English / Wish You Were Here

“A quietly powerful play about four Iranian adults preparing for an English language exam in a storefront school near Tehran, where family separations and travel restrictions drive them to learn a new language that may alter their identities and also represent a new life.” —Pulitzer Prize Citation

“Both contemplative and comic, [English] nails every opportunity for big laughs as its English-learning characters struggle with accents and idioms. But the laughter provides cover for the deeper idea that their struggle is not just linguistic.” —The New York Times on English

“English feels like a breath of fresh air when so many new plays seem to follow a thesis with which the playwright delights in bludgeoning the audience. It’s a remarkably mature off-Broadway debut…As in life, there are no clear-cut lessons in English—and that makes it well worth your time.” —TheaterMania on English

“Charting the course of a tight-knit friend group as the Iranian Revolution shakes up its members’ lives one intimate conversation at a time, [Wish You Were Here] feels like a night in with the girls while the world outside crumbles and changes.” —Theaterly on Wish You Were Here

“[A] gorgeous and humanizing look at Iranian culture with a deep regard for what its citizens have been asked to sacrifice… In reflecting on each character's evolution, one realizes how easy it is for an unthinkable reality to become normalized―especially when one loses access to their dreams and loved ones.” —New York Theatre Guide on Wish You Were Here