English
by Sanaz Toossi
a Blackout Art Society Production
a Firehall Arts Centre Presentation
After a sold-out run last year, Blackout Arts Society brings ENGLISH back to the Firehall.
Winner of the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, English is a quietly powerful and deeply human play about four Iranian adults preparing for an English proficiency exam in a storefront classroom near Tehran. As they navigate grammar rules and pronunciation exercises, they also wrestle with the deeper implications of learning a language that represents new opportunities, personal reinvention, and, for some, a painful detachment from their identity and homeland. With warmth, humour and insight, this play explores themes of belonging, cultural displacement, and the sacrifices made in pursuit of a new life.
