Set in the Iranian city of Karaj in 2008, “English” tells the story of an Iranian teacher and her four students preparing for the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language). Written by Sanaz Toossi and presented by Roundabout Theatre Company at Todd Haimes Theater through March 2, the Pulitzer Prize-winning play solves the problem of communicating the nuances of a “foreign” language in an English-language production by using two distinct speech patterns.

In order to represent Farsi, the actors speak in a native, fluent English, allowing them to converse candidly and with comfort. This ease is in sharp contrast to the broken English they are learning that is drawn out and unsure of itself.