The Old Globe production of Sanaz Toossi's English鈥攚inner of the 2023 Pulitzer Prize, the Obie, and the Lucille Lortel Award鈥攐fficially opens at the San Diego venue February 1. Directed by Arya Shahi, performances began January 27 in the Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre and will continue through February 25.
The cast includes Mary Apick as Roya, Ari Derambakhsh as Goli, Tara Grammy as Elham, Pooya Mohseni as Marjan, and Joe Joseph (The Kite Runner) as Omid.
Get a first look at the production in the photos below:
Tara Grammy and Ari Derambakhsh in English
Mary Apick and Ari Derambakhsh in English
Joe Joseph and Pooya Mohsen in English
Joe Joseph, Pooya Mohseni, and Mary Apick in English
Tara Grammy and Pooya Mohsen in English
Ari Derambakhsh, Pooya Mohseni, Joe Joseph, and Tara Grammy in English
Joe Joseph, Tara Grammy, and Pooya Mohseni in English
Pooya Mohseni, Tara Grammy, Ari Derambakhsh, Joe Joseph, and Mary Apick in English
Mary Apick, Ari Derambakhsh, Pooya Mohseni, Tara Grammy, and Joe Joseph in English
English is set in a classroom near Tehran as four adult students prepare for an English
proficiency exam. They each have a reason for being there, but as they bond over this new
way to express themselves, they also grapple with the lives they must
leave behind.
鈥�English, winner of the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, is an especially compelling play and one we鈥檙e very proud to bring to San Diego,鈥� said Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein in an earlier statement. 鈥淪anaz Toossi shows us the everyday lives of everyday people in Iran, a society Americans know all too little about. Toossi introduces us to them as they struggle to learn English so that they can go abroad, and her very smart play is about the relationship between language and identity and the way language defines our notions of home. English is a witty, inventive work that鈥檚 highly theatrical, thought-provoking, and touching, and, in director Arya Shahi鈥檚 imaginative production, it鈥檚 just thrilling to watch.鈥�
The creative team also includes scenic designer Sadra Tehrani, costume designer Afsaneh Aayani, lighting designer Amanda Zieve, and sound designer Megumi Katayama. Casting is by Caparelliotis Casting, and the production stage manager is Chandra R.M. Anthenill.
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