Sarah House is an eight-bedroom Santa Barbara home that provides end-of-life care for economically disadvantaged individuals. As a social model hospice, Sarah House relies on private and community donations to help fund care for their residents. For their upcoming annual fundraiser, Sarah House Manager Paloma Espino partnered with theater producer and director Peter Lackner to build an original dramatic performance. The play features three vignettes written by Espino, who’s been with the institution for two decades. The stories represent versions of her experiences with Sarah House residents through the final chapters of their lives.
The production, called Sarah House Stories, is officially billed as a staged reading, says Lackner, but certain key dramatic moments will be fully performed off-book. One vignette features soul mates who found each other late in life and are contending with the grief of impending loss. In another, an indigenous woman explores the end of her life with the help of spirit guides. “At the time of her passing,” says Lackner, one of the spirits, a hummingbird, “flies up into the heavens. The story ends with this connection to nature and the cosmos.” The show endeavors to highlight the distinguishing compassion with which Sarah House supports their residents.
The cast is made up of Santa Barbara actors Kathy Marden, Tony Miratti, Nancy Nufer, Polly Pelly, and Alex McClintock — all of whom are donating their time and talent to the show. Bruce Goldish, known by Santa Barbarians as the guitarist from downtown parking garages and the Arlington arches, will accompany the play and provide entertainment at the post-show reception. Lackner, who is turning 80 this June, holds a birthday wish for this Sarah House fundraiser to surpass expectations…