She may be just a teenager, but Phoebe Rush is one hell of a writer.

Her 3/4 of a Mass for St. Vivian, which she wrote at age 15, and is now receiving its world premiere from Theatre Alliance, is a thoughtful, riveting meditation on friendship, illness and the kind of philosophical soul-searching that seems so essential when we first begin asking ourselves the tough questions about existence and meaning that we’ll wrestle with for the rest of our lives.

The authenticity of the two main characters cannot be merely attributed to the fact that Rush shares their stage of life; the playwright has a brilliant touch in re-creating the meandering thought process that goes along with this phase of intellectual development, and captures the emotions that ensue from the intense, unclassifiable bond that the two main characters share.

When marvelling at the artistic achievement that 3/4 Mass is for a woman of Rush’s age, it would be easy to set aside the overall impact of the piece, regardless of who wrote it, or the achievements of this staging itself. This would be a mistake, as neither fall short.