I was so pleased to be able to stay for all eight hours of the storytelling that took place at Cathryn Fairlee's home for the final time last Saturday, September 28. We did The Adventures of Amir Hamza, and, even after all the bloodshed and drugging and disguising, the epic really snuck into my heart and stole it.
Dale Boland ended the epic beautifully, instilling it with meaning that she was able to derive from it personally. After seven and a half hours with no mention of Mohammad, the prophet finally appears and ends the cycle of violence between the Persian emperor and the Arabs.
I was pleased to have caught Neshama Franklin's portion this time. As always she slipped many artful turns of phrases in her rendition: "punctuating his letter with a severed head, etc."
My greatest admiration is for Jeff Byers and Dana Sherry who had wrapped their minds around this work six months ago, and were able to keep it fresh for the final performance.
It was bittersweet as we came to a close. I have only attended one cycle of Epic Day, but I could share in the emotion everyone was feeling for Cathryn Fairlee. She scolded us for making her cry when we presented her with a scrap book. Ed Silberman led us in a song for her.
It is hard to express to someone how much they mean to you. I tried to give Cathryn a scarf that Irma had seen her admiring at the NSN Summit, but she wouldn't take it. Instead she gave me more books and Indonesian shadowpuppets. She has given me so much. I saw her giving things to others as well. I couldn't help but feel I was witnessing the close of an epic career of storytelling.
—Epic Day, Saturday, September 28, 2019 in Cotati, CA