2016 ROB GUEST ENDOWMENT AWARD FINALISTS ANNOUNCED!
The six Finalists for the 2016 Rob Guest Endowment Award were announced today. Competing against nearly 300 applicants, six outstanding performers were chosen by an expert panel of judges, which included Andrew Pole, Kellie Dickerson, Christopher Horsey and Lisa O’Dea.
The 2016 finalists are Du Toit Bredenkamp, Hilary Cole, Linden Furnell, Stefanie Jones, Genevieve Kingsford and Matthew Predny.
Du Toit Bredenkamp
Hilary Cole
Linden Furnell
Stefanie Jones
Genevieve Kingsford
Matthew Predny
Now in its 8th year, the Rob Guest Endowment competition continues to grow. The 2016 Rob Guest Endowment Award winner will take home $20,000, intended to help them gain the performance experience, media training, guidance and a public image to help them become a leading artist in the Australian musical theatre industry. Applicants also compete for Melbourne’s East End Theatre District Artist Development Award, a $5,000 prize, and runners up will each take home $1,500. In addition, the Playbill Future Prospect Award, a $1,500 prize, is presented to a Semi Finalist who displays promising talent.
This year also sees the return of two exciting categories open to competitors recognizing further excellence in the field of musical theatre. The Rob Guest Endowment Technical Award in Honour of Sue Nattrass is a $10,000 cash prize intended to help a current member in a technical department of musical theatre fund the tuition and experience needed to help them become a leader in their field. Applicants could be from departments including, but not limited to, stage management, mechanists, sound, lighting, wigs and wardrobe. The Rob Guest Endowment Musician Award, also a $10,000 cash prize, is intended to help a current musician in the musical theatre genre fund the tuition and experience needed to help them become a leader in their field.