Riot Act Talk Backs: When We Were Young and Unafraid

In May, Riot Act performed Sarah Treem’s “When We Were Young and Unafraid,” the story of a woman in the 1970’s who operates both a B&B and safe house for victims of domestic violence out of her home on a Washington state island.

Because the play focuses heavily on the dynamics and dangers of domestic violence, Riot Act invited CSN to join talk backs after the Friday evening performances.

In the story, she picked that island specifically because it was known for being surrounded by waters too shallow for boats to land. As the story develops, interesting dynamics develop between the proprietor’s daughter, a woman fleeing an abusive husband, a male B&B guest, and a drifter seeking a lesbian separatist group – all with the backdrop of the beginning of Roe v. Wade.  

The performances were rich and the writing nuanced, leaving audiences with plenty to process and consider. One discussion began with a woman in the audience recalling her own experience of political action in the 70’s, asking everyone “why are we will here? Why do we find ourselves dealing, fifty years later, with the same issues, still fighting the same fight?”  Which, with the recent overturn of Roe v. Wade, left us all grappling with varied ideas and answers.  

We highly recommend a read of “When We Were Young and Unafraid.” The writing is excellent and there is much to unpack!  

Check out Riot Act’s website to see their upcoming performances. We also invite you to follow CSN (@csn_jh) on Instagram to stay up to date on our community engagements and events.