One week left for metal work - days racing

Well,  so much for writing a blog everyday :)

Not that much to tell, except that we've built amazing structures to support our seats - that will support our audiences safely and in comfort :) 

Racing to finish the metal work this week - then onto a long list of finishing up!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/8FtTyvXsZXyBFD9Z7

Feeling to pull towards having to engage in more marketing and planning - will be sad wrapping up the tool sets.

Shavua Tov - Wishing all a Quiet week
Grant

 

Steel week ~ Welding time

Another busy day at Center Stage. We've begun welding and assembling the steel frames that will form the platforms for the seats in the hall.

All our attentions are now focussed on the build and getting things done.

Updated photos at - https://photos.app.goo.gl/8FtTyvXsZXyBFD9Z7

Thanks
Grant

The Center Stage build marathon - Final Push

Hi Everyone

The last time I was this tired was when Jared had cholic and we were doing 'all nighter'
cable and hardware update at ABSA banks all over Johannesburg.

About 2 years ago, we hatched a crazy plan to establish the first 'brick and mortar' professional English theatre in Israel. In hindsight, I can honestly say I had no idea of the potential this venue holds.

BTW - if you don't know us - visit us at www.centerstageisrael.com 

And if you want to see the latest things that we've accomplished on site - check our photo album

https://photos.app.goo.gl/8FtTyvXsZXyBFD9Z7

The pressure is on to get the tiered seating into the big room, which was painted black on Wednesday - thanks to my hero team Jonathan, Gregory, Jared, Assaf and Guy, all pushing themselves to get things done. We have had to hire business certification consultants to ensure that we do everything right, once, to 'teken'. They apparently are not big fans of MacGyver techniques :D   The next two weeks will involve lot of welding and platform building onsite so we dissuade pop-in visits - Thanks.

There is a growing swell of support for our venue. Even acts from abroad are showing interest in performing in Ra'anana. Add to this some workshops, and I hope to rope in the rising English stand-up comedy gang. I'm sure they will come preform often if we can show them a good time.

With the entire family now totally committed to the theatre build, we would be in financial 'free fall' were it not for our generous patrons and everyone who supported us on HeadStarter - Thank You. We may need to run the crowdfunding options again and sell more future tickets. What do you think? Too chutzpadic?

We continue our hunt for corporate sponsors, donations and bridging finance to clear these final costs and open our doors to being very busy. Please contact Daniella if you know anyone or win the lottery :D . daniella@centerstageisrael.com

I am really excited to start this seating build. The teken boyties have done 2000 seaters so we are like a joke for them. Watch the album if you want to see the progress - going to really try to put up as much video sharing as I can - it's the easiest way when your hands are filthy. Warning - this may become a vlog :) .

Hope ya'll having a great Summer / Winter - Feeling blessed - Loving life.
Hugs and love ~ Shabbat Shalom
Grant 

Giving this blogger thing another try

Today I read in the news that a famous blogger in Malta, Daphne Caruana Galizia was murdered. Killed by a bomb planted in her car. Malta has requested international aid to find the perpetrators.

Who knows which crazy lunatics committed such a heinous crime. The tragic point is that she was assassinated because she of what she wrote. She challenged authority and sought government transparency. Her free voice became a power that was changing the course of her worlds' destiny.

I am an avid FB fan, but I don't enjoy getting political in that arena and I do feel like I need to be telling more people about my experience as an ex-Christian Jewish handyman living in the most misunderstood country in the world.  So here's to having another go at blogging.

RIP Daphne

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-41637730



   

Newspaper article about my project - Yediot Hasharon 2013

'Let My People Golf' - article in HaAretz, Israel - Nov 2013

A pre-Shabbat moment

It was not that he could not understand me. My Hebrew might be shocking, but I manage to make myself understood. I can even say some Hebrew words without too much of an Anglo accent. So why was this guy not hearing the words coming out of my mouth? We just locked eyes and that was it. No one was going to back down. The last challa at the bakery and we each had a hand on it.

The treasured twisted Sabbath loaf was still warm from the oven and very soft. If either of us pulled, it would be the end of the challa. It was a true stalemate .. or should I say, fresh mate. The other shoppers around us were frozen in anticipation of what would happen next. You could have cut the tension. with a knife. A bread knife that is.  

Sheli - I repeated slowly. Surely he understood. That is Hebrew for ‘mine’ for those who don’t know the language. He growled and snarled, but I was not going to be scared off by these tactics. He had already tried the shouting thing, but I had held my ground. Israeli’s often make a lot of noise to get their way, but it’s just a scare tactic. Its the quiet Israelis you need to be scared of. So the staring and low growling went on.

It was time for my Anglo tactic and I switched to English. ‘Listen old chap, I had my hand on this challa before you did. Now you can let me have it or you can bend over and let me ram it up your behind’. The growling stopped as his brain attempted to register what I had just said. It had sounded polite enough and from the look in his eyes, I knew he had no idea what I had just said. The tactic had worked. I was now the superior being. He was a mere local. I was the one from over the great sea, from a land where people queued in single file and did not argue with policeman. In his confusion he lost focus and tried to behave more politely, even smiling slightly. It was then I slipped the challa out from under his hand and into my trolley. Shabbat Shalom bud!