English
by SANAZ TOOSSI
directed by HAMID DEHGHANI
Language educator Marjan maintains a strict “English only” teaching method in her classroom to ensure her four Iranian students pass their English proficiency test with flying colors. Everyone has varying motivations, accents and enthusiasm as they pursue fluency together. After six weeks of trial, error and effort, what they discover about themselves may be the greatest learning curve of all. This Pulitzer Prize-winning new play tenderly explores the realities of the language-learning process and the parts of our identities that are lost and found along the way.
Ticket prices
Ticket prices range from $29 to $82.
| Area 1A | Area 1 | Area 2 | Area 3 | Area 4 | |
| Previews | $65 | $54 | $41 | $33 | $29 |
| Tues, Wed evenings; weekend matinees | $70 | $59 | $46 | $38 | $34 |
| Sun, Thu evenings | $73 | $62 | $49 | $41 | $37 |
| Sat, Sun matinees | $77 | $66 | $53 | $45 | $41 |
| Fri evenings | $77 | $66 | $53 | $45 | $41 |
| Sat evenings; Opening Nights | $82 | $71 | $58 | $50 | $46 |
Group sales
All student and adult groups of 15 or more qualify for discounts on tickets to Guthrie productions.
Venue info
This production will take place on the McGuire Proscenium Stage.
Pro tip: Can't do stairs or have a special seating request? Call the Box Office for details.
Age recommendation
We recommend this production for ages 12 and up.
Run time
Approximately 1 hour, 35 minutes (with no intermission)
Content advisory
This production contains mature language and themes.
Accessibility
ASL-interpreted, audio-described and open-captioned performances are available on select dates.
English
McGuire Proscenium
Post-play discussions
Join us after select performances for a 20-minute conversation facilitated by Guthrie staff. Cast members may join the discussion as they are able.
Post-play discussions are supported by Fredrikson & Byron.
Join us after select performances for a 20-minute conversation facilitated by Guthrie staff. Cast members may join the discussion as they are able.
Digital program
Want to dig deeper into the story? Download the digital program.
Sahar Bibiyan
Roya
English
McGuire Proscenium
Sahar Bibiyan
GUTHRIE Debut. THEATER Wish You Were Here (Yale Repertory Theatre); English (Goodman Theatre/Berkeley Rep, West Coast premiere); Haram! Iran! (Emerging Artists Theatre); Veil’d (Astoria Performing Arts Center, world premiere). FILM/TELEVISION Selected: Uncut Gems (A24) directed by Josh and Benny Safdie; “Mr. Robot,” “Little America,” “Chicago Justice,” “Bull.” AUDIO Voice of Dimah in the video game “Just Cause 3”
Nikki Massoud
Elham
English
McGuire Proscenium
Nikki Massoud
GUTHRIE Debut. THEATER Off-Broadway: Wish You Were Here (Playwrights Horizons); Othello (NYTW); Regional: English (Goodman Theatre); As You Like It (The Old Globe); A Doll’s House, Part 2 (Berkeley Rep/The Huntington); Our Town (Portland Center Stage); Henry V (Play On/Oregon Shakespeare Festival). FILM/TELEVISION “Life & Beth” (Hulu), “Succession” (HBO), “Love Life” (HBO Max), “Madam Secretary” (CBS), “Mozart in the Jungle” (Amazon Prime Video). OTHER Massoud is also a playwright with commissions from Atlantic Theater Company, Noor Theatre and The Acting Company. @nikkima1776 (IG)
Roxanna Hope Radja
Marjan
English
McGuire Proscenium
Roxanna Hope Radja
GUTHRIE Debut. THEATER Broadway: Torch Song, Frost/Nixon, The Women, Boeing-Boeing and others; Off-Broadway: Playwrights Horizons, Manhattan Theatre Club, Second Stage Theater, Cherry Lane Theatre, Rattlestick Theater and others; Regional (selected): English (Goodman Theatre); Hedda Gabler (Hartford Stage); Tartuffe, Hecuba, Indian Ink (A.C.T.); The Huntington; The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey; Williamstown Theatre Festival. FILM/TELEVISION Selected: She Said, Puncture; “Law & Order: SVU,” “The Good Wife,” “Blue Bloods,” “Unforgettable.” TRAINING M.F.A., A.C.T. @roxannahoperadja (IG)
