Cardiff acting student wins double honours on Eisteddfod’s final day

A young woman achieved an extraordinary feat on the stage of the National Eisteddfod by winning two of the main prizes on Saturday afternoon.

Nansi Rhys Adams from Cardiff won both the Richard Burton Award and the Musical Theatre Solo for those over 19 years old.

The Richard Burton Award was established in 1990 in memory of the man from Pontrhydyfen who starred on stage and screen and is recognised as a strong influence on a significant group of Welsh actors. This year is notable as it marks the centenary of the actor’s birth.

Competition

The Richard Burton Award is a competition for individuals aged between 16 and under 25, and applicants are required to give a short dramatic presentation on a set theme along with a self-chosen piece.

Nansi was thrilled with the results, especially winning the Burton Award after reaching the final three in the same competition last year in Pontypridd.

She has professional experience in acting, singing, and dancing both in theatre and for television. Most recently, she played one of the main roles, Eli, in the youth TV series Itopia, which was broadcast on S4C last December.

Musical theatre

At the National Eisteddfod in 2023, she played the lead role of Nel in the family stage show Na, Nel!, which was performed in the main pavilion to a packed audience.

At the Urdd National Eisteddfod in 2023, she won the Musical Theatre Solo competition and, as a result, was invited to sing solos and perform at the Welsh Festival of North America in Nebraska.

Nansi is currently in her second year studying BA Acting at Mountview Academy, London. Before that, she spent a year on the Musical Theatre Foundation course at Mountview.

“There’s one year left of the course, and after that I’d like to go on to perform professionally,” she said.

The judges for the Richard Burton Award were Ffion Dafis and Mark Lewis Jones.

Mark Lewis Jones described the standard of the competition as “superb”.

Ifan Coyle, also from Cardiff, came second in the Burton competition and received the Wilbert Lloyd Roberts Scholarship.