| The Canada Fund, which falls under the Canadian High Commission,Aroldis Chapman Jersey, yesterday donated C’dn$5,000 to the restoration and refurbishment of the Theatre Guild building on Parade Street, Kingston.The money will be used for the construction of a balcony that can accommodate up to 75 people. The balcony serves as a second level of seating. The old Theatre Guild only had one level of seating on the ground floor. Fire extinguishers were also purchased with this money.Cathy Hughes and Ameena Gafoor,Matt Joyce Jersey, members of the Theatre Guild Board of Trustees, were also present and recalled that last September the Canadians donated G$2.2 million to the restoration of the theatre. Coupled with the donation yesterday,Edinson Volquez Jersey, the total amount of money donated to the project is approximately $3.2 million.Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana, Charles Court, noted he was surprised to see the change that the Theatre Guild had undergone in less than a year. “This is going to be a wonderful facility, state-of-the-art in so many ways, well built, much expanded and it will be a real asset to Georgetown and to Guyana,” said the High Commissioner.He added that the Canadian High Commission was happy to be a part of the restoration of the theatre,Howie Kendrick Jersey, which he said was a good example of what could be achieved when people put their minds to something.In sync with the homecoming of CARIFESTA, High Commissioner Court said that the theatre would be a part of the festivities that would come to Guyana for the mega event. He said that whatever is presented in the Theatre Guild would have a certain degree of style and distinction.Bert Carter, the Consulting Engineer of the Rehabilitation Project, spoke of the different types of hardwood used in the construction of different sections of the building. The stage is constructed of greenheart, the windows and doors of the theatre of Kabakali, and the bar in the reception area is made of Shibidan.Another area which was highlighted was the design of the stage, which allowed parts of it to be disassembled and reconstructed to form a catwalk, in the event that a fashion show is held at the Theatre Guild. The chairs can also be reoriented to let the audience feel as if they are part of the show, Carter said.To date, funding for this project has come from the Government of Guyana, the Canada Fund, members of the Guyanese Diaspora, corporate Guyana and private individuals.Major General (Ret’d) Joe Singh, another member of the Theatre Guild Board of Trustees,New York Yankees Aroldis Chapman Jersey, noted that approximately $50 million has been contributed to the project in cash, and approximately $25 million has been contributed in kind.He said that the theatre still needed approximately $3 million, but they felt optimistic that this amount of money would be collected by the end of next week, when the project would be concluded.Among the contributions received for the refurbishment of the Theatre Guild are the transformers, supplied by GPL, the chairs which were donated by Kissoon’s and the creation of the driveway by Courtney Benn Contactors.At present,Jered Weaver Jersey, close to 95 per cent of the physical work has been completed. “There is not much left to be done,San Diego Padres Jered Weaver Jersey,” noted Carter, while Major General Singh elaborated that many of the facilities were presently being fine tuned.Major General Singh maintained that by next week all systems would be up and running. The transformers,Colorado Rockies Ian Desmond Jersey, donated by the Guyana Power and Light Company (GPL),Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Bud Norris Jersey, are being installed.He highlighted that the building will be able to host workshops and the like as part of the building’s ability to self-generate funds for maintenance. He also went on to say that he was hopeful that schools would utilize the facilities to stage performances, reminiscing of his days in Queen’s College, where numerous plays were staged in the school’s auditorium. |
