Up Close with Carlos Tseng

Nia Roberts: From the Valleys to the Vanguard of Welsh Drama

Season 13 Episode 3

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Ahead of the launch of the Welsh National Theatre, BAFTA Cymru award-winning actress Nia Roberts sat down with us for a wide-ranging conversation. Nia is widely recognised for her breakthrough in the Academy Award-nominated Solomon & Gaenor and for her haunting performances in Hidden and The Feast. In the inaugural production from Welsh National Theatre, she portrays Mrs. Webb in a brand new reimagining of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town. The staging features an all-Welsh cast and creative team for the first time in the play's history. It explores the universalities of life and community through a distinctly Celtic lens, rooted in the concept of Hiraeth.

In this brand new interview, Nia Roberts tells us about the importance of sharing Welsh stories. Conversations span from her early days with the National Youth Theatre of Wales to her recent acclaimed role in Tree on a Hill. Roberts offers critical insights into the necessity of a dedicated national stage and the preservation of Welsh-language narratives. The dialogue also addresses the technical demands of minimalist theatre and her outlook on the industry today. It concludes with a forward-looking analysis of the future for Welsh storytelling on the global stage.