Spotlight: Prithviraj Basu’s Four-Year Journey of Growth with SRT’s Inclusive Young Company

How The Inclusive Young Company Helped Shape a Neurodiverse Performer’s Voice and Identity 

Since joining the Inclusive Young Company (IYC) in 2021, Prithviraj Basu has spent four transformative years building confidence, honing his craft, and finding a community that celebrates artists who identify as d/Deaf, disabled, or neurodivergent. His journey reflects how IYC empowers young performers to grow both onstage and as individuals, as he shares what first inspired him to join and why IYC continues to be a creative home for him. 

Finding Belonging and Inspiration in a Neurodiverse Arts Community

1. You've been in the Inclusive Young Company (IYC) since 2021 – four years now! What first inspired you to join, and what has kept you going all these years? 

Yes, it has indeed been four years. I did at first try [auditioning for] The Young Company but as soon as I read what IYC was all about during the COVID-19 period that was when I was inspired to join the latter. I immediately thought of what I identify with (mild autism) as soon as I read that it was a company dedicated to educating the Neurodiverse in the Arts and felt immensely touched by that as a result. 

Meaningful Experiences and Milestones at the Inclusive Young Company

2. Looking back on your journey with IYC, what’s been your most memorable moment so far with the rest of the IYC members? 

Having spent four years with this team, I’ve had nothing but memorable moments, so much so that I have essentially realised that the more you spend with them, the more memorable your time with them gets. In other words, it’s now become very tricky to pick one favourite. I will say that the days we officially give our shows to fans/audience members come out on top because by that point the only real instruction would be to have fun and of course we always have fun during each show day.

Knowing that I’m acting alongside co-actors who are as neurodiverse as I am always touches me because even as a child I was always noticing that people like us in that category had very limited options due to our conditions and got very frequently upset by that as a result as well as wrote it off as thoroughly unjust. This is also why I always light up like a Christmas tree when I come to work with this wonderful committee and why Open The Curtains is one of the most meaningful shows we’ve ever done. That one really helped us unite against nay sayers everywhere! 

Growing as a Performer, Individual, and Theatre Practitioner

3. You’ve performed in several IYC showcases – The 9 Fridas in 2022, Open the Curtains in 2023, and Meet Fred last year – and you’ve just completed Fabled as part of Theatre360. Across these experiences, how do you think you’ve grown as a performer and an individual? 

My growth as an actor was always inevitable, particularly due to my first major role in 2022. [It] was my first time voicing that passion and I have always been growing as an actor ever since. One particular example of how I got challenged a great deal involves my work in The 9 Fridas since at first, I used to feel uncomfortable with cross gender roles but because I had a grand time altogether, I changed my entire outlook on that. I would say overall that IYC has helped me be more diverse in my roles. As for my growth as an individual, I do believe I’ve started improving my communication skills. Life itself began with me being way too scared to communicate with people but not anymore. While I do agree that there’s always room for improvement, IYC is how I became confident!

4. You’ve also supported other SRT shows as part of the Front-of-House (FOH) team. How has experiencing theatre both onstage and behind the scenes influenced the way you see and enjoy performances? 

The experience, in a way, granted me the ability to see the future. Having witnessed spectacular performances via my FOH shifts, I do occasionally aspire to work with professional actors, directors, writers, and producers, etc. (famous or not) who work tirelessly to put shows together, and having just had the pleasure of working with Zip Zap Zoom Collective this year, I am now confident that this very aspiration is slowly on its way to becoming reality, particularly since even some celebrities based [in Singapore] know me very well. The way I see and enjoy shows whilst on FOH duty was how I adopted this aspiration. 

5. What would you say to someone who’s thinking about joining IYC — what can they look forward to by being part of this community? 

Welcome to the family! We know exactly what you’ve been going through due to what you identify with as well as know exactly what that’s like. Together, we can show the world that even the Neurodiverse are capable of producing Oscar-worthy work in the theatre. We will always treat you with love and care, you will be one of us and no longer be alone. 

Inspired by Prithviraj Basu’s journey? Find out more about how IYC empowers neurodiverse performers here.