Rob Guest Endowment Concert 2013

David Spicer reports on the awards’ first outing in Sydney.

Having sat through umpteen award nights both professional and amateur, which are sometimes drawn out affairs, I was cautious about the prospects of sitting through another industry event.

But the Rob Guest Endowment concert has a different vibe. It is fun, punchy and filled with good will.

The audience comprises mainly members of the public, put in a good mood by folksy jokes from Bert Newton.

“Look at Rhonda Burchmore’s legs,” he quipped.

“She’s got the left one in Melbourne, the other in Sydney – and Albury gets the best deal of all.”

Boom Boom.

There was some spectacular entertainment from industry greats including show stoppers from Tony Sheldon, Simon Gleeson and Adam Garcia.

But all eyes were on the new talent.

Gone are the days of unknowns filling the final. Almost all the talent had graduated from elite performing arts courses and had a few professional gigs under their belts.

The winner Samantha-Leigh Dodemaide stamped herself as the front-runner in the first act. Her performance of Gimme Gimme was extraordinary and reminded many in the audience of Caroline O’Connor.

Almost stealing the night from her in the second act was Rob Mallet. His rendition of 'Till I Hear You Sing' from Love Never Dies also soared.

But all six finalists produced the goods.

Every member of the audience also took home a prize.

A showbag on every seat included a program, water and chocolates. There was also a free ice cream at interval.

After four concerts in Melbourne, Sydneysiders will get the chance to enjoy the next three Rob Guest endowment concerts.

I don’t doubt that the event will grow in popularity.

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Samantha-Leigh Dodemaide knew she wanted to perform from a very young age, and when it was time to make her dreams a reality, she spent 4 years studying at Patrick Studios Australia, singing show tunes, speaking Shakespeare and tapping toes.  Since then Sam has appeared in Wicked, Anything Goes,  The Producers, andA Chorus Line in which she understudied and performed the role of Cassie, as well as understudying the roles of Shelia, Diana, Maggie and Judy, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum and currently KING KONG.

The Rob Guest Endowment Concert, presented by ANZ Wealth was brought to Sydney thanks to the NSW Government, through its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW. It was a wonderful night supported by many of Australia’s finest theatre organisations, individuals and fans. It is hoped that this annual event will continue to grow to be an anticipated part of the theatre calendar in Sydney.

The Gala showcased the talents of the six finalists, who performed various musical theatre numbers. Euan Doidge performed What is it about here andYou and Me, Rob Mallett performed Streets of Dublin andTill I Hear You Sing,Edward Grey performed Along the Way andTell My Father,Angelique Cassimatis performed Don’t Rain on My Parade andI Can’t Do it Alone, Elisa Colla performed Home andOn The Steps of the Palace, and WINNER Samantha- Leigh Dodemaide performed Gimme Gimme andGet Out and Stay Out .

The finalists for the 2013 ANZ Trustees Foundation, Rob Guest Endowment were selected by judges Kellie Dickerson, Jason Coleman, Stephen Oremus and Stuart Maunder.

“Each year our job as Judges gets more and more difficult,” said judge Stuart Maunder.  “Holding the Gala in Sydney really made me feel like the endowment has come home”.

Now in its fifth year, The ANZ Trustees Foundation: Rob Guest Endowment,with the support of Destination NSW, 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 leading artists in the Australian Musical Theatre Industry.

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.  The ANZ Trustees Foundation: Rob Guest Endowment fund 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.

Earlier coverage.

www.robguestendowment.com.au