Rites of Passage by Piret Jaaks staged in Lithuania

On March 28th, 2026, Piret Jaaks’s play “Rites of Passage” will premiere on the main stage of the Juozas Miltinis Drama Theatre in Panevėžys, Lithuania, translated and directed by Paulius Pinigis.

“Rites of Passage,” or “Pereigos ritualai” in Lithuanian, is the story of a young married couple who move to the countryside to cope with the loss they have suffered. While the husband, Askur, grows increasingly angry, the wife, Anna, begins to find solace in a mystical white reindeer.

Director Paulius Pinigis emphasizes that the play addresses an important theme – the human condition in a liminal state, where one’s previous life has ended but a new one has not yet begun. “Liminal states are inevitable in a person’s life in one way or another, but the main question is how to get through them and move forward. That is exactly what our production is about.” Under Pinigis’s direction, a ten-member troupe takes the stage in the Lithuanian version of “Rites of Passage.”

This is the first production of “Rites of Passage” outside of Estonia, and according to Piret Jaaks, she is delighted that the play has caught attention in Lithuania as well. “Considering how difficult it is for Estonian dramaturgy to reach international stages, every such instance is almost like a small miracle. The play deals with sensitive topics, including the loss of a child, and the fact that the Lithuanians took interest in the story is a huge compliment to me.”

Piret Jaaks’s play “Rites of Passage” won the Estonian Theatre Agency’s playwriting competition in 2019. A year later, Andres Noormets staged it at the Ugala Theatre under the title “Valged põdrad” (eng “White deer”). Since then, a novel titled “Põdravalgus” (eng “Deer light”) has been published based on the same story, and the author has also granted the rights for a film adaptation.

More information about “Pereigos ritualai” can be found on the website of the Juozas Miltinis Drama Theatre.

In the photo: rehearsals for the production “Pereigos ritualai” at the Juozas Miltinis Drama Theatre. Photo: Arvydas Gudas / Juozas Miltinis Drama Theatre