[Noozhawk’s note: This article is one in a series sponsored by the Hutton Parker Foundation.]

“Even when you think you’re prepared for it, you’re not. … Why don’t we talk about death?” David says in the opening lines of Rod Lathim’s play Unfinished Business, starting its second run on May 9 at the Lobero Theatre.

The play originally ran last year to sold-out audiences at Center Stage Theater.

“I found that people didn’t want to leave the theater; they wanted to stay and share their similar stories of profound mystical experiences — experiences that they had never shared before,” Lathim said. “And, now we’ve already sold-out three of the eight upcoming performances at the Lobero.”

Lathim weaves an interesting mix of characters into his play — from the pious sister to the hilarious deceased friend. All of their views have the audience laughing and crying and laughing again — but, more importantly, thinking about death.

This year, Unfinished Business is serving as a benefit fundraiser for the Alliance for Living and Dying Well, and its purpose is to encourage community conversations about death, dying and living well.

It’s the very void in talking about or acknowledging death that prompted Lathim to pen his play about his own mother’s death.

“Unfinished Business is based on a journal I kept the day before my mom died,” he said. “All of the things that happened during her death were so overwhelming that I literally started taking notes. The notes from my journal are the crux of the play. I’ve added some conflict, but the characters are real people as are the conversations I had with them.”

Real people for Lathim are deceased friends of his mother’s. Since childhood, Lathim has been able to see people “from the other side.” Because of his gift and the lessons he has learned from it, he felt drawn to deliver his message to a larger audience.

“Many people think that we die alone,” Lathim said. “Having been through my mother’s death and witnessing the gathering of spirits/people who came around her, I can tell you that we are not alone. During my mom’s death, it was like peeking into someone’s beautiful garden filled with joyful people. It was an amazing gift.”

Lathim’s long-term vision “to use the arts to create social change and to enlighten, educate and entertain,” along with the success of the first run of Unfinished Business, prompted him to contact President Jon Clark of the James S. Bower Foundation in Santa Barbara. The Bower Foundation is known for its support of initiatives that, according to its website, find compassion in dying and joy and success in life.

Clark suggested that Lathim speak with Susan Plummer, executive director of the Alliance for Living and Dying Well. Plummer had seen the original run at Center Stage and was enthusiastic about aligning with Lathim to create a benefit fundraiser for the alliance. (The ALDW is a consortium of area organizations concerned with improving the quality of end-of-life care and fostering a shift in our culture toward dying from fear to acceptance, a shift that enhances an appreciation of living.)

After each performance, the audience — all seated onstage with the actors in an intimate 140-seat setting — will be invited to participate in a moderated discussion about the play and the issues it raises. Moderators will include Plummer, Lathim, the Rev. Mark Asman of Trinity Episcopal Church, Hospice of Santa Barbara Executive Director Steve Jacobsen, Senior Rabbi Steven Cohen of the Congregation of B’nai B’rith’ and the Rev. Laura Mancuso of Hospice of Santa Barbara.

“Unfinished Business is in keeping with the alliance’s mission, which is, in part, to create opportunities in various ways for people to have conversations about death and dying and to become more aware of our mortality in an every day way,” Plummer said. “It’s the relationship between living well and dying well.

“There are a lot of themes in the play that one can take metaphorically or not. The idea of closure and reconciliation and expressing what you want to before the time comes is really important. Unfinished Business also gives us a feeling of the continuum of life. There is a sense of connection and inner connectivity.”

Jacobsen added: “Most people aren’t sure where they’re supposed to think about death. Most live on some boundary between complete scientific rationality and spirituality. Unfinished Business presents both realities without taking a position.”

As a service to theater-goers, every attendee will receive a packet of information about end-of-life services available in Santa Barbara County.

“I didn’t have this in my mind when I wrote Unfinished Business,” Lathim said. “I never thought it would have an impact on anyone else. I knew I needed to write it to get it out of my system. I never imagined I could share this with the general public.”

As a person who constantly challenges himself to accomplish the impossible, it’s no surprise that Lathim has taken on this new role of tackling the topic of death.

Lathim is known throughout Santa Barbara County for his artistic prowess, especially in the performing arts. In December, he was awarded the 2012 Leadership in the Arts Award by the Santa Barbara County Arts Commission for being a tireless advocate for youth, minorities and people with disabilities to have access to the arts.

In 1979, he founded Access Theatre and took it from a grassroots theater company for actors with disabilities to an award-winning, internationally-touring acting troupe. He served for four years as president of the National Association for Theatre and Accessibility.

Lathim was awarded the Princess Grace Award by the HSH Prince Albert of Monaco and Frank Sinatra, and led the development and fundraising efforts for the renovation of the Marjorie Luke Theatre.

“End-of-life issues don’t need to be discussed in a spiritual or religious context,” Lathim said. “Everyone needs to approach them in a way that is comfortable for them — including for the person who is dying.”

“Often when people start to talk about death, they dread it,” Plummer said, “What we’ve found is that when the conversation starts, what happens is a greater joy and intimacy. And that’s the underlying secret. It’s really all about quality of life — how you want to live until you die.”

Supporters of the collaboration between Unfinished Business and the Alliance for Living and Dying Well include the James S. Bower Foundation, the Hutton-Parker Foundation and the Santa Barbara Foundation.

Unfinished Business runs May 9-12, with afternoon and evening performances. Tickets are $23 and may be purchased in advance by call the Lobero box office at 805.963.0761. Groups may purchase blocks of seats or an entire performance.

For more information about the play or the work of the Alliance for Living and Dying Well, click here or call 805.845.5314.

— Nancy Shobe is a Noozhawk contributing writer. She can be contacted at shobebiz@gmail.com or follow her on Twitter: @shobebiz. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.