Pedram Biazar is an Australian actor of Iranian heritage, trained from a young age at NIDA and already building a striking presence across stage and screen. After making his feature film debut in The Correspondent (dir. Kriv Stenders) in 2024, he now steps into Outhouse Theatre Co’s Sydney premiere of English — a production that’s quickly becoming one of the most anticipated of the season.

What makes Pedram’s work stand out is the thoughtfulness he brings to roles shaped by language, identity, and the spaces in between. He’s spoken about the play’s unique linguistic device not as an accent challenge but as a shift in how a character thinks, listens, and reveals themselves. 

He also speaks to the value of a rehearsal room built on trust and detail, and the pleasure of working within an ensemble that can shift effortlessly between tension and play — a perfect fit for English, a play that turns language itself into both battleground and lifeline. With precision, generosity and a steadily growing body of work, Pedram Biazar is unmistakably one to watch as English takes the stage at the Seymour Centre this April. 

So  without further ado, here’s Faith’s Top 5 with actor Pedram Biazar. Let’s get translating!  

Q1. English uses a clever device: when the characters speak smoothly in English, it actually represents them speaking Farsi – and when their English is broken, that’s them speaking English. As an actor, how did you and the cast handle maintaining character while switching between both? 

It’s such a smart device, and it really changes how you approach the work. We treat the “unaccented English” as our most truthful, grounded state, because that’s when the characters are actually speaking Farsi. Then when we shift into broken English, it’s not about playing an accent, it’s about playing the limitation. You suddenly have less access to your thoughts, your humour, your intelligence. 

With Omid, it’s a bit more complicated. He doesn’t experience that limitation in the same way, so the lines between his languages and identities are much more blurred. That became really interesting to play, because he’s constantly moving between worlds without fully belonging to either. 

Q2. Director Craig Baldwin’s worked everywhere from Off‑Broadway’s Richard II with Michael Urie to Outhouse’s most detailed, character‑driven pieces. What does he bring into rehearsals that shapes the way the cast works, listens, and builds the world of the play together?

Craig creates a really thoughtful and supportive rehearsal room. He’s incredibly detail-oriented and patient, but always in service of the actors and the story. He asks such important questions that push you deeper in the work and encourages us to really listen to each other and stay present, which is so important in a play like this where so much is happening underneath the language. There’s a lot of trust in the room, and that allows us to explore the subtle shifts and connections between the characters.

Q.3 The play traps five adult Iranian students and their teacher together in a tiny 2008 classroom in Karaj –  a real pressure‑cooker of ambition, frustration, and hope. It also has moments of real humour.  Was there a scene or dynamic you especially loved playing?

I’ve really loved all the scenes between Omid and Marjan. There’s something very alive and delicate in their dynamic, it often feels like what’s happening underneath the language is just as important as what’s being said. Working with Nicole Chamoun has been such a gift in that sense, there’s a real sense of listening and responsiveness that makes those moments feel different every time.

I also love the group scenes, especially the ball games. They bring such a sense of play and spontaneity into the room, and you really feel the ensemble come together. Those moments are always a lot of fun to perform.

Q4. You play Omid, the charming newcomer whose real reasons for learning English emerge over the course of the play. Given your own Iranian‑Australian background and the cultural shifts you’ve navigated, did any of that shape how you approached him?

Definitely. There are parts of Omid’s experience that feel very familiar to me, especially the idea of moving between cultures and languages and not always feeling fully at home in either. That sense of being slightly in-between is something I understand on a personal level, so I tried to bring that into the work in a subtle way. At the same time, I didn’t want to assume we’re the same person, so it was about using my own experiences as a way in, while still discovering who Omid is on his own terms.

Q5. This story is set in Iran in 2008, yet its themes about accents, belonging, and being “understood” feel incredibly present in Australia right now. What’s one thing you hope audiences carry with them as they leave the theatre?

I hope audiences leave with a deeper understanding of how much language shapes the way we’re seen and understood. In the play, these characters are intelligent, funny and complex, but the moment they speak in ‘accented English’, that can get lost. I think it’s a reminder to look beyond how someone speaks and try to understand who they really are.

• BONUS question!  What was the one question you were secretly hoping I’d ask and what’s your answer ?

What does playing Omid mean to you at this point in your career?

For me, it feels like a really important moment. It’s not often you get to tell stories that feel this close to your own background while also challenging you as an actor. It’s made me think a lot about identity, belonging and the kind of work I want to be part of moving forward. I feel very grateful to be telling this story at this stage of my career.

English opens at The Seymour Centre April 9 and runs until 2nd May. For further details see :https://www.seymourcentre.com/event/english/