Saara Turunen’s Room Trilogy to Be Staged at & This Autumn

The Room Trilogy — The Phantom of Normality (2016), Medusa’s Room (2019) and The Grapes of Reason (2022) — forms a unified whole, while each piece also works as an independent performance. The trilogy offers a sharp and perceptive look at major themes of human life, such as social norms, women’s position in society, and the conflict between body and reason. In Turunen’s characteristic style, the performances are sparse in dialogue and collage-like in structure, with music and visuality playing a central role.

The trilogy’s distinctive stage language captivated audiences and critics at Q-teatteri, where the works originally premiered. The pieces have since been presented, for example, at the Finnish National Theatre and internationally, as well as at theatre festivals in Finland and abroad — both in their original productions and in new stagings.

“Saara Turunen is one of the most significant contemporary directors of her generation. The Room Trilogy is a milestone in Finnish theatre, and it has been invited abroad to an exceptional extent, although for practical reasons, some visits have not been realised. We aim to bring the very best of Finnish theatre to international audiences. This autumn marks ten years since the premiere of The Phantom of Normality, so this is a wonderful way to celebrate,” says our Artistic Director Jussi Sorjanen.

“When I directed The Phantom of Normality for Q-teatteri in 2016, I had no idea what an intriguing journey it would begin. Restaging the works for Schauspielhaus Bochum in Germany showed that they also resonate strongly in a different time and place. Theatre productions don’t need to be buried after six months. A good piece can live much longer — time simply layers it with new meanings,” reflects Saara Turunen.

The premieres will take place in September–October 2026, and the performances will run until February 2027. The cast includes Katja Küttner, Misa Lommi, Minttu Mustakallio, Anssi Niemi, Ylermi Rajamaa, Kreeta Salminen, Sara Soulié and Daniel Virtanen, some of whom also appeared in the original productions.

The production is an international collaboration involving Riksteatern, Saara Turunen’s Turunen Company, and Q-teatteri. In addition to Espoo, the performances will be seen in Sweden: the trilogy will tour nationwide as part of Riksteatern’s touring programme — The Phantom of Normality in autumn 2026, Medusa’s Room in spring 2027, and The Grapes of Reason in autumn 2027.

The Phantom of Normality, premiere 16 September 2026 at &Revontuli