Saara Turunen

Saara Turunen (née 1981) is an up-and-coming Finnish playwright born in Eastern Finland. She graduated from the Theatre Academy Helsinki. Turunen has also studied screenwriting. At the moment, she works as a freelance playwright and theatre director in Helsinki and abroad. Turunen is known for her straightforward but edgy style. She has a distinct, provocative approach to her subjects; feminity, sex and art. Her plays are both playful and aggressive, often related to the world of fairy tale and pop culture. Turunen uses language to both irritate and charm. Her writing combines trivial verbal approach with clear poetic images. By now, her most well-known play is the favourably received work ”Bunny Girl” (2007) which first premiered at the Theatre Academy Helsinki. Due to the great success it was invited to be included in the repertoire of the Helsinki City Theatre. The play speaks about woman's purity and loss of identity. It depicts escape and drowning into dreams, fantasies which become invincible if you cannot let them pass. Bunny Girl asks whether a person can willingly make an object of oneself.