“Song of the North,” a 1,000-year-old Persian love story that has been given new life as a puppet show and live action production, is touring the United States.
It had just finished a four-night run at Fort Mason in San Francisco when the U-Haul truck, parked outside a Van Ness Avenue Motel, with all 500 hand-made puppets, props and costumes was stolen.
“I went to bed and woke up and it was gone,” said Hamid Rahmanian, the artistic director of "Song of the North"
Surveillance video shows two men stealing the truck about 2:30 a.m. Sunday.
“There are so many layers here, the devastation is so much,” said Rahmanian.
He said if the thieves knew what was in the truck, they might not have stolen it.
“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 said.
Local
The “Song of the North" was headed for Seattle for shows this weekend and now, a dozen people are suddenly out of work.
Rahmanian says he doesn't want revenge, and will go to any lengths to get his beloved show back on the road.
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“I'm going to forgive. I'll retrieve my complaints from the police. Just bring it back,” he said. “With my whole heart I will forget and forgive. I'll kiss your hand, I don't know what to do. This is really devastating.”
Rahmanian says he'll even take the crooks out to dinner, and take them to his show to let them see why he loves “Song of the North.”
In the meantime, anyone that sees a 26-foot U-Haul truck with Arizona license plate AJ59419 is asked to call police.
