2014 Rob Guest Endowment Award Finalists Announced

The six Finalists for the 2014 Rob Guest Endowment Award were announced last night at the Capitol Theatre, Sydney. Competing against 30 other Semi-Finalists, six outstanding performers were chosen by an expert panel of judges, which included Todd McKenney, Stuart Maunder and Guy Simpson.

The 2014 finalists are Ben Bennett (2013 Rob Guest Endowment Semi-finals Encouragement Award), Andrew Cook (Strictly Ballroom), Joshua Robson (Les Miserables), Angela Scundi (The Rocky Horror Show), Monica Swayne (Wicked) and Karla Tonkich (Grease).

The finalists will perform alongside Guest Artists at a Gala Concert on Monday 13 October at the Capitol Theatre, Sydney, where the judging panel will announce the winner of the 2014 Rob Guest Endowment Award.

The evening will be hosted by veteran Australian entertainer Bert Newton and Guest Artists performing at the Gala include Natalie Bassingthwaighte and the cast of Wicked.

Presented with the support of ANZ and Destination NSW, the night promises to once again be a highlight on the Australian musical theatre calendar.

NSW Deputy Premier and Minister for Tourism and Major Events Andrew Stoner congratulated the Rob Guest Endowment Award finalists and said, "Making the finals of the 2014 Rob Guest Endowment Awards is an outstanding achievement and recognition for the hard work and dedication of these six talented performers. I wish each of them the best of luck for October's awards night in Sydney."

"Sydney, Australia's major events and creative industries capital, is home to a number of other key creative industry awards events, such as the Helpmann Awards, the AACTAs and the ARIAs. Securing the Rob Guest Endowment Award through our tourism and major events agency Destination NSW is an important part of the Government's commitment to maintaining our State's status as number one in Australian creative industries," Mr Stoner said.

Now in its 6th year, the 2014 winner will take home $20,000 and runners up will each take home $1,500. The prize is intended to help a current artist in the musical theatre genre gain the performance experience, media training, guidance and a public image to help them become a leading artist in the Australian musical theatre industry.

This year also sees the introduction of two exciting new categories opened 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.

Tickets for this year's Gala Concert will go on sale on Wednesday 27 August via Ticketmaster.