Nathania Ong
Nathania Ong (born 1999) 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 1999 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] 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.[5] She graduated from Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in 2021.[6]
Career
In 2010, Ong led the singing of "Majulah Singapura" at the closing ceremony of the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore.[2] She made her West End debut in 2021 as Jenna Rolan in Be More Chill.[6] The same year, she was offered the role of Éponine in Les Misérables at the Sondheim Theatre, despite not having seen the musical before.[7] She returned to Singapore in 2023 to play Cinderella in a local adaptation of Into the Woods.[6] In 2024, she was cast as Eliza in Hamilton at the Victoria Palace Theatre.[8]
Stage credits
| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Be More Chill | Jenna Rolan | [6] | |
| 2022–2023 | Les Misérables | Éponine | Sondheim Theatre | [6] |
| 2023 | Into the Woods | Cinderella | [6] | |
| 2024–2025 | Hamilton | Eliza | Victoria Palace Theatre | [8] |
References
- ^ 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 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.
- ^ 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 e f Chua, Candice (20 March 2024). "On The Digital Cover: Actress-singer Nathania Ong talks Les Misérables, rejection and making theatre magic". Prestige.
- ^ 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.
