Sincerely, Catera

Today is International Women’s Day and I was reminded of a show I performed in during my college studies a few years ago, called When We Were Young and Unafraid. It’s a play written by Sarah Treem, that takes places in the 70’s, before the Violence Against Women act.

The story deals with Agnes, a older woman, who runs a secret safe haven women’s shelter for abuse victims. Her latest runaway Mary Anne, has a negative influence on Agnes’ teenage daughter Penny during her stay, which causes her to question herself about the kind of people she’s helping. There’s even bigger questions raised when Hannah (who I played), a hardcore feminist, finds herself in the shelter simply out of boredom.

Stage combat became my friend during this show. Hannah, is a rather violent, abandoned, misfit who is simply looking for a place to belong. She was a boss of a character to play! I practically had to jump off of every piece of furniture displayed!

This was more than just another role for me, but it was more of an educational program. After each show and even during a few of the rehearsals up until the performances, there were representatives from local women’s shelters. They came prepared to answer any questions that we had as well as any audience members. It really opened up a safe, and carefully handled discussion about injustices towards women and even men, behind closed doors.

Thanks for reading! Happy Women’s Day,