It is a fact that the arts are interconnected as you see more singers who can dance, act, and write. Without a doubt it is hard not to mesh all three or at least learn all those disciplines to become a well-rounded artist. This is the case for Malaysian native Timmy Ong. Based in Manhattan he has developed as a singer, musician, dancer, choreographer, writer, and budding filmmaker. As an actor he is interested in developing new material. He also enjoys blending text, music, dance and more to tell a story when it comes to being a writer.
He completed a Bachelor of Technology in his home country where he worked in the corporate world before landing in Manhattan which for him was an extension/expansion of his career. At first, he worked in theatre performing, teaching, writing, and producing his own work. He would soon obtain an MFA in Acting program at The New School of Drama.
“I would like to think that I am an organized actor, and I work in a structured manner–well, as organized as the world of show business allows me to be anyway. I strive to set clear expectations about my work and have clear communication–but stripping away some corporate-speak and inserting more heart. More importantly, I understand working as a small gear in a bigger system, and the power of visibility (you may be surprised how many people get promoted because they “stand out” as a personality trait). For example, I am not afraid to pitch myself to casting if I come across a role that I think fits me well, because even if they don’t think I am a good fit, I have now moved the needle just a little bit more.”
When it comes to which discipline he enjoys most it is difficult to point out just one. Since for Timmy when he is in a musical, he longs to be in a concert or cabaret; when he is making music, he wants to be in a play. Either way, he understands each genre stands on its own merit and nothing pleases him more than collaborating with like-minded artists. Timmy was always in love with the arts as he took up the piano at fourteen years old but did not realize until he took up the cello, guitar, and pipa that music was in his blood.
While in college, his love for theatre and dance took root. He began to study the art of dance in its many facets. He would blend all these disciplines to make him a well-rounded artist. Eventually, Timmy worked on several projects like “Mr. Holland’s Opus- A New Musical,” “The Sacrifice of Cassamba Becker”, and “Serious Cat Talk”. A great accomplishment was that “Serious Cat Talk” the pilot film won Best Cinematography in Around Film Festival (ARFF) Barcelona.
https://festregards.com/2022/02/24/serious-cat-talk-dir-arifin-ajib/
One of his more prominent accomplishments is his commissioned work with A.R.T./NY. They hosted an open “House Party” featuring a wide variety of performances from various theatre companies. Every corner of the complex was full of installations and performances from independent artists that represent the complete identity of the nonprofit theatre community in NYC.
“I was one of the commissioned artists and created two distinct pieces of site-specific theater for them. I submitted two proposals expecting one to be accepted, but I guess they liked both enough that they wanted both pieces to be made! One was a compilation of well-known scenes in theater and musical theater, exploring how many ways a liminal space (a “mechanical platform”) could be transformed. The other one is about an alien pig-esque creature passing through Earth; it involved a puppet, which I built in collaboration with another puppeteer named Paige Barry. I also performed in the mechanical platform piece.”
Currently, Timmy has been invited by the Museum of Chinese in America (MoCA) to discuss an upcoming project: immersive production sharing stories of the New York Chinatown from the 1980s and 1990s which will cover stories, especially oral histories, and accompanying historical facts of that time are getting compiled. The performance is envisioned to be a “walking show”, in which the audience moves with the performers from location to location and witness snippets of true stories from turbulent bygone times. This project is slated to go up in May 2024. He is also an ensemble member of the Spellbound Theater, a company that creates work for audiences 0-5. Timmy has been approached to translate their pop-up storytelling show about the subway, titled “Stand Clear of The Closing Doors, Please” into Mandarin. For the remainder of 2024 he hopes to create more of his own work but will still be auditioning for roles in other projects. Recently, he has worked with the Dance China New York, a niche dance company performing Chinese and other Asian cultural dances. Timmy is diverse in his work and is looking to expand his talents wherever possible.