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RITES OF PASSAGE

'Menopause'

'Menopause'

cure-ated & performed by Cynthia Atwood

'Hysteria'

'Hysteria'

cure-ated & performed by Gabrielle Senza

'The Wise Wound'

'The Wise Wound'

cure-ated by Pooja Prema / performed by Elizabeth Blackshine

'A Womb of Her Own'

'A Womb of Her Own'

cure-ated & performed by Camille Roos

'A Womb of Her Own'

'A Womb of Her Own'

cure-ated by Camille Roos

'Motherhood'

'Motherhood'

seen here: Meg Agnew

'Motherhood'

'Motherhood'

seen here: Julie Vallun & Ukiah Hildebrandt

'The Body Room'

'The Body Room'

cure-ated by Lori Fisch / performed by Gail Ryan

'Girlhood'

'Girlhood'

cure-ated & performed by Lorimer Burns/ with Lucinda Karp and Takaiya Brown

'Adolescence'

'Adolescence'

cure-ated by Kristin Grippo & Dina Noto / seen here: Kristin Grippo, Samantha Keyes

'The Elder Room'

'The Elder Room'

cure-ated & performed by Belle O' Brian, and friends

seen here: Cathy Fisch

'The Web'

'The Web'

cure-ated by Cathy Fisch

'Animus'

'Animus'

cure-ated by Cindy Parrish / performed by Hillary Hawk

'Animus'

'Animus'

mask by Huck Elling

'Maidenhood'

'Maidenhood'

cure-ated by Camille Roos

'The Kitchen': Woman as Domestic Goddess

'The Kitchen': Woman as Domestic Goddess

cure-ated & performed by Suzi Banks Baum and Karen Arp-Sandell

'The Kitchen'

'The Kitchen'

seen here: Tanya Himeji

'After All is Said & Done'

'After All is Said & Done'

cure-ated by Krysia Kurzyca

'The Re-Birth Canal'

'The Re-Birth Canal'

cure-ated by Cynthia Atwood & Sarah Nicholson

June 7-10, 2013

The Whitney Center for the Arts, Pittsfield MA

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Rites of Passage was a "living museum" of ritual theatre and installation epically sprawled throughout 24 rooms of a historic mansion - each room representing an archetypal stage or theme of initiation in women's lives from birth to death. It was co-created by around 60 local women age 3- 89 (and 4 men). A second incarnation of Rites of Passage called 20/20 Vision later took place in 2021 in the same venue. 

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The Rites of Passage Project is an evolving movement to reclaim and celebrate women's initiations through ritual, performance and multimedia art.

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Conceived & Directed by Pooja Prema​

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Dance Ensemble:

Burr Milliken

Gail Ryan

Hartmuth Sommer

Justin Green

Laura Geilen

Laura Lin

Meg Agnew

Nancy Rothman

Olivia Wilbur

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The Band: 

Erin Bell

Eva Boodman

Esteli Kitchen

Sarah Ferholt

Ira Temple

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Stage Manager: Barbie Cardillo

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Photography: Peggy Reeves, Sabine Vollmer von Falken

Videography: Cindy Parrish

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All text & original artwork © Pooja Prema 2026 

photos by The Fox Vision

USE OF ARTWORK OR TEXT BY AI OR HUMANS NOT PERMIITTED.

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