Eagle Era

Theater staff and students cope with repeated thefts of essential supplies for set-making

By Lisa Shokoor

On September 19, AHS Performing Arts (AHSPA) experienced a break-in when several tools were stolen from the theater. The theft seemed random, with older and less obvious supplies taken while valuable items like the projector were left untouched. The thieves stole a Chromebook, saws, batteries, and more items crucial to set design. Overall, about $2,000 worth of material was taken from the performing arts department. 

The theft has raised concerns about campus security and the safety of student resources, particularly for AHSPA, which relies heavily on these supplies for set construction and stagecraft. 

Ms. Benedetti, AHSPA’s advisor, described her initial reaction to the robbery. “I noticed that there were gaps in the spaces where I normally had stored stuff, and things didn’t look right. There were items that I used pretty frequently: my drills, my batteries, my ratchets, my saws.” 

The theater department was given new drills after the old ones were stolen (Photo Credit: Lisa Shokoor (11)).

She continued, “We do tend to share a lot of stuff, especially if Art is doing something; they might borrow a drill or saw, so I asked the other teacher that was here, and she said when she got here, the door to 702 was open.”

This recent crime put a huge dent in the production of The Play That Goes Wrong, AHS’s fall play. Ms. Benedetti said, “We got all our wood materials in, and we were just going to start cutting and building, and unfortunately I had 0 tools to work with that day.”

She also elaborated on how the theft makes the theater community feel as a whole. “It just makes me really paranoid to be here. I’ve stayed here past midnight before, so now I’m always kind of worried—is someone going to come in?” 

Shivani Patel (11) is part of the stage crew for the fall play, and she felt hurt that someone would do such a thing. Patel said, “I feel like it’s definitely made everyone a lot more on edge. We really make sure that everything’s locked.”

Patel continued, “It was kind of an invasion of privacy and a disrespect, not just only to Ms. B, but to the theater community in general. We all use those things, and it’s a shared space.”

Additionally, the performing arts department serves as a safe community for AHS students. According to Ms. Benedetti, “[AHSPA] provides happiness and good things that students like to enjoy outside of just getting grades. [The theft] makes the space feel a little bit less safe.”

This raises an important question: who will be held accountable, and where can the community turn for answers? The Eagle Era asked Ms. Sharma for an interview on the repercussions taken after the theft. She said, “For security reasons, I am not able to respond to any of these questions.”