Nora Samosir
Encyclopedia
Nora Samosir is a Singapore
n actress of Indonesian descent who won a 2002 Life Theatre Award for Best Supporting Actress. She has been active in the Singapore
theatre scene since 1979 and has worked in television and film. Some of her more notable performances include The Swallowed Seed (2002) and Revelations (2003)
, Malay
and Indonesian fluently. Her professional training is in acting and voice production, which she also teaches at the National University of Singapore
. She studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama
, London, and graduated from York University
, Toronto, Canada with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours), Her professional training is in acting and voice production, which she also teaches at the National University of Singapore
. and has multiple qualifications in vocal training and voice studies. She is a member of the Association of Singapore Actors, the Singapore Drama Educators Association, and currently a lecturer in the Department of English Language and Literature at the National University of Singapore, where she lectures in Theatre Studies and teaches voice production, teaching 'Introduction to Theatre and Drama', 'Praxis
in Theatre and Performance Theory', and 'Voice Studies and Production'.
(SRT), Action Theatre, The Necessary Stage
(TNS), Cake Theatre, Black Tent Theater, Music and Movement
, and TheatreWorks
(TW), as well as performing at venues such as National Museum of Singapore
, Dublin Fringe Festival
, National Theatre Festival
(at the National School of Drama
in Delhi), Asian Theatre Festival at Kyungsung University
in Busan
, Lyric Theatre
, Festival of Perth, TheatreWorks Retrospective Festival
, Kuala Lumpur
, Adelaide Festival of Arts
, and National Institute of Education
.
wrote that her portrayal of Sister Aloysius was unsympathetic and led to the audience believing in the innocence of Father Brendan as played by Lim Yu Beng. When speaking of her award-winning role of Claire in Proof (2002), Daniel Teo of Inkpot Reviews praised her performance and her precision, while Richard Lord of QLRS
felt she exaggerated her character, but had shown better work in performance earlier that year." The following year in his review of Revelations (2003), Lord gave a mixed review of the production's "faulty structure", yet approved of Samosir's performance. In 2003, Samosir was involved with Pulse (2003), an experimental series of 3 interlinked plays loosely based on an urban woman's diary. The series was reviewed by Matthew Lyon of Inkpot Reviews, who felt her performance in the second of the three was "the strongest of the whole series."
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
n actress of Indonesian descent who won a 2002 Life Theatre Award for Best Supporting Actress. She has been active in the Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
theatre scene since 1979 and has worked in television and film. Some of her more notable performances include The Swallowed Seed (2002) and Revelations (2003)
Background
Samosir is of Indonesian descent and speaks EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Malay
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
and Indonesian fluently. Her professional training is in acting and voice production, which she also teaches at the National University of Singapore
National University of Singapore
The National University of Singapore is Singapore's oldest university. It is the largest university in the country in terms of student enrollment and curriculum offered....
. She studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama
Central School of Speech and Drama
The Central School of Speech and Drama was founded in London in 1906 by Elsie Fogerty to offer a new form of training in speech and drama for young actors and other students...
, London, and graduated from York University
York University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
, Toronto, Canada with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours), Her professional training is in acting and voice production, which she also teaches at the National University of Singapore
National University of Singapore
The National University of Singapore is Singapore's oldest university. It is the largest university in the country in terms of student enrollment and curriculum offered....
. and has multiple qualifications in vocal training and voice studies. She is a member of the Association of Singapore Actors, the Singapore Drama Educators Association, and currently a lecturer in the Department of English Language and Literature at the National University of Singapore, where she lectures in Theatre Studies and teaches voice production, teaching 'Introduction to Theatre and Drama', 'Praxis
Praxis
Praxis is the putting of theory into practice. The term may refer to:* Christian theological praxis* Praxis , the practice of faith, especially worship* The Praxis School, a school of Marxist philosophy...
in Theatre and Performance Theory', and 'Voice Studies and Production'.
Career
Samosir has done extensive work in Singapore with such groups as Singapore Repertory TheatreSingapore Repertory Theatre
The Singapore Repertory Theatre is the first Singapore-based professional theatre group which was founded in 1993. It is reputed to be the leading English language theatres in whole of Asia...
(SRT), Action Theatre, The Necessary Stage
The Necessary Stage
The Necessary Stage is a non-profit theatre company with charity status in Singapore. Formed in 1987 by current Artistic Director Alvin Tan, The Necessary Stage has been identified as one of the Major Arts Companies by the National Arts Council. The company is also the organiser and curator of the...
(TNS), Cake Theatre, Black Tent Theater, Music and Movement
Music and movement
The term Music and movement often especially denotes the use of rhythmic song and dance in education, thought of as beneficial for childhood development...
, and TheatreWorks
TheatreWorks (Singapore)
TheatreWorks is an independent, non-profit theatre company in Singapore. Its artistic director is Ong Keng Sen. Its Managing Director is Tay Tong.-History:TheatreWorks Ltd was established in 1985...
(TW), as well as performing at venues such as National Museum of Singapore
National Museum of Singapore
The National Museum of Singapore is a national museum in Singapore and the oldest museum in Singapore. Its history dates back to 1849 when it was started as a section of a library at Singapore Institution...
, Dublin Fringe Festival
Dublin Fringe Festival
The Dublin Fringe Festival allows artists to develop and present their work by submitting their application which is subsequently reviewed by the programme manager. The festival is open to both Irish and international participants....
