WHEN WE WERE YOUNG & UNAFRAID with Cherry Jones @ MTC

The dynamic play WHEN WE… is written by Sarah Treem, the writer/producer for the award winning series "Homeland" & "In Treatment."  Treem's play is set in the early '70s, just prior to the ruling on Roe v. Wade while feminism is taking hold.  Agnes (Cherry Jones, "Doubt") runs an isolated B&B which is a financial front for a safe-house for battered women.  Agnes lives with h.s. student Penny (Morgan Saylor, "Homeland".)  Penny a diligent student driven towards college is used to giving her bedroom to abused women seeking shelter.  A signal alerts Agnes of a run-away, hidden beneath a trap door.  Mary Anne (Zoe Kazan, actress playwrite & screenwriter, "Ruby Sparks") has escaped her husband.  She arrives severely beaten, fearing for her life.  Agnes was a trained nurse whose license was suspended for performing illegal abortions.  Agnes provides medical attention & a safe haven for these runaways. The refuge offered by Agnes is not unlike the underground railway.  Hannah, a bumptious, black woman bursts in unafraid to run interference & do "men's" work.  Hannah argues women succumb to men by having sex with them.  Marry Anne mentors Penny's in the wiles to beguile a guy.  Penny thought male/female relationships should be equal.  A fracas of revolutionary ideas & preconceived notions are scrutinized.  Set in the early 70's. WHEN WE... is a quick-witted, prescient play.  Thankfully, there are established shelters for battered women & their children.  Abortion has been legalized.  Hannah says "Times change."  Agnes responds by saying 'Times change back."  This is a tour de force drama of courage.  The courage that is needed to fight the never ending battle to maintain rights & equality.