Sri Lankan lass takes on leading role Down-Under

Young Sri Lankan Natasha Nathanielsz living in Sydney, just 18, has shot into the limelight having been chosen to play the leading role in the celebrated play “Over the Moon & Far Away”.

The play depicts the experiences of the many interned women in the POW camps in Java through World War II. Focusing on the plight of women through those gruelling times, it tells the story of a young Dutch/Indonesian girl (played by Natasha) placed in the camp with hundreds of other girls of various nationalities. The play also tells many untold stories and illustrates the unity felt by the women in captivity.

“The real essence is the unity of each character. Each character is so different but what really unites them is the need to be a woman. In the camps, they kept losing all sense of being a woman and loving themselves,” said Natasha.

The first major performance for young Natasha “Over the Moon and Far Away” is an encouraging step in her already flourishing career. A graduate from the Performing Arts School, McDonald College, Natasha, believes that acting could be a rewarding career. She has now been offered further roles in a short series of plays and films.

She is the daughter of Mario and Bernie Nathanielsz. Mario is the Chief Executive of Ed. Nathanielsz Handlooms.

By Tita Nathanielsz