From Helsinki to Hannover: Saara Turunen’s The Days of the Hyena

 

Saara Turunen’s latest stage work Hyenans dagar (The Days of the Hyena) will premiere first in Helsinki at Lilla Teatern, and just two months later it will be seen by audiences at Staatstheater Hannover. 

 

The work delves into a story of reproduction, shedding light on one woman’s journey through fertility treatments towards having a child. It is both a chronicle and a portrait of a period in life where the personal and the societal intertwine. 

 

Turunen herself will also direct the German-language production. In addition, the work of Finnish designers will be visible on the Hannover stage. The premiere of Die Tage der Hyäne will take place on 14 November 2025, with set design by Milja Aho, costumes by Liisa Pesonen, sound design by Tuuli Kyttälä, lighting and video by Ainu Palmu, and choreography by Janina Rajakangas. The German ensemble includes the actors and the dramaturg.

 

“We are transferring the design directly from Helsinki to Hannover, but of course a new language area and cultural context always bring some changes. What those are, you usually only discover in the process,” says Turunen.

 

Turunen’s plays have been translated into numerous languages and staged around the world, including in Belgium, Germany, Argentina, and Mexico. The German translation of The Days of the Hyena (working title) is by Stefan Moster.

 

As in Turunen’s earlier works, such as the so-called Room Trilogy, Hyenans dagar also makes central use of music and imagery. Turunen blends humour and melancholy in a distinctive way.