A U-Haul containing all the production equipment for a touring Persian theater company’s puppet show “Song of the North” was stolen from the parking lot of a Comfort Inn on Van Ness Ave in San Francisco.
It was stolen in the early morning of Oct. 23, KTVU News reported.
Hamid Rahmanian, the creator and director of the puppet show, and his crew had been in San Francisco performing over the weekend at Fort Mason’s Cowell Theater and were spending the night at the inn before heading to their next venue.
His puppet show “Song of the North” is based on the epic Persian poem “Shahnameh,” which dates back to A.D. 1000, and showcases shadow puppetry, animation, and music.
A spokesperson for the production told KTVU News that the truck was carefully packed for the next performance in Seattle.
“I went to bed and woke up and it was gone,” Mr. Rahmanian told NBC News.
At first Mr. Rahmanian thought somebody had had the U-Haul towed, but hotel security footage showed two men stealing the truck around 2:30 a.m.
Mr. Rahmanian said he was heartbroken when he found out that his nearly 500 puppets as well as his masks, costumes, props, backdrops, and audio and video equipment for the show had been stolen.
He wrote on Instagram, “This project took us three years to create and it has been taken from us in an instant.”
KTVU News reported that the U-Haul was found on the morning of Oct. 25 across the bay in Richmond after a woman, a Richmond resident, saw KTVU’s news report and realized the stolen truck might be sitting outside her house and had been there since Monday morning.
The Richmond resident told KTVU News she was glad “just to be helpful to whoever the van belonged to, that they get their property back.”
She added, “[It] makes us feel good, we’re doing something that’s right.”
San Francisco Police investigators notified Mr. Rahmanian on Oct. 25, and he headed over to Richmond that afternoon to see what was left inside the truck.
He told ABC7 News that some of the puppets were still there, but the audio and video equipment he uses for the show is missing.
“It was ravaged through and ripped apart, and I have to sit down somewhere and assess the damage,” Mr. Rahmanian told KTVU News. “It seems salvageable. But I’m sure we’re going to miss a few shows. But I’m so overwhelmed, happy,” he said.
Police told KTVU News that the thieves punched the ignition, rummaged through the truck, and left behind stolen mail.
Police haven’t released any information yet about the thieves who stole the U-Haul, according to ABC7 News.
Prior to the truck being found, ABC7 News reported that Mr. Rahmanian was hoping the thieves would have a change of heart and return the truck. He was offering a $10,000 reward, no questions asked, for the return of his puppets, props, masks, and costumes.
“All the horrors happening in the world—this show is kind of a very soul-cleansing experience when you encounter it. If they bring it back, there is no pressing charges; I forgive,” he told ABC7 News.
“There is no value for them, but there’s a lot of value for us and people who are interested in watching the show. These are cultural shows, activities, not just artistic shows,” he told NBC News.
KTVU News reported that the show employs nine actors and artists who specialize in puppetry.
The group of performers said they did take precautions when leaving the truck in the parking lot overnight.
“We were nervous about it, double-checked every door was locked and padlocked; we even had the thought to sleep in it overnight,” Harrison Greene, an actor who performs in the show, told KTVU News.
Mr. Rahmanian, a Guggenheim Fellow, said his show brings people together and highlights a bright spot in Iranian history at a time when wars are seemingly dividing the world.
It debuted last year in Paris and includes authentic historical designs of ancient Iran.
Mr. Rahmanian told KTVU News that people of all ages, adults and kids alike, have enjoyed this production and that his previous show, “Feathers of Fire,” has been to San Francisco at least 12 times.