Pej Vahdat
Omid
English
McGuire Proscenium
Pej Vahdat
GUTHRIE Debut. THEATER English (Goodman Theatre); Blood and Gifts (Lincoln Center Theater); Indian Ink (A.C.T.); Disgraced (Philadelphia Theatre Company). FILM/TELEVISION Vahdat spent eight years on the hit show “Bones” (FOX) and went on to star in “Shameless” (Showtime), “City on a Hill” (Showtime), “Empire” (FOX) and “Sneaky Pete” (Amazon Prime Video). He is currently in “The Old Man” (FX). @pejvahdat (IG)
Shadee Vossoughi
Goli
English
McGuire Proscenium
Shadee Vossoughi
GUTHRIE Debut. THEATER Chicago: English, Layalina (Goodman Theatre); Selling Kabul (Northlight Theatre); A Distinct Society (Writers Theatre); Deer and the Lovers (First Floor Theater); Black History Month Show, Urban Twist, Bob Curry Showcase (The Second City); Regional: Wish You Were Here (Yale Repertory Theatre); The Tenth Muse, Romeo and Juliet (Oregon Shakespeare Festival). FILM/TELEVISION “The Bear” (FX/Hulu), “The Big Leap” (FOX). AWARDS NBC/Universal Second City Bob Curry Fellowship. OTHER Represented by Stewart Talent Chicago. @shadeev (IG)
Sanaz Toossi
Playwright
English
McGuire Proscenium
Sanaz Toossi
GUTHRIE Debut. ABOUT Toossi is an Iranian American playwright whose plays include the critically acclaimed, award-winning English and Wish You Were Here. She is currently under commission at Atlantic Theater Company, Roundabout Theatre Company, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Manhattan Theatre Club, South Coast Repertory and Oregon Shakespeare Festival. On TV, Toossi has worked on “Invitation to a Bonfire” (AMC), “A League of Their Own” (Amazon Prime Video) and “Five Women” (Marielle Heller/Big Beach). Awards include the 2020 Steinberg Playwright Award, 2022 Horton Foote Prize and 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Toossi received an M.F.A. from NYU Tisch School of the Arts.
Hamid Dehghani
Director
English
McGuire Proscenium
Hamid Dehghani
GUTHRIE Debut. ABOUT Dehghani is an accomplished Iranian theater director, playwright and actor. Throughout his career in Iran, he earned numerous awards and accolades for his work in theater. Some of his acclaimed productions include his original scripts, From the Environs of Milad and Sohrab’s Transgression, as well as Nathan and Tabileth and Leila. Dehghani has also directed memorable productions like Selling Kabul, Baba, A Moment of Silence, Eurydice and Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo. He co-founded Grass Studio Theatre and directed three collectively devised pieces — Picnic, Story in a Box and Reportage of a Room — at various outdoor locations in Chicago. Dehghani received an M.F.A. in Directing from Northwestern University and was an Artistic Fellow at Northlight Theatre. www.hamiddehghani.com
Courtney O'Neill
Scenic Designer
English
McGuire Proscenium
Courtney O'Neill
GUTHRIE Debut. THEATER Chicago (selected): Goodman Theatre: English, Father Comes Home From the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3), Layalina, Night Watch; Steppenwolf; Lookingglass; Writers Theatre; Court Theatre; Paramount Theatre; Chicago Children’s Theatre; Regional: KCRep; Denver Center; Baltimore Center Stage; Apollo Theater; Idaho Shakespeare Festival; Great Lakes Theater; Cleveland Play House; South Coast Repertory; Marin Theatre Company; The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis; Milwaukee Rep. AWARDS Jeff Award; USITT Scene Design Award; Michael Maggio Emerging Designer Award. TRAINING M.F.A., Northwestern University; B.F.A., DePaul University. www.courtneyoneill.com
