Theft At Oakmont High Theft Won't Keep Students From Stage

ROSEVILLE (CBS13) - A high school production of Little Shop of Horrors is dealing with a big theft, but the actors insist the show will go on.

Someone broke into Oakmont High School and stole thousands of dollars meant for the musical.

They're just a month out from opening night for Little Shop of Horrors, but now these students dealing with their own horror. Money for their performance was stolen right out of their classroom.

Students in Samantha Howard's Oakmont High drama class are used to making believe. But when the $3,000 they'd raised for their upcoming show disappeared, there was no question the theft was real.

"I discovered there was no glass in the window," said Howard. "The money was secured in my desk."

"It was really upsetting, shocking surprising. We never though anything like that could happen," said student Ryan Murphy.

Little Shop of Horrors was to be senior Ryan Murphy's last show.

And for Mandy Emigh, it was a first shot at her lead role.

"To find out it was taken away was devastating, heartbreaking," said Emigh.

The theft meant the show would not go on until the students decided.

"We decided to reach out to our community, fundraise everything we can possibly do to get this back," said Emigh.

They're still planning to open the show but they're still a long way off from raising all the money.

"Five-thousand is what we're lacking right now but we'd earned the bulk of that and we're moving forward in that direction. But the $3000 was the bulk of that," said Howard.

The students are hoping the burglary won't force the curtain to close on the show they've worked so hard for before it even gets a chance to open.

If you'd like to help, you can go to Oakmont High School's website or the drama department's Facebook page.