Death is rarely an uplifting subject for a story, however the staged reading of Sarah House Stories written by the director of hospice center Sarah House, Paloma Espino, demonstrated that the end of life stage can be beautiful and even magical. Sarah House is “a space where miracles happen and long nights happen,” Espino said in her opening address to the full house on their Sunday matinee on June 28. The three true stories are told from Espino’s first hand experience working at Sarah House, serving mainly low-income and destitute people, for over two decades. In their annual fundraising effort, Sarah House Stories will also be performed on Friday, July 3, at 6 p.m. in the Unitarian Society’s Parish Hall.
UCSB professor and local performing artist Peter Lackner, teamed up with Espino to produce and stage direct her stories. After visiting one of his friends in their final days at Sarah House in 2007, Lackner was “deeply moved by the unusually personal and considerate approach the manager and staff had in providing extremely individualized care for each resident,” as he states warmly in his director’s note.
Lackner donated his time to direct and mentor three fundraising productions with Sarah House in the following years. The first being in 2008 with playwright Doris Baizley, who had spent weeks at Sarah House before writing the production to raise awareness for this kind of hospice care. The second was in 2024, partnered with Espino and Laguna Blanca student volunteers who both acted and contributed to their show based on their unique experience working at Sarah House.
In a sequel to the 2024 fundraiser’s success, this year Espino shares three stories. One follows a couple deeply in love, another looks at a family whose mother grapples with her son’s loss of life to the streets of Santa Barbara, and the last follows an indigenous woman who uses animals to understand herself. All stories highlight the peace, comfort and community these people found in their last moments at Sarah House. The stories are performed by Santa Barbara community actors Kathy Marden, Nancy Nufer, Polly Pelly, Tony Miratti, and Laguna Blanca alumnus Alex McClintock — who all donated their time. Between each story, talented fingerstyle guitarist Bruce Goldish performs.
With the present limitations of government funding, Sarah House emphasizes the importance of private donations. Through fundraising efforts, all proceeds go directly to Sarah House. Tickets are priced at $40 for general admission, $25 for students and additional donations are encouraged. All information for ticketing can be found on the website sarahhousesb.com.
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