THE curtain may come down early on a youth theatre group's annual production after thieves stole its sound and lighting equipment.
The break-in comes just weeks after the 20-strong Nova Theatre Group relocated to new premises in Darton, putting its November show in serious jeopardy. The group, made up of eight to 18-year-olds, was founded in 1975 as Kexborough Methodist Youth Theatre and was based at the church for 40 years until it moved to Darby and Joan building on Church Street.
It was the theatre group's technical director Stuart Bennett who discovered the equipment missing from a storage unit on Sunday morning. "The lock has been smashed on the storage unit, which is in the grounds of the buildings, and £3,000 of stage lighting and sound equipment has been taken.
"It's an absolute sickener. We're supposed to be doing a show in November and it's looking like it is in jeopardy."
• Full story in the Barnsley Chronicle issue dated September 18, 2015.
