Dedicated to being a voice for the unheard, the effervescent thespian reveals her most memorable role and her biggest fear
It was the assembly shows in secondary school that first had Siti Khalijah Zainal in wonderment about acting. “My friends would want to skip these performances, but I’d be so excited to watch them because the characters were always so energetic! I would often imagine being part of the skits too.”
Her fascination with acting grew over the years and in 2003, she decided to enrol into the now defunct, year-long Theatre for Youth Ensemble programme by homegrown theatre company, The Necessary Stage (TNS). The 33-year-old has since established a solid career in theatre and television, performing in English and Malay language productions. Her most recent gig was playing multiple characters, including that of a social entrepreneur, in Underclass, which was a collaboration between local theatre companies Drama Box and TNS.
In April, the 2014 Young Artist Award recipient also stretched her acting capabilities, playing eight different characters, reprising her role in the restaging of playwright Zizi Azah’s popular How Did The Cat Get So Fat?, which brought attention to the realities of Singapore society. She unveils more about her private self and what she fears the most.
Private versus public
“I’ve always felt that the real Siti Khalijah Zainal, the private individual, is a very boring person. She doesn’t know how to convey her thoughts eloquently and is quite shy. She’s quite different from Siti, the actor, who she envies for being able to vocalise her opinions well because the lines have been written for her.”
(Related: 5 Minutes With... Nancy Yuen, Soprano For Singapore Lyric Opera’s Aida)