Shahrzad Mazaheri
Costume Designer
English
McGuire Proscenium
Shahrzad Mazaheri
GUTHRIE Debut. THEATER Regional: English (Goodman Theatre); The Good John Proctor, Becky Nurse of Salem, Sweeney Todd, Sueño (Trinity Rep); English (Berkeley Rep); La Gringa (American Stage); Carmela Full of Wishes (Children’s Theatre Company). AWARDS 2021 Design Fellowship for Public Works Dallas (Dallas Theater Center); 2021 TxETA Scholarship; Bob Hope Scholarship for Excellence in Stage Design. TRAINING M.F.A., Stage Design, Southern Methodist University. @scheherezade.mzr (IG), www.shahrzadmazaheri.com
Jason Lynch
Lighting Designer
English
McGuire Proscenium
Jason Lynch
GUTHRIE Debut. THEATER Goodman Theatre: English; Lucha Teotl; Layalina; the ripple, the wave that carried me home; Fannie (The Music and Life of Fannie Lou Hamer); School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play; I Hate It Here; Ohio State Murders; The Sound Inside; Lottery Day; Chicago (selected): Chicago Shakespeare Theater; Court Theatre; Steppenwolf. OTHER Represented by United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829 of the IATSE, and The Gersh Agency. @jasonlynch.design (IG), www.jasondlynch.com
Mikaal Sulaiman
Sound Designer
English
McGuire Proscenium
Mikaal Sulaiman
GUTHRIE English, The History Plays, A Christmas Carol. THEATER Broadway: The Roommate, An Enemy of the People, Doubt, Fat Ham, The Thanksgiving Play, Death of a Salesman, Cost of Living, Macbeth, Thoughts of a Colored Man; Off-Broadway: Roundabout: Primary Trust; Soho Rep: Fairview; Ars Nova: Underground Railroad Game; Skittles Commercial: The Broadway Musical. AWARDS Obie Awards; AUDELCO Award; Henry Hewes Award; Creative Capital Award; Nominations: Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, Lucille Lortel Award, San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award, Theatre Bay Area Award. www.mikaal.com
Yasmin Zacaria Mikhaiel
Dramaturg
English
McGuire Proscenium
Yasmin Zacaria Mikhaiel
GUTHRIE Debut. ABOUT Mikhaiel is a dramaturg, journalist and oral historian with roots in and around Chicago. As a queer, fat, brown femme, they endeavor to amplify and archive stories that go lost/stolen/forgotten. Their writing and research explore possibility models for a more inclusive and sustainable theater culture and industry. They are City Bureau’s Digital Producer and teach as part-time faculty at The Theatre School at DePaul University. TRAINING M.A., Performance as Public Practice, The University of Texas at Austin; B.F.A., Dramaturgy/Criticism, The Theatre School at DePaul University. www.yasminzacaria.com
Keely Wolter
Vocal Coach
English
McGuire Proscenium
Keely Wolter
GUTHRIE Over 15 productions, including A Christmas Carol,The Lehman Trilogy, Little Shop of Horrors, The Importance of Being Earnest, Vietgone and Noura. THEATER Theater Latté Da: Chicago, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Five Points, Assassins, Man of La Mancha, Six Degrees of Separation, Peter and the Starcatcher, Ragtime, Lullaby, Sweeney Todd, All Is Calm; Jungle Theater: Georgiana & Kitty: Christmas at Pemberley, The Wickhams, Miss Bennet, Lone Star Spirits, Le Switch, Constellations; Penumbra Theatre: benevolence, Wedding Band; MN Opera: The Fix. TRAINING Royal Central School of Speech and Drama; Viterbo University
Lyndsey R. Harter
Stage Manager
English
McGuire Proscenium
Lyndsey R. Harter
