Now in its seventh year, 2015 is proving to be the biggest year yet with the Rob Guest Endowment preparing to award the next generation of Australian music theatre stars. In two cities, over two days, first round auditions for the 2015 Rob Guest Endowment Award saw more than 200 of the country’s finest emerging musical theatre talent compete for this prestigious award.
The judges – Kellie Dickerson, Karen Johnson Mortimer and Andrew Pole – had the difficult task of choosing just 30 performers to continue on to the semi-final auditions later this month, where six finalists will be chosen to compete in a gala concert to be held in Sydney later in 2015.
Announcing the 30 Rob Guest Endowment Award Semi-Finalists for 2015!
Adele Parkinson, Annie Aitken, Ashlee Smith, Ashleigh Hauschild, Ashleigh Rubenach, Ben Bennett, Blake Appelqvist, Catherine Hancock, Daniel Assetta, Daniel Berini, Daniel Downing, Daniel Raso, Du Toit Bredenkamp, Eloise Martyn, Georgina Hopson, Hilary Cole, Karla Tonkich, Lauren McKenna, Lisa Hanley, Matthew Predny, Nicholas Kong, Rachel Cole, Rob McDougall, Rubin Matters, Ruvarashe Ngwenya, Sophie Weiss, Stefanie Jones, Stephen Madsen, Sophie Wright and Timothy Carroll.
The Rob Guest Endowment Award consists of a $20,000 cash prize to be used for professional development. It also includes a photographic package provided by Blue Print Studios.
Of the five remaining finalists, one will be awarded Melbourne’s East End Theatre District Artist Development Award, a $5,000 cash prize for further training and development. The remaining four finalists will each receive a $1,500 cash prize. In addition, the Playbill Future Prospect Award will be awarded to a semi-finalist who didn’t make the finals but is of sufficient interest to the judges to encourage them to return next year. This is a $1,500 cash prize.
Past winners of the Rob Guest Endowment Award include: Joshua Robson (2014), Samantha Leigh Dodemaide (2013), Glenn Hill (2012), Blake Bowden (2011), Francine Cain (2010), and Danielle Matthews (2009).
The Rob Guest Endowment Technical Award in honour of Sue Nattrass for the encouragement of a young member of a technical field, and the Rob Guest Endowment Musician Award for the encouragement of a young musician in the musical theatre industry close on Monday 21 September 2015, and will be announced at the Gala Concert later this year.
For more information, visit: www.robguestendowment.com.au for details.
Image: Rob Guest Endowment Award Finalists