Our Fall theatre production, My English Persian Kitchen by Hannah Khalil, is based on the story of Atoosa Sepehr, as told in her cookbook From a Persian Kitchen.
Join Atoosa Sepehr and Director Chris White for a conversation about Atoosa's experience having her story transformed from her own words a written play and, finally, a full theatrical production. There will be time for a Q&A and an opportunity for Atoosa to sign copies of her book, which will be available to purchase onsite.
When: Sunday, November 15 | 12:30 – 1:30 p.m.
Where: Solid State Books (600 H St NE, Washington, DC)
Tickets: Available here.
About My English Persian Kitchen, playing November 12 – 6 at Atlas Performing Arts Center
Hailed as a “thoroughly flavorful feast of a play” by The Guardian, My English Persian Kitchen chronicles one woman's resettlement in England and then in Belfast after fleeing an abusive husband and her home country of Iran. Longing for her homeland, she turns to her mother’s recipes for solace and strength as she rebuilds both her life and her spirit. This one woman play features the live cooking of traditional Persian ash-e-reshteh (noodle soup) onstage to bring audiences together through the communal nature of food and the joy of finding home.
Atoosa Sepehr was born in Shiraz, Iran, in 1977 and spent her early childhood in Italy before returning to Iran with her family at the age of eight. After completing high school, she studied Computer Engineering at university, followed by an MBA and chartered accountancy qualifications.
Driven by her entrepreneurial spirit, Atoosa established her own import-export business and became the Iranian representative for a London-based steel company, an opportunity that brought her to London in 2007. She later developed a passion for food and in particular Persian cuisine, publishing her first cookbook, From a Persian Kitchen, with Little, Brown Book Group in 2018. Her love of food sparked a deeper interest in the relationship between nutrition and health, inspiring her to pursue a degree in Nutritional Therapy. Atoosa practises as a nutritional therapist, specialising in nutrigenomics.
Chris White is a freelance theatre director and practitioner. He is an Associate Practitioner and Director for Royal Shakespeare Company's Creative Learning and Engagement and co-ran the young writer's programme at Soho Theatre. My English Persian Kitchen ran at the Traverse Theatre and Soho Theatre in 2004 in sell out runs to critical and audience acclaim and returned for a British and Irish tour in 2025. Recent directing includes Chippy by Henry Darke in a Cornish tour (Spring 2024), co-writing and directing Wood of Words a new play from the words of Shakespeare at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre RSC (2023), The Lighthouse Keepers Son with Maureen Beattie at the Samuel Beckett Research Centre, Reading University, and Nothing in a Butterfly by Ric Renton at Omnibus.
