How Shakespeare Saved My Life
Written and performed by Jacob Ming-Trent
Directed by Tony Taccone
Co-commissioned by Folger Theatre and Red Bull Theater
Co-produced by Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Folger Theatre, and Red Bull Theater
Booking and details
Dates & TicketsDates