The 30 semi-finalists chosen for the 2020 Rob Guest Endowment – Australia’s richest Musical Theatre scholarship – have issued a statement condemning claims by the RGE leadership committee that the 2020 scholarship was cancelled to protect them from bullying. The statement, issued through the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance, is the latest chapter in the Rob Guest Endowment’s disastrous handling of a scandal that began with the selection of an all-white cohort of 30 semi-finalists in August.

“The endowment team is particularly concerned for the mental health and welfare of the 30 semi-finalists in this year’s competition,” the RGE leadership committee said in a statement on Friday. “They have endured significant challenges which are likely to intensify should the competition enter its second and third rounds. We are aware that some semi-finalists have been targeted and intimidated from a number of sources and as a result have experienced significant anxiety over recent weeks. Bullying and intimidation have no place in a competition that has only ever sought to bring joy and hope to talented young performers in the commercial musical theatre sector.”

“The semi-finalists in the Rob...