Laura Ruohonen

Playwright and Theatre Director

Laura Ruohonen is one of Finland's most accomplished playwrights. She has a distinct, original voice that is at once sensual and philosophical, poetic and earthy, and serious and comic.

Originally schooled in biology, Ruohonen's plays are peppered with vivid images of nature that help evoke singularly atmospheric locales. Peopled by recognizable but original characters, her landscapes consist of swamps, Northern fells, deserted country villages, and anonymous urban suburbs.

Her dialogue abounds in wit, and brims with the vitality and intelligence of a writer who seeks to speak seriously of serious things, but also knows that the theatre depends on humor to provide a complete picture of life and living.

Ruohonen graduated in Dramaturgy from the Finnish Theatre Academy in 1988. She has written nine plays for theatre. Most of them have been translated into many languages.

Her plays include: Lintu vai kala (Fish or Fowl), premiering in 1992 at the Finnish National Theatre; Olga, the Finnish National Theatre, 1995; Kuningatar K (Queen C), Finnish National Theatre, 2003; Saari kaukana täältä (An Island Far from Here), 2004; and Yksinen, Theatre Jurkka, 2006. In addition to her work for the stage, Laura Ruohonen has written award-winning screenplays (Bittersweet 1995) and has written and directed more than twenty radio plays. Of these, Beersaviour (1989), Big Ape (1991) and Queen C (1999) have won national and international awards and been translated into several languages.

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