English

English at Denver Center takes us beyond the language of crisis through which Iran is so often seen and into an intimate human space: a TOEFL classroom where people gather, speak, hesitate, and try to express themselves in a language that is not their own. What moves me about Sanaz Toossi’s play is the way it brings Iranian lives close—not as headlines or statistics, but through their humor, intelligence, insecurity, tenderness, and longing. It reveals how language can reshape identity, confidence, and belonging, while reminding us of the universal desire to be seen, heard, and understood.