Nikki Ong

Nikki Ong (born 1998) is a writer and theatre maker. She graduated from the Writing for Performance programme in 2023 and won the Pluijm research prize with her graduation work Water Being: an attempt not to be human. Themes that recur frequently in her work are ecology, the relationship between humans and landscape and the perspectives of non-human life. 

 

Theatre maker
 
Together with Bodine Sutorius, she created the performance Lonely Species in 2024, which she also wrote and produced. As dramaturge, she collaborated on the performances Wankel (STA!) and Werkt Mees vanavond? (Café Theater Festival). 

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At the moment, Nikki is doing research for her next performance, under the name ‘Vegan seeks farmer’: documentary theatre on farmyards, in which the urban and rural community will discuss the future of humans and animals. She also works as a dramaturge on the performance Vengeance and is a researcher in residence at the HKU Lectorate. Together with Sebbe Poll, she performs the school performance Helemaal Opnieuw.

 

Writer

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Nikki recited poetry on various stages like Dichters in de Prinsentuin. Her poems have appeared in Hollands Maandblad, Deus ex Machina and the Watersnoodmuseum's poetry collection Dichter bij Water. She is part of the Klimaatdichters (Climate Poets).

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As a playwright, she wrote Freedom of Dreams (Jeugdtheaterschool Zuidoost) and Lonely Species. As a translator, she collaborated on De Jacht directed by Manuela Infante (NITE). Nikki also writes articles for the Theaterkrant.

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In 2023, she went on the summer camp with publisher Das Mag and in 2024 she was writer in residence at Joya AiR (Spain).

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Additionally, she works as a teacher. Nikki teaches playwriting, theatre making and ecology at (youth) theatre schools and primary schools. She also gives workshops, intertwining ecology with writing.