ROAR OF THE GRAIN to Receive Finlandia Foundation Grant, HCLAB Workshop Set

Finlandia Foundation National has recognized the impact of the new play by Satu, ROAR OF THE GRAIN, rewarding this original drama as a recipient of their annual grant focused on elevating Finnish culture and history in America. The renowned prize will help support a developmental workshop presented by the Stella Adler Studio of Acting's Harold Clurman Laboratory Theater Company (HCLAB) to be held at the Art of Acting Studio in the fall of 2026 (dates and cast TBA).

In ROAR OF THE GRAIN, an interrogation unfolds at a Helsinki hotel in 1945 after Captain Jari Rautainen-a stubborn Finnish farmer haunted by the death of an adolescent soldier-is captured by Communist Party Secretary Andrei Zhdanov, Stalin's former right-hand man who's hell-bent on prosecuting Jari for a suspected war crime. The play is an unflinching, intricate portrait of a soldier and the crestfallen yet stoic family that he left behind. Inspired by actual events, the play asks, "Where are the moral boundaries of warfare when the personal cost of defending one's home is at odds with a nation's sense of honor?"

Drawing on parallels between Putin's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, Satu began writing the story in 2023. (HCLAB previously held the first stage reading of ROAR OF THE GRAIN at the Art of Acting Studio in 2025 as a co-production with Satu's company, Karakuva Productions.)

The Finlandia Foundation National awards up to $5000 annually to exceptional projects uplifting Finnish-American arts, culture, and history. Its first patron was Jean Sibelius, the composer of "Finlandia, Op. 26," in 1954.

"I'm deeply honored to receive this notable cultural prize," Satu says of the award. "I hope to bring the lived experience of Finnish culture and history to the American stage in an evocative and powerful way."

As a Canadian-American playwright of Finnish and Trinidadian descent, Satu enjoys writing character-driven stories about offbeat underdogs who changed the course of history. She is an alum of the Stella Adler Studio of Acting, New York. Previous works include her one-woman post-punk musical, King Nigel's Nervous Breakdown. For more information about Satu, visit: www.saturuna.com

The initial workshop is directed by Johnny Patrick Yoder, Producer of the Harold Clurman Lab Theater in Los Angeles and Managing Artistic Director of the Art of Acting Studio. A native of Green Bay, Wisconsin, Johnny is also an alum of the Stella Adler Studio of Acting, New York. Select HCLAB works include: Producer, Muckrakers, Long Way Go Down, Midsummer Night's Dream, Marisol, Waiting for Lefty, and Director, Democracy(sic).

The Finlandia Foundation National supported workshop of ROAR OF THE GRAIN will take place at the Art of Acting Studio in Hollywood this fall (dates & cast TBA). Information regarding cast and tickets TBA. For more information on ROAR OF THE GRAIN, visit saturuna.com/roar.