Tipping Point Theatre’s (TPT) 17th theatrical season continues on 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.”
TPT’s production of vibrant, culturally-significant, captivating theatrical offerings rank among some of the best professional performances offered in the state of Michigan.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Hi-res press images are available on Google Drive by clicking here.
ENGLISH CAST
Marjan – Sarab Kamoo
Elham – Joelle Denhof
Roya – Jean Zarzour
Omid – Artun Kircali
Goli – Chloe Matta
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets for English are available for purchase by visiting www.tippingpointtheatre.com, or by calling the Ticket Office at 248.347.0003. Discounts for seniors (62 and over), military and students are available at the Box Office window located inside Tipping Point Theatre at 361 East Cady Street, Northville, MI 48167. Discounts for groups of 10+ are available for purchase by calling the Box Office at 248.347.0003 or at the Ticket Office window.
TIPPING POINT THEATRE’S REMAINING 2024-25 SEASON PRODUCTIONS
Visit www.tippingpointtheatre.com for exact performance dates and times.
English: March 12 through April 6, 2025. Single tickets available online now.
Lungs: May 7 through June 1, 2025. Single tickets available online now.
ABOUT SANAZ TOOSSI (PLAYWRIGHT)
Sanaz Toossi is an Iranian-American playwright from Orange County, California. Her plays include the critically acclaimed, award-winning English (co-production Atlantic Theater Company/Roundabout Theatre Company) and Wish You Were Here (Playwrights Horizons; Williamstown/Audible, released 2020). She is currently under commission at Atlantic Theater Company (Launch commission; Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation grant), Roundabout Theatre Company, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Manhattan Theatre Club, South Coast Repertory, and Oregon Shakespeare Festival (American Revolutions Cycle). In television, Sanaz recently staffed on Invitation to a Bonfire (AMC); A League of Their Own (Amazon); Five Women (Marielle Heller/ Big Beach); and sold an original idea, The Persians, to FX with Joe Weisberg & Joel Fields attached as Executive Producers. Sanaz is a member of Youngblood and the Middle Eastern American Writers Lab at the Lark, and an alum of Clubbed Thumb’s Early Career Writers’ Group. She was the 2019 P73 Playwriting Fellow, a recipient of the 2020 Steinberg Playwright Award, and the 2022 recipient of The Horton Foote Award. MFA: NYU Tisch.
ABOUT TIPPING POINT THEATRE
Tipping Point Theatre (TPT) celebrates live theatre by producing a wide range of vibrant, diverse, thought-provoking programming, promoting local and upcoming artists, and providing arts educational outreach to the Northville community and southeast Michigan. Incorporated as a professional, non-profit 501(c)3 organization in the state of Michigan, TPT opened its doors in 2007 and operates under the direction of local artist Julia Glander, and is led by Board Presidents Nannette Ret and Heather Bell. TPT produces five main stage productions in a typical season in addition to special events and community education and outreach efforts, and operates out of its own 140-seat theatre in the heart of downtown Northville, MI. TPT is the recipient of over 35 regional theatre award nominations (with twelve wins), and is a regular recipient of support from the Michigan Arts and Culture Council, National Endowment for the Arts, and the Shubert Foundation.