Song of the North Theft Recovery

Hello everyone!

The past few days have been a truly devastating experience for me and Melissa and our Song of the North ensemble. It took us three years and dozens of committed artisans and artists to create this show and we are all heart-broken. As many of you have read, our show truck which contained all of our equipment, costumes, puppets, and props was stolen in San Francisco on October 23, 2023 after an exhilarating 3-day weekend of shows. Two days later, we recovered the truck, but it was a bittersweet reunion. We lost all of our electronic and tech gear but, most importantly, we lost scores of our handmade puppets and costumes that took years to create. The thieves left the truck in such disarray, it literally took my breath away as I saw my life’s work crumpled, smashed and destroyed. As many of you know, this Shahnameh project I have been working on for the past 15 years was created to bring people together and to share the beauty and richness of my Iranian culture with the world.

A show like ours relies on numerous intricately designed and hand made costumes and puppets, as well as custom designed technical equipment that has been built specifically for us. It will take 3 months to reassemble all the ingredients that go into rebooting the show in time for our next engagement in Chicago on January 19th.

Many of you have reached out asking how you can help, so, here we are. Replacing the items that were stolen is a major undertaking comprised of both high value purchases and weeks of intensive labor and reconstruction/repair. We humbly ask for your help to get the show back on the road. All contributions great and small are appreciated.

Here are a few links to the news coverage of our truck's theft:

New Your Times article

ABC7 News - article and video

San Francisco Chronicle

Hamid's video going through the truck after it was recovered by the police:

Getting the show back on the road

It's going to take approximately $134,000 to get the show back on the road. See the detailed breakdown below.

Note: we are trying to the raise the $134K as a combination of this gofundme and outside private donations. As soon as we've reached our goal, the campaign will be stopped. We will keep everyone updated on how has been raised.

Your contribution is fully tax deductible.

As you can see from the above table, the cost of producing this show is quite high. Your contribution will help accelerate getting it back on the road.

Rewards

As a thank you for your generosity, I'll be happy to provide the following rewards for your donation:

Questions & Answers:

// Are you a non-profit?

Yes. Two Chairs Inc is not-for-profit organization and your contributions are 100% tax deductible. Our EIN is 27-4115161. Our address is 39 Remsen Street, 2A Brooklyn, NY 11201

ALL proceeds from this gofundme go directly to the non-profit and will be applied to replacing our stolen goods for the purpose to restarting the show.

// Are the upcoming shows canceled?

Our show in Seattle at the Meany Center for the Performing Arts (Oct 27th) is postponed. However we have a whole slate of shows, starting in January that we are committed to making.

// Won't insurance cover this?

Sadly, not really. We have a small property policy that will help out with a few thousand dollars for equipment but all of the hand made puppets, masks, costumes and props, which comprise the bulk of out show, are uninsurable.

// How else can I help?

Sharing our story and the link to this fundraiser will help us get the word out. The more people who hear this story, the quicker we can raise funds.

// How can I get updates on the progress of the fundraiser?

You can visit this page. You can also follow Kingorama on social media:

Instagram - @hamidinperson

Facebook

Kingorama

// I would like to get in touch with the organizers about this fundraiser

We can be reached here: [email redacted]