English Explores Language at the Guthrie Theater

English by Iranian American playwright Sanaz Toossi won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize in Drama. Through little scenes it follows an Iranian class working on their English language skills over a six week period. The teacher Marjan played by Roxanna Hope Radja insists on her four students speaking only English in class. Each student has their own reason for trying to become fluent in English. Goli played by Shadee Vossoughi is a young student who tries hard but seems to lack confidence in her skills despite Marjan’s encouragement. Roya played by Sahar Bibiyan is a grandmother who is trying to learn english so she can go and live in Canada with her son and so her granddaughter will be able to understand her. Nikki Massoud plays the role of Elham who is trying to pass the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) so that she can go to Australia for medical school. She is very competitive and at times struggles with the English only rule, she finds herself in conflict with Marjan at times and also with the final student Omid, played by Pej Vahdat. Omid is the most fluent in English, he’s invited by Marjan to watch English language films with him during office hours and it becomes clear that they enjoy spending time together. English isn’t really a plot based play, there are conflicts and threads that play out for the characters but it’s more about the idea of identity and the role language plays in who we are and how we identify ourselves. As such I think the play will resonate most for people who have learned another language and perhaps lived in another place where their native tongue is not spoken, regardless of where they are from and what languages they speak. The themes explored are not dependant on the setting in Iran.

I appreciated what the play was saying and exploring but it was hard for me to connect to it on an emotional level. I tried to learn both Spanish and French when I was younger all to no avail, I seem to lack the necessary oxygenation to the part of the brain responsible for learning new languages. I am also saddled with a cumbersome tongue which has difficulting rolling “r’s” and generally vocalizing any word I cannot sound out phonetically. I’m not proud of the fact that the only language I even have a rudimentary understanding of is English, and I do realize that if I dedicated myself heart and soul to learning another language I probably could manage it. But at this point in my life since I don’t intend to live anywhere but Minnesota, I can’t see myself making that the priority it would need to be in order to be successful. So I lack that understanding of thinking in one language and trying to speak in another. I can empathize with the struggle to learn a language that the characters display, and I can comprehend the ideological struggles that some of the characters are struggling with regarding their identity, feelings they have buried about it in regards to themselves, their families, their pasts and their futures. I think for anyone who has those experiences this may resonate more strongly than it does for me emotionally.

The performances are solid all around. There are moments of emotion, whether frustration, anger, or hurt but it’s a play more about small moments and realizations than about dramatic arcs. In fact it almost goes out of it’s way to not allow plot to become central. I’m thinking of the character of Roya, whose situation was one I found most engaging, she disappears about two thirds of the way through the play. We can draw our own conclusions from what we’ve seen as to why that is, but Toossi isn’t interested in given us a concrete explanation or resolution. In that way it is very true to life, as is it with Omid whose reasons for taking the class become totally obscure, though we comprehend how he feels about language and how he fits in or doesn’t in America and Iran. We then take a step back and ask ourselves so why did he take the class in the first place? One very clever technique that Toossi uses in the play is that when the characters are speaking English it is with an accent and somewhat stilted, as it is when you are trying to speak in a language you are not fluid in. When they are speaking their native tongue, Farsi, they speak fluid unaccented English. That the technique only takes a moment to grasp is thanks to the casts ability to convey it without needing to state it to us. Toossi’s script is filled with humor that is universal to anyone who has tried to learn another language or interacted with other humans in general. The last item I really admired about the production was the scenic design by Courtney O’Neill and the lighting design by Jason Lynch. The change in visuals though subtle throughout are surprisingly varied given it’s short 90 minute run time and one location setting.

English runs through August 18th at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.guthrietheater.org/shows-and-tickets/2023-2024-season/english/

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