Nathania Ong (born 1998) is a Singaporean actress and singer. A graduate of the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, she made her West End debut in 2021 as Jenna Rolan in Be More Chill.
Nathania Ong | |
|---|---|
 Ong interviewed by Kiss92 FM in 2023 | |
| Born | 1998 (age 25–26) |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2021–present |
| Parents |
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| Musical career | |
| Genres | Musical theatre |
| Instrument | Vocals |
Early life and education
editOng was born in 1998 to dentist and former a cappella singer Kevin Ong and homemaker Jenny Ong.[1] She has three older sisters.[2][3] Ong enjoyed singing from a young age and often performed at City Harvest Church concerts,[1][4] but only began to be formally trained at age 11.[2]
Ong received her primary education at Methodist Girls' School.[1][5] She was a member of the Drama Elective Programme at Anglo-Chinese Junior College. After completing her Singapore-Cambridge GCE Advanced Level examinations in 2017, she applied to study at several overseas drama schools, but failed to be accepted by any of them.[2] She then enrolled at Lasalle College of the Arts in Singapore but dropped out after a year to reapply to schools in the United Kingdom.[6] In 2021, she graduated from Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts with a Bachelor of Arts in musical theatre.[7]
Career
editIn 2010, Ong led the singing of "Majulah Singapura" at the closing ceremony of the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore.[2] She made her West End debut in 2021 as Jenna Rolan in Be More Chill.[8] The same year, she played Éponine in the UK and Ireland tour of Les Misérables, despite not having seen the musical prior to auditioning for the role.[9] In 2022, she began playing Éponine in the West End production at the Sondheim Theatre.[2] She returned to Singapore in 2023 to play Cinderella in a local adaptation of Into the Woods.[7] In 2024, she was cast as Eliza in the West End production of Hamilton at the Victoria Palace Theatre.[10]
Stage credits
edit| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Be More Chill | Jenna Rolan | Shaftesbury Theatre | [7] |
| 2022–2023 | Les Misérables | Éponine | Sondheim Theatre | [7] |
| 2023 | Into the Woods | Cinderella | Singtel Waterfront Theatre | [11] |
| 2024 | Les Misérables | Éponine | Arena World Tour | [12] |
| 2024–2025 | Hamilton | Eliza | Victoria Palace Theatre | [10] |
References
edit- ^ a b c Tan, Chelsia (1 November 2023). "Into the Woods star Nathania Ong discusses her big break: "I've been surprised by how much more capable I am than I initially thought"". Her World.
- ^ a b c d e Izza Haziqah Abdul Rahman (11 October 2023). "How Singaporean Nathania Ong became Les Miserables' Eponine at London's West End: Passion, support, self-belief". CNA.
- ^ Kan, Ethan (13 October 2023). "Nathania Ong on being the first Singaporean actress to play Éponine in 'Les Misérables' on the West End". Tatler Asia.
- ^ Tan, Tabitha (28 November 2022). "Raising Singapore's Éponine: A Father's Journey With God". City News.
- ^ Toh, Christopher (10 August 2012). "A good cause". Today. p. 12.
- ^ Lye, Jesslyn (16 November 2022). "Meet Nathania Ong, the Singaporean actress playing Eponine in 'Les Misérables' on the West End". Vogue.
- ^ a b c d Chua, Candice (20 March 2024). "On The Digital Cover: Actress-singer Nathania Ong talks Les Misérables, rejection and making theatre magic". Prestige.
- ^ Lim, Charmaine (7 August 2024). "Singapore's got talent: Nathania Ong on a dream trajectory on London's West End stage". The Straits Times.
- ^ Yusof, Helmi (7 December 2023). "Nathania Ong: A sonic homecoming". The Business Times.
- ^ a b Hoo, Shawn (9 May 2024). "Singaporean actress-singer Nathania Ong to play Eliza in West End staging of Hamilton". The Straits Times.
- ^ "Into the Woods". Pangdemonium!. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
- ^ Lucie Jones to return to Les Miserables London as Fantine & Katie Hall, Nathania Ong, Aviva Tulley, Linzi Hateley to star in Les Mis Arena Spectacular