, National Theatre Festival
National Theatre Festival
Nandikar's National Theatre Festival was started in 1984. It is arranged annually in Kolkata, India, between 16 and 25 December. Initiated and organized, as the name suggest, by the theatre group Nandikar...
(at the National School of Drama
National School of Drama
National School of Drama is a theatre training institute situated at New Delhi, India, established . It is an autonomous organization under Ministry of Culture, Government of India. It was set up in 1959 by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, and became an independent school in 1975...
in Delhi), Asian Theatre Festival at Kyungsung University
Kyungsung University
Kyungsung University is a private university in Busan, South Korea. It is situated in the district of Nam-gu, southwest of the famous Haeundae beach...
in Busan
Busan
Busan , formerly spelled Pusan is South Korea's second largest metropolis after Seoul, with a population of around 3.6 million. The Metropolitan area population is 4,399,515 as of 2010. It is the largest port city in South Korea and the fifth largest port in the world...
, Lyric Theatre
Queensland Performing Arts Centre
The Queensland Performing Arts Centre is part of the Queensland Cultural Centre and is located on the corner of Melbourne Street and Grey Street in Brisbane's South Bank precinct....
, Festival of Perth, TheatreWorks Retrospective Festival
TheatreWorks
TheatreWorks may refer to:*TheatreWorks *TheatreWorks *TheatreWorks *Theatreworks *Theatreworks *Theatreworks USA*TheaterWorks...
, Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
, Adelaide Festival of Arts
Adelaide Festival of Arts
The Adelaide Festival of Arts is an arts festival held biennially in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. Although locally considered to be one of the world's greatest celebrations of the arts, that is internationally renowned and the pre-eminent cultural event in Australia, it is actually...
, and National Institute of Education
National Institute of Education
The is an institute of the , Singapore.NIE, Singapore, provides all levels of teacher education, from programmes to for in-service teachers and executive for Principals, Departmental Heads and other school leaders. NIE also administers postgraduate programmes that lead to the award of in...
.
Selected notable theatre appearances
- Destinies of Flowers in the Mirror, 2009
- Temple (2008)with Cake Theatre
- 120 (2007) with the National Museum of SingaporeNational Museum of SingaporeThe National Museum of Singapore is a national museum in Singapore and the oldest museum in Singapore. Its history dates back to 1849 when it was started as a section of a library at Singapore Institution...
- Doubt (2006)
- Queen Ping (2006) with Cake Theatre
- The Vagina MonologuesThe Vagina MonologuesThe Vagina Monologues is an episodic play written by Eve Ensler which ran at the Off Broadway Westside Theatre after a limited run at AFRICA in 1996. Ensler originally starred in the production which was produced by David Stone, Nina Essman, Dan Markley, The Araca Group, Willa Shalit, Mike Skipper...
(2004) with The Arts House - Revelations (2003), ” with TNS
- Pulse Version Theatre (2003) with TheatreWorks
- Proof (2002) with Action Theatre
- Fruit Plays (2002)
- Human Heart Fruit by Stella Konand
- The Swallowed Seed by Jean Tay
Filmography
- Singapore Shorts Vol. 2 (Asian Film Archive’s) (2008)
- Imelda Goes to Singapore (2008)
- Shanghai Lily (1999)
- Passionflower (1986)
Partial television
- Stories of Love (2008)
- Guru Paarvai (2004)
- Ah Girl (2001–2002)
- Shiver (1997)
- Masters of the Sea (1995)
Criticism and praise
In considering her role in Doubt (2006), Richard Lord of Quarterly Literary Review SingaporeQuarterly Literary Review Singapore
Quarterly Literary Review Singapore is a Singapore literary journal founded by Singaporean poet Toh Hsien Min in 2001. The journal is structured as a non-profit volunteer collective, and publishes poetry, short stories, essays, criticism and interviews, among others, from writers in Singapore and...
wrote that her portrayal of Sister Aloysius was unsympathetic and led to the audience believing in the innocence of Father Brendan as played by Lim Yu Beng. When speaking of her award-winning role of Claire in Proof (2002), Daniel Teo of Inkpot Reviews praised her performance and her precision, while Richard Lord of QLRS
Quarterly Literary Review Singapore
Quarterly Literary Review Singapore is a Singapore literary journal founded by Singaporean poet Toh Hsien Min in 2001. The journal is structured as a non-profit volunteer collective, and publishes poetry, short stories, essays, criticism and interviews, among others, from writers in Singapore and...
felt she exaggerated her character, but had shown better work in performance earlier that year." The following year in his review of Revelations (2003), Lord gave a mixed review of the production's "faulty structure", yet approved of Samosir's performance. In 2003, Samosir was involved with Pulse (2003), an experimental series of 3 interlinked plays loosely based on an urban woman's diary. The series was reviewed by Matthew Lyon of Inkpot Reviews, who felt her performance in the second of the three was "the strongest of the whole series."
Awards
- 2002 Life Theatre Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role of Claire in Action Theatre’s 2002 production of “Proof”.
Additional reading
- The lady of soul and her ultimate "S" machine, by Tarn How Tan
- PIE to SPOILT: a collection of plays, by Tze Chien Chong ISBN 9810476671
- A history of amnesia: poems, by Alfian Sa'at ISBN 9810437072
- Private parts and other playthings, by Michael Chiang ISBN 9813002778