Nathania Ong

Nathania Ong
Ong interviewed by Kiss92 FM in 2023
Born1998 (age 25–26)
Alma mater
Occupations
  • Actress
  • Singer
Years active2021–present
Parents
  • Kevin Ong (father)
  • Jenny Ong (mother)
Musical career
GenresMusical theatre
InstrumentVocals

Nathania Ong (born 24 July 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.

Early life and education

Ong 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

In 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

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

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ Tan, Tabitha (28 November 2022). "Raising Singapore's Éponine: A Father's Journey With God". City News.
  5. ^ Toh, Christopher (10 August 2012). "A good cause". Today. p. 12.
  6. ^ Lye, Jesslyn (16 November 2022). "Meet Nathania Ong, the Singaporean actress playing Eponine in 'Les Misérables' on the West End". Vogue.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ Lim, Charmaine (7 August 2024). "Singapore's got talent: Nathania Ong on a dream trajectory on London's West End stage". The Straits Times.
  9. ^ Yusof, Helmi (7 December 2023). "Nathania Ong: A sonic homecoming". The Business Times.
  10. ^ a b Hoo, Shawn (9 May 2024). "Singaporean actress-singer Nathania Ong to play Eliza in West End staging of Hamilton". The Straits Times.
  11. ^ "Into the Woods". Pangdemonium!. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  12. ^ 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