Anna Krogerus

Playwright, For the Sheer Love of Me

Anna Krogerus was born in Kuopio in eastern Finland - the same town where one of the most influential writers of classic Finnish drama, Minna Canth, lived in the 19th century.

Krogerus' passion for writing took her first to a folk high school to study literary art and later to Tampere University where she read dramatic literature. From there, she attended the Theatre Academy in Helsinki, and worked for several years as dramaturg in KOM Theatre’s writing "hatchery," KOM Text.

Krogerus' first play, Women in Theory, was performed at the Jyväskylä municipal theatre in 2001, which was followed by A Lousy Performance! at that same theatre in 2004 and subsequently been staged by several Finnish theatres.

Her breakthrough play, For the Sheer Love of Me, opened at the Finnish National Theatre in 2006 and instantly became a critical and popular success, receiving the Spurs prize for Best Play from the Finnish Critics’ Association.

Since 2005, Krogerus has worked as writer and dramaturg for the Kajanni City Theatre, where she has recently finished a new children’s play entitled Dad’s Winter Dream and a puppet play entitled The Boy Who Was Shrunk.

In her plays, Krogerus perceptively depicts the situation of both family and work communities in a world where excessive demands are placed on the abilities and perseverance of people. Krogerus sees harsh conditions and human fate through the softening lens of humor and without ever losing hope.

Photo Credit: Irja Samoil, Kajaani City Theatre

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