The first Singapore artist to have received both the National Arts Council Young Artist Award (1992) and the Cultural Medallion (2003), Ong is a Fulbright Scholar and was awarded the prestigious Fukuoka Asian Arts and Culture Prize in 2010 for his work in Asian contemporary performance.
His works have been presented to much acclaim all over the world including Lincoln Center in New York City, Théâtre de la Ville in Paris, Edinburgh International Festival, Theater der Welt in Berlin (1999), Shakespeare Festival at Hamlet’s Castle in Denmark, Tanzquarter Vienna, Rotterdam Schouwburg, Roma Europa Festival, Cocoon Theater in Tokyo, Idans Festival in Istanbul, Panorama Festival in Rio de Janeiro and Adelaide Festival in Australia.
He holds a Masters in Performance Studies (Intercultural Performance) from Tisch School of the Arts, New York University and was also an Adjunct Professor with the National University of Singapore, where he started the theatre studies programme in 1992. Ong directed four editions of SIFA from 2014 to 2017.