After the tumult of the 1960s, things seemed to fall apart for progressive forces within American society. By choice or necessity, many folks headed for the hills, or the woods, or an island, in search of a safe space in which to regroup.

The characters in Sarah Treem’s edgy but engaging 2014 play “When We Were Young and Unafraid,” the season opener from Mad Horse Theatre in South Portland, gather at a remote island bed-and-breakfast that also serves as an unofficial shelter for abused women in Washington State in 1972.

There, they seek to sort out where they are headed in a world that too often seems hostile, especially toward women who are trying to develop a sense of identity and self-worth.

With the script referencing such sources as Virginia Woolf and Walt Whitman, as well as the mythology of the indigenous Salish people, the two-hour, Whitney Brown-directed production nods at big ideas but grounds them in relatable characters struggling to find a way forward.

In the intimate Mad Horse performance space, we settle into the kitchen of Agnes (Christine Marshall), a middle-aged former nurse who works hard to maintain her many roles – single mother, business owner, protector, counselor. Her daughter Penny (Emma Mayberry) is a bright high-school student with a sensitivity for what was then termed “women’s lib.” But she also longs for the pleasures of a more traditional social life.

Enter Mary Anne (Allison McCall), a young woman physically banged up and on the run from an abusive marriage. Agnes and Penny set about meeting Mary Anne’s immediate needs while trying hard to steer her away from any attempt to return to her husband.

Add uninvited drop-in Hannah (Savannah Irish), who’s seeking a separatist utopia for women, and paying guest Paul (Jared Mongeau), who speaks of the “entropy” he senses in the world.

Backstories and future dreams for all are compellingly revealed in this highly engaging production that particularly speaks to feminist themes of the period, many of which still resonate, though with much more elaboration, today. The hopes and desires of all must constantly be monitored and adjusted so as not to run afoul of societal expectations and legal restrictions.

Mad Horse veteran Marshall shows her Agnes has a big heart that she, though she feels she must, doesn’t easily keep in check. Mayberry’s Penny is an assertive sweetheart perhaps too hurriedly learning the ropes of adulthood. McCall’s Mary Anne is a jittery mess but with some time-tested survival skills still available. Mongeau’s Paul is a bit of a nerd, if a passable singer/guitarist, who’s still willing to reach for happiness. And Irish, a standout in the show, has her Hannah add a charge of renewed energy, belying her own doubts.

Much thought went into the work of a strong Mad Horse creative team in effectively setting the play in a past era recognizable as such, yet not so very different from the one in which we live.

Steve Feeney is a freelance writer who lives in Portland.

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