English

Marjan thinks it’s one of the greatest things two people can do together: speak English.

But her motley class of adult learners each have their own relationship to this new language – for some it means opportunities abroad, for others a way to grow closer to grandchildren. Whatever their motives, these strangers will find tensions flaring, connections forming and unspoken truths emerging as they hurtle towards their final exam.

A small classroom in Iran is the birthplace for a big-hearted comedy in which the laughs fly thick and fast. From the absurd conversations you’ll only hear in a language lesson to the hilarity of serious subjects lost in translation, English is a masterclass in contemporary playwriting and features a lovingly rendered ensemble of characters that will carve out a place in your heart.

Directed by Melbourne Theatre Company Resident Director Tasnim Hossain (I Wanna Be Yours) and starring Osamah Sami (ABC’s Savage River), English explores the choices that people who seek a new home must make, and all that they lose and gain along the way.