In every episode, the culture critics at Token Theatre Friends bring their fresh perspectives to the performing arts on their podcast and video series. You can find the podcast on Spotify, iTunes, and Stitcher (look for the all-red logo). The video series is available on YouTube. The TTF theme song is by Sean Mason (with vocals by Angela Ramos). The video animation is by Brad Ogden, with logos by Jason Simon.
In this episode, Jose speaks to actor Marjan Neshat, one of the stars of English (through March 20 at Atlantic Theater Company) The play by Sanaz Toossi takes place in a classroom in Iran, where the students prepare to take the TOEFL, in order to prove their proficiency in English. When she was eight years old, Neshat and her parents moved from Iran to the United States where she found a way to embrace the new culture through her love of performing.
In the play, she stars as a teacher who constantly reminds her pupils to speak in “English only,” but unlike her strict character, Neshat has proven to be an incredible performer across mediums. Some of her notable parts in television and film include her roles in Quantico, RoboCop, and Almost in Love, one of the projects she confessed to being proudest of.
Neshat also speaks about returning to the stage following the theater shut down, her love of process, and starring in back-to-back-to-back plays on the same season.
References
- English by Sanaz Toossi