San Francisco Shakespeare Festival van stolen in Oakland
San Francisco Shakespeare Festival representatives are hoping someone will spot "Vannanigan," their 12-passenger van that was stolen last month in Oakland.
The 2007 van was discovered missing Feb. 20 and may be in Richmond, due to a few Fastrak and failed gas card use attempts, said SF Shakes marketing director John Western.
The van has the SF Shakes logo on one side and a pirate emblem on the other -- a remnant of the van's cameo in an online production of Pericles in 2021.
"We thought by now somebody might have spotted it," Western said Thursday.
Sets, costumes, musical instruments and props were in the van, and they have been hastily replaced, so the show is back on the road in a rental van for the time being, Western said.
A police report has been filed, and anyone who sees the van is asked to contact authorities and to email SF Shakes at tleavitt@sfshakes.org.
The van is used to transport actors, sets, props and costumes for Shakespeare on Tour one-hour plays to schools and libraries statewide.
Although SF Shakes has been making do with a rental van in the interim, the group is hoping to raise money for a new one or even find someone who could donate a van.
"If you have a 12-passenger van you're ready to part with, let us know -- we can put it to very good use," the theater company said in a statement.