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The poetic story of “Rites of Passage” is set in a coastal rural area, whose inhabitants strive to overcome personal traumas and break free from life’s vicious cycles. Askur and his wife have arrived here in the hope of salvaging their relationship and possibly even their lives. Before long Woman comes face to face with a white moose, a mystical spirit animal. After the encounter, her life force starts to replenish and Woman can finally set herself apart from her husband and return to others the support and kindness that she has been afforded.

The play has a surprisingly light way of approaching decidedly heavy subjects – loss of a child, death, domestic violence – while never downplaying their seriousness. “Rites of Passage” cares about the reader and viewer. Despite its air of mystery, the text is not opaque, but opens up scene by scene, and the sparse Northern dialogue is balanced by long and illustrative monologues.