English at Tipping Point Theatre

Tipping Point Theatre’s 17th theatrical season continues beginning March 12th with English, by Sanaz Toossi, another Michigan premiere!

In an Iranian classroom for adult English learners, the teacher, Marjan, leads four students through a linguistic playground as they prepare for the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) exam. Their dreams, frustrations and secrets come to the forefront.  Will “English only” expand or limit what they truly want to say? This comic and heartfelt play about language and identity won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize. “A rich new play … both contemplative and comic” declares The New York Times.

“As Artistic Director, I am always looking for plays that inspire us to explore the unknown, as well as introduce our patrons to a new theatrical mode of storytelling” states TPT’s Julia Glander. “English does both as it takes us to a classroom in Iran where the adult students are learning English. The characters speak unaccented English to indicate they're speaking Farsi and accented English when they're speaking English. In other words, we will be hearing English, but in the world of the play, they are speaking Farsi. It's real-life dialogue - funny, searching and alive with humanity.”

“The characters find their way into our viewer's heart as they and their journey are recognizable in our own lives no matter our tribe or birth place” says the production’s Director, Suzi Regan. “We root for them; we laugh with them.”

In addition to the play’s critical acclaim, English fills the stage with authenticity, as stated by the production’s Dramaturg, Pirooz Aghssa. “When I first saw English a couple of years ago, I was deeply moved because as an Iranian-American I saw my culture and language being reflected back to me from the stage. I had forgotten what a privilege that is to experience. But as much as this play is about a specific time, place and culture, it is the universal story of immigrants and anyone who has to make a new home away from one's original home. The play made me relive the sacrifices that I saw my parents make as immigrants in order to make sure that my brother and I might have a better life than they did.”

“It’s a play as much about cultural assimilation as it is about learning the English language” states the play’s fictional English teacher, Marjan, played by Sarab Kamoo. “The characters raise questions about the importance of holding onto cultural identity and heritage while learning English. My parents emigrated here from Iraq before I was born and I saw their challenges and efforts of trying to keep their culture and language at the forefront while also assimilating to another country. I feel this play does such a beautiful job of presenting these issues through relatable characters who have their own motivation for learning the English language and what it ultimately means to them.”

Authors

• Sanaz Toossi