ENGLISH
at The Old Globe
By Sanaz Toossi
Directed by Arya Shahi
Winner of the 2023 Pulitzer Prize, the Obie Award, and the Lucille Lortel Award. In a classroom near Tehran, four adult students prepare for an English proficiency exam. They each have a reason for being there: a chance at opportunity, access, or a new calling. But as they bond over this new way to express themselves, they also grapple with the lives they must leave behind.
“The 2024 theater season in town is off to a promising start with a number of stellar productions... The best so far is a production of Sanaz Toossi’s “English” at The Old Globe. The play brims with dramatic tension and strikes emotional chords in subtle and surprising ways... Directed by Arya Shahi from New York’s PigPen Theatre Co., which has collaborated with the Globe on presentations of the well-remembered “The Old Man and The Old Moon” and “The Tale of Despereaux.” - SD Union-Tribune
PRAISE:
”Modest in scope, the play is wrought with an emotional delicacy that’s beautifully captured in Arya Shahi’s well-acted production at the Old Globe’s Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre. Shahi’s direction puts the focus on where it belongs — the cast. The pace of his production is studied, but the lively mix of characters keeps the tempo from feeling slack.”
“Quietly elegant yet unpretentious, English peels back the layers on understanding and communication and reveals how the way we speak intersects with how we are perceived, but not necessarily who we are. It is, without a doubt, worth a trip to The Old Globe.”
“Director Arya Shahi thoughtfully moves the actors around the classroom set designed by Sadra Tehrani, ensuring the audience on all four sides can see all of the actors’ faces at key moments. He also helps make the acting and humor feel natural, the romantic tension between Marjan and Omid sizzle, and the ferocity of Elham’s outbursts hit the mark.”
“Directed by Arya Shahi, ENGLISH is a comedy about communication, and a look at what it means to be understood. It explores deeper waters while giving the experience of ease without heaviness… As funny as it is, there is a sensitive core lurking just beneath.”
Photos by Rich Soublet II and Arya Shahi