GUTHRIE 'Art', Shane, Born With Teeth, A Christmas Carol (2021, 2022), Dining With the Ancestors. THEATER Regional: MN Opera; Theater Latté Da; Pillsbury House + Theatre; Penumbra Theatre; Theater Mu; Park Square Theatre; Playwrights’ Center; History Theatre; Collide Theatrical Dance Company; Yellow Tree Theatre; New Dawn Theatre; Great River Shakespeare Festival TRAINING B.A., Theatre Arts, Hamline University
Laura Topham
Assistant Stage Manager
English
McGuire Proscenium
Laura Topham
GUTHRIE Stage Manager: Skeleton Crew, A Raisin in the Sun; Assistant Stage Manager: English, A Christmas Carol, Murder on the Orient Express, The Little Prince. THEATER History Theatre: Behind the Sun, Handprints, The Boy Wonder, Diesel Heart, Parks; Collide Theatrical Dance Company: Clue, Romeo and Juliet; Yellow Tree Theatre: A Streetcar Named Desire, Another Miracle on Christmas Lake; Park Square Theatre (selected): Holmes and Watson, The Rocky Horror Show, Jefferson Township Sparkling Junior Talent Pageant, Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery, The Diary of Anne Frank; Theater Latté Da: Candide, Beautiful Thing; Artistry: Godspell, Follies. TRAINING B.A., Theatre Arts, University of Minnesota
Vaneh Assadourian
Dialect Coach
English
McGuire Proscenium
Vaneh Assadourian
GUTHRIE Debut. ABOUT Assadourian is an actor, voice artist and dialect coach born and raised in Tehran, Iran. She was recently seen in Yale Repertory Theatre’s Wish You Were Here by Sanaz Toossi. Other collaborations include work with Goodman Theatre (English), Pioneer Theatre Company, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley and Geffen Playhouse. Assadourian is fluent in Farsi and Armenian, and she speaks conversational German. She is represented by Stewart Talent Chicago and SLJ Management. TRAINING B.A., Acting, UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television
Jennifer Liestman
Resident Casting Director
English
McGuire Proscenium
Jennifer Liestman
GUTHRIE Artistic Team member since 2003; More than 70 productions, workshops and readings since 2015, including The Lehman Trilogy, Little Shop of Horrors, The History Plays, Dial M for Murder, ‘Art’, For the People, The Importance of Being Earnest, Shane, Into the Woods, Hamlet, The Little Prince, Sally & Tom, Vietgone, Sweat, A Raisin in the Sun, The Tempest, A Christmas Carol, Dickens’ Holiday Classic, Noura, Floyd’s, West Side Story, Familiar, Watch on the Rhine, Native Gardens and Disgraced. FILM/TELEVISION Casting Consultant: Master Servant. TEACHING University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater B.F.A. Acting Program; Universities in MN and the U.S. TRAINING B.A., Theatre, MSU Moorhead
Lauren Port
Casting Director
English
McGuire Proscenium
Lauren Port
GUTHRIE Debut. THEATER In-house Casting Director for the Goodman Theatre since August 2019; Broadway (selected): Junk; Meteor Shower; A Doll’s House, Part 2; The Front Page; It’s Only a Play; Disgraced; Fish in the Dark; The Trip to Bountiful; Grace; Death of a Salesman; Seminar; Stick Fly; Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo; Lend Me a Tenor; Fences. FILM/TELEVISION Steel Magnolias (Sony for Lifetime); “New Amsterdam” (NBC), “American Odyssey” (NBC). AWARDS Five-time Artios Award winner; 40th Annual Media Access Awards. OTHER Proud member of the Casting Society of America
From the director
In a recent interview with the Goodman Theatre, English Director Hamid Dehghani explores the impact this Pulitzer Prize-winning play has had on his life and why he believes audiences will love it.
Meet the cast
Meet the cast of English while they are at Goodman Theatre and hear them explore their Persian pride through heartfelt memories and laughs.
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English
McGuire Proscenium