Theft of equipment stuns Gilbert & Sullivan crew

Crucial equipment was stolen from G&S over the weekend.

UPDATE: Department of Public Safety Director Edward Piper today told the Law Weekly that the DPS is investigating the incident. Piper also said that it is possible that the D.C. police will eventually take over the investigation.

A brazen theft has created a new challenge for the Georgetown Gilbert & Sullivan Society, which just began the last weeks of rehearsal for its fall show. Over the weekend, important pieces of equipment were stolen from the group’s storage cage in the garage below McDonough Hall.

“When the Master Painter and I arrived Sunday morning to start the day’s work, we discovered that we could not open our storage closet in the garage because the lock had been replaced since we locked up on Saturday afternoon,” said Robert Planthold, 2L, the tech director for the fall show.

He added, “After [officers from the Department of Public Safety] broke the new lock for us, our Master Carpenter arrived and discovered that five electric drills had been stolen, including one that had been a wedding gift to him personally.”

Planthold believes that the thief, or thieves, “must have come prepared and seemingly wanted to delay anyone noticing the theft for as long as possible.”

Altogether, the group is missing a jigsaw, a sawzall, and the Master Carpenter’s personal toolbag. Planthold said all of the pieces were in individual bags, making them both more valuable, and easier to steal.

A theft report has been filed with the Department of Public Safety, which told the Law Weekly that it is investigating the matter.

Planthold said the group cannot afford to replace all the lost tools, but will attempt to replace those most essential to completing the set for the fall show.

“If need be, we’ll also petition our members for use of their personal resources,” he said. “We will also investigate stronger security measures to protect our property.”

This is the latest in what Planthold says has been a difficult show for the group.

He said the show is the most “logistically and artistically challenging shows that GG&SS has produced in at least a decade. We already had to sacrifice construction time to research and work out the feasibility of our design ambitions within the constraints of the Hart Auditorium, as well as how to coordinate them with choreography much more complicated than the group usually does.”

Planthold and the entire Georgetown Gilberty & Sullivan Society cast and crew remain optimistic that they will overcome this new obstacle.

“Our crews have the dedication and necessary resources to keep construction on track,” he said. “On that stage, the cast of ‘Curtains’ will still be able to amaze and delight the audience.”

The show, “Curtains,” a Tony-award-winning musical, is schelued to premiere Nov. 2 and run through Nov. 5.

by Cara Schenkel, 3L