Sharmen Sekaran

Sharmen Sekaran (born November 24, 1992) is a Malaysian semi-professional actor, best known for playing the role of Phantom in ACS Ipoh’s rendition of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Phantom of the Opera”. He received nominations and various contract deals with performing arts societies across Ipoh and KL as a result of his performance as Phantom, which was said to be his debut role. Despite his reputation for taking on horrific roles, Sharmen has previously performed in comedic roles as well.
Personal life
Sharmen was born in Ipoh, Perak on November 24th, 1992, the son of Sekaran Maniam and Suseela Gilda, both teachers in respective schools in Perak. Sharmen started his primary education in SK ACS Ipoh. He then continued his high school education in SMK ACS Ipoh, where most of his acting work showcased. While he was in high school, he participated in various plays and competitions that were held frequently across 5 years. After graduating from his high school education, Sharmen is currently studying as a Pre-Law student in Taylor’s College. He currently resides alone in SS15, Subang Jaya.
Career
Sharmen developed his love for acting since he was only seven years old. He would be the first to sought any opportunity in writing and acting in short sketches and dramas. He wrote, directed, and co-starred in his first 10 minute production entitled “Si Tenggang: The Comedy”, his comedic rendition of the famous Malay legend “Si Tenggang”. His idea of making Si Tenggang transform into a peanut (also known as “kacang” in the Malay language) instead of a rock as was portrayed in the original story, instantly won the hearts of many of his schoolmates. The performance by his team of actors (who were all only 12 years old at that time) was very entertaining, so much so that the school principal invited Sharmen to perform the sketch again as part of the main agenda of the school’s Prize Giving Ceremony.
During high school, Sharmen continued his love for theatre by participating in as many drama competitions and stage plays as possible. He wrote original scripts, some of which won competitions held at state level (eg. English-In-Camp Drama Competition of 2005 ; First Place). He also played a minor role in ACS Ipoh’s 110th Anniversary Celebrations as one of the witches in Macbeth, auditioned by Manomaniam (Malaysian stageplay actor, famous for his role in Kopitiam). He went on to perform in the 2008 Interschool Drama Competition, in which his team under the direction of Mohd. Azeem won first place after almost 8 years since the last ACS win.
The performance of the ACS Interschool Drama Team in the state finals is what instigated Sharmen’s continued love for acting. Although the team lost, their performance was so memorable that they won the hearts of the audience, who cheered tremendously for the ACS team when their names were mentioned. “Acting is not about winning medals, its about winning the audience”. This realization convinced Sharmen to audition for a role in one of ACS’s major events, the 70th Annual Play ; Andrew Llyod Webber’s “Phantom of the Opera”. His ability to act and sing at the tenor/baritone range required by the role landed him as the main actor, playing the role of Phantom. After six months of extensive training, his performance in the show was astounding, as to which many said “he saved the show”. Sharmen was instantly offered roles in both amateur and professional productions, but he had to turn them down as he was more focused in continuing his college education.
Although Sharmen will be staying away from acting for a little while, he has and still is applying for auditions in Hollywood, hoping that someday a true chance will come to showcase his talent.
Past Performances
* Si Tenggang’s father in “Si Tenggang: The Comedy” (2004)
* Enid Blyton in “Enid Blyton’s Story” (2005)
* One of the witches in “Macbeth” (2005)
* Bad Boy in “Appreciate” (2006)
* Edward in “The Devil’s Paint” (2008)
* Jamal in “Pak Tam” (2008)
* Phantom in “Phantom of the Opera” (2009)

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