Volunteer actors took to the stage at Trinity Episcopal Church on Sunday to tell three stories in a fundraiser event for the nonprofit Sarah House.
It was the first of two Sarah House Stories performances this summer. The second is scheduled for July 3 at 6 p.m. at The Unitarian Society.
The nonprofit provides hospice care for economically disadvantaged individuals, not as a facility, but as a home, said Sarah House social worker Edward Rodriguez.
“I’ve sent a lot of residents there that are going through pretty tough times, and I always know once they get to Sarah House, they’re gonna be in good hands,” Rodriguez said.
The staged readings are based on journal entries Sarah House Manager Paloma Espino made to decompress after work, chronicling her experiences with residents.
Each of the three vignettes contains not only stories, but lessons.
“When I hire staff members, I let them know there’s a lot to learn here if you just allow it to teach you,” Espino said.
The annual fundraiser comes after an especially difficult financial year, according to stage director Peter Lackner.
“Sarah House really has had trouble surviving because of all the budget cuts and grants being cut for hospice services,” Lackner said. “It is really important to do this year.”
After months of preparation, including script editing by Rodriguez and stage adaptation by Lackner, the stories were brought to life.
With music by local guitarist Bruce Goldish, the performance honored residents while encouraging attendees to feel more comfortable with the topic of death.
“Death is such a deep conversation, but (it) doesn’t have to be heavy,” said Espino. “It can just be whatever life is — joy and, of course, sadness. It’s hard, but it’s also beautiful.”
The first vignette told the love story of Sarah House resident Dorothy and her soulmate Mike, who visited her every day and stayed with her until her last breath.
The second vignette centered on grief. It follows a mother named Maria and her son Victor as they mourn her eldest son, who was killed in a stabbing, and come to terms with Maria’s terminal breast cancer diagnosis.
The last recounted the growth of a resident named Denise, a Sioux woman, and her three totem animals: a bear, bunny and hummingbird.
As outlined in the reading, when she first arrived at Sarah House, she showed bear-like traits, responding to Espino and other Sarah House staff with hostility. As she adjusted, softer attributes from the bunny and hummingbird emerged, and she built a strong relationship with Espino.
“Denise, she was someone (who) really tested me, but she taught me that I don’t have to be anyone else but me,” Espino said.
The performances elicited a range of reactions from the packed audience, from laughs to tears.
Striking the balance between telling stories about death without making the performance “too morbid or just sad” is just what Lackner aimed to do, he said.
Sarah House volunteer Heidi Rigoli was touched by the performance.
“I thought it was beautiful,” Rigoli. “It was genuine, it wasn’t put on. It really is how it is.”
Lackner deemed Sunday’s fundraiser a success and looks forward to the upcoming performance on Friday.
“I’m really eager to have more people see it, because we put a lot of work into it,” Lackner said. “The main thing is still supporting Sarah House, and enjoying supporting Sarah House by seeing some good theater.”
General tickets are $40, and $25 for students. Complimentary wine is included.
