Soho Theatre has announced the return of My English Persian Kitchen, Hannah Khalil’s acclaimed play inspired by the life of best-selling cookery writer Atoosa Sepehr. Following sold-out performances at the 2024 Edinburgh Fringe and Soho Theatre’s studio space, the show returns this autumn with an expanded UK and Ireland tour, running from 30 September to 25 October. The new tour includes performances in London, Bristol, Dublin, and Belfast.
A multi-sensory theatrical experience; 70 minutes of story, followed by the opportunity to stay and share a taste of the food
Directed by Chris White, My English Persian Kitchen is a life-affirming tale of memory, identity, and survival, all told through the evocative medium of food. At its core is a woman who, after being forced to flee her homeland, begins to rebuild her life by recreating the traditional dishes of her Iranian childhood. The show blends live theatre with on-stage cooking, filling the theatre with the aroma of Ash-e Reshteh, a rich Persian soup served to audiences post-performance.
The production was originally co-produced by Soho Theatre and Traverse Theatre and now graduates to Soho’s Main House stage. It will then head to Bristol Old Vic where Khalil is Writer in Residence, before performances at Dublin’s Pavilion Theatre and a final stop at the Lyric Theatre Belfast as part of the 63rd Belfast International Arts Festival.
Playwright Hannah Khalil said, “To have this as my first play at Bristol Old Vic, where I am currently writer in residence, feels incredibly fitting... And then Ireland! Where I have never had a play before: a homecoming for me.”
Atoosa Sepehr, whose true story inspired the play, reflects: “Even in our lowest moments life sometimes offers a way out… Culture truly has no borders and when we migrate, we take with us aspects of our homeland that contribute to a rich multi-cultural society.”
Audiences can expect a multi-sensory theatrical experience; 70 minutes of story, followed by the opportunity to stay and share a taste of the food featured onstage.
