Major changes to Endowment Awards

NEW DECADE SEES MAJOR BOOST

TO ROB GUEST ENDOWMENT

AWARDS PRIZE POOL

THE Committee for the Rob Guest Endowment, one of Australia’s most exciting scholarship programs providing financial assistance and industry support to the next generation of musical theatre stars, has announced major changes to the Endowment. 

Rob Guest

The winner of the Rob Guest Endowment Award will now be awarded a $50,000 prize along with the coveted RGE Trophy, making the award the largest single Musical Theatre scholarship in Australia.

Melbourne’s East End Theatre District Artist Development award will also be increased to a $10,000 cash prize.

The competition will now be offered biennially with the next Endowment in 2020 boasting a total prize pool of over $75,000.

The Rob Guest Endowment was created following the sudden death of one of Australia’s finest musical theatre performers, Rob Guest OBE, in October 2008.

The late Rob Guest had a career that spanned over 40 years, making him a much-loved musical theatre star and a household name to audiences throughout Australia, New Zealand and overseas.

Perhaps best known for his role as The Phantom of the Opera, he appeared and starred in over 40 productions including Les Miserables, Jesus Christ Superstar, Grease, Jolson, Sound of Music and Wicked.

Less well known to audiences was his role as mentor and adviser to many young performers he worked with over the years, helping them through rough spots and guiding them in their career development.

Following his sudden and unexpected death in 2008 while performing the role of The Wizard of Oz in Wicked, The Rob Guest Endowment was set up as a tribute to this outstanding performer to continue his work in nurturing and progressing young developing talent in the musical theatre industry.

In recognition of his achievements in the musical theatre industry, the Rob Guest Endowment was established in his honour with the aim of building and maintaining a community for emerging musical theatre artists and to provide them with support.

Previous winners of the Rob Guest Endowment Award have since been launched into the industry, starring in lead roles in musical theatre around Australia. Past winners include Annie Aitken (Thoroughly Modern Millie), Daniel Assetta (West Side Story), Blake Bowden (The Book of Mormon), Francine Cain (Grease), Samantha Dodemaide (The Wizard of Oz), Glenn Hill (Jersey Boys, Legally Blonde), Georgina Hopson (Evita) and Joshua Robson (My Fair Lady).

“For 10 years the Rob Guest Endowment has proudly supported young Australian musical theatre talent, fostering burgeoning careers and helping artists to achieve their greatest potential,” said RGE Committee Chairman Ross Hannaford.

“Moving in to our second decade, we are now able to increase the financial assistance to our winners and truly make this award a life changing experience.

"I'll never forget how supportive Rob Guest was, and consider myself very lucky to have worked alongside him until his final performance in Wicked. The committee and I are thrilled to be ushering in this new era of the Endowment and continuing to celebrate the ongoing legacy of Rob Guest."

Kellie Dickerson, partner of the late Rob Guest and Founding RGE Committee member, added: “It’s wonderful to see the development of this award over the past decade - a team of dedicated volunteers has finessed the RGE to become an incredibly valuable experience for any young artist.

"We have arrived at this next stage to become both more inclusive and more powerful, able to more meaningfully contribute to the training of a young artist and thus the future of our industry.”

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