theatre Training and Research Programme (TTRP) in 2000. This programme offered a unique post-graduate level curriculum to train actors to perform in multilingual, multicultural, and interdisciplinary contexts for the new millennium. This specialised program empowered actors to be active agents in the theatre-making process. The TTRP was rebranded as the Intercultural Theatre Institute (ITI) in 2011 and has trained artists not only from Singapore and Malaysia, but also from India, Japan, Macau, the Philippines, Taiwan, Mexico, and Poland. 

Sasitharan has served on the boards and panels of several Singapore and multinational institutions, including The Substation, National Arts Council, Singapore Art Museum, Singapore International Foundation, National Book Development Council, and the Asian Arts Network, for over a decade.He was awarded the Cultural Medallion in 2012 for his dedication to developing theatre in Singapore. In 2022, he also received the Fellow Award from the Harvard University Alumni Association in Singapore. Sasitharan’s incisive observations and opinions on censorship, political art, and the state of the arts have established him as an influential arts thinker and leader in Singapore for over four decades.



For more information
“EBFP 2022 Judge:T.Sasitharan,” Epigram. Accessed 1 August 2025. https://www.epigram.sg/t-sasitharan
“Cultural Medallion 2012: Thirunalan Sasitharan,” Arts House Limited. Accessed 1 August 2025. https://artshouselimited.sg/ourcmstory-recipients/thirunalan-sasitharan
Intercultural Theatre Institute. Accessed 1 August 2025. https://www.iti.edu.sg/about/people/
Judith Tan, “Theatre doyen T Sasitharan becomes HUAAS 3rd Fellow,” TheHomeGround Asia, 2 March 2022, https://thehomeground.asia/destinations/singapore/theatre-doyen-t-sasitharan-given-the-2022-huaas-fellow-award/
Sasitharan Thirunalan, oral history interview by Ah Sim, 22 January 2010, transcript and MP3 audio, 00:54:30, National Archives of Singapore (accession no. 003466)

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The information in this article is valid as of August 2025 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. If you have any feedback on this article, please submit here.