Help Save Center Stage, Israel’s Only Professional English-Language Theater
Center Stage in Ra'anana, Israel's only professional English-Language theater, is in danger of closing - unless it can raise the funds needed to make up for lost time during the Covid pandemic.
The Mission
Center Stage, the only professional English language theater in Israel, exists to provide opportunities for our community to participate in live theater productions; offer enhanced educational opportunities for youth in various disciplines of the performing arts; and provide a venue for the presentation of classic, original, translated, thought-provoking and entertaining plays to our community.
As the only professional English theater in Israel we are in a unique position to connect with a global audience and reinforce the relationship between Israel, the Jewish diaspora and the world.
The Beginning….
In February of 2019, Grant and Daniella Crankshaw embarked on their dream of building a creative hub for English-language theater in Israel, a vibrant and inviting cultural center, a meeting place that inspires a creative exchange between artists, audiences and the community. With the help of their community and Angels, they built the theater with our own hands and opened in November 2019. A mere 107 days after opening, the Covid Pandemic struck and the theater was effectively closed for 14 consecutive months, with no income whatsoever during this time.
The Current Situation
Center Stage theater is under threat of closure due to the financial difficulties encountered during Covid, where theaters in Israel were closed by government decree for a year. During this time, Center Stage was ineligible for government support as it was a new venture, having opened in late October 2019. As such, the theater received no income during this time.
Even when permitted to reopen, in February 2021, it was under very tight restrictions, limiting crowd sizes and requiring face masks, temperature checks and social distancing. In addition, according to rules laid out by the Health and Culture Ministries, the theater was allowed to be open only to so-called Green Pass holders, who were either vaccinated or had recovered from Covid.
This situation continued well into 2022, as the unofficial lock-down of the Omicron variant swept through the country.
Any venture, under these circumstances, could not survive. But Center Stage did. However, the theater is now facing the threat of eviction brought on by these circumstances, and it needs your help to keep the theater alive and its voice heard.
For more information and to contribute, please visit Center Stage’s Fundraiser.
