ENGLISH to Open TheaterWorks Hartford's 40th Season

TheaterWorks Hartford will present English by Sanaz Toossi, winner of the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. This powerful and timely play kicks off TheaterWorks Hartford’s landmark 40th season before it moves to Long Wharf Theatre on Southern Connecticut State University’s campus in January of 2026.

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play, English is a powerful exploration of how language shapes identity, belonging, and connection. Sanaz Toossi’s celebrated work reveals both the humor and heartache in finding one's voice.

“English Only” is the mantra that rules one classroom in Iran, where four adults are preparing for the TOEFL - the Test of English as a Foreign Language. Together with their teacher, they leapfrog through a linguistic playground that is a funny, stunning triumph about the universal foibles of language and miscommunication. English is a powerful exploration of how language shapes identity, belonging, and connection. Directed by Arya Shahi, this production runs October 2 - November 2, 2025 at TheaterWorks Hartford, before it moves to Long Wharf Theatre January 16 - February 1, 2026.

The cast of English includes Neagheen Homaifar (Selling Kabul, Scorched), Sahar Milani (Law & Order), Afsheen Misaghi (Succession), Anahita Monfared (For Her, Firefly Lane), and Pantea Ommi (Much Ado About Nothing), all of whom will be making their TheaterWorks Hartford debuts.