The Spotlight Youth Theatre in Glendale was burglarized for the third time in six weeks early Sunday morning, management there said.

In this latest incident, the burglar smashed the glass in the facility’s front door and damaged two — all to walk away with $10, managing director Deb Czajkowski said.

Security camera footage of the burglary provided by Spotlight Youth Theatre shows a man breaking into the building around 5 a.m. Sunday and rummaging through the box office. The burglar walks straight to the cash box, which makes employees think this man may also be responsible for the other two burglaries.

Phoenix police have been investigating the incidents and are still trying to determine if the burglaries are related, police Sgt. Mercedes Fortune said Monday.

The non-profit theater features six musicals and one play each season – roughly nine months out of the year – as performed by children ages 5 through 19.

“With some schools cutting arts programs, this is a second home for many of the kids,” Czajkowski said.

“We’re not out of a lot of money here,” she said about the burglaries. “I feel like the big deal here is the kids feeling safe.”

In the first burglary Aug. 30, Czajkowski said Spotlight Youth Theatre had an event that night and she left an empty cash box on the counter before locking up. She believes that portable cash box is what drew the eye of the burglar, who smashed through the glass front doors. 

“They saw it was empty and left it in the bushes,” she said. “I wonder if the cash box hadn’t been there, they would have got away with more stuff.”

About $30 was stolen when the theater was burglarized Sept. 25. The front doors, which had been replaced since the first burglary, were again smashed.

A security alarm didn’t stop the first two burglaries, so staff decided to buy a video camera system with help from community donations. That’s where the video of the latest burglary came from.

The theater has been working with property management to address safety concerns and is also reaching out to the nearby Phoenix police precinct for extra assistance. 

The burglaries have not affected operations at the theater. The kids are preparing for their weekend production of “Pippin” the musical as normal.

“The show must go on,” Czajkowski said.

Pippin, debuts 7 p.m. Friday at Spotlight Youth Theatre, 10620 N 43rd Ave., in Glendale. Tickets are $15 each and can be purchased at the theater box office or online.

For showtimes and more, visit the Spotlight Youth Theatre website.

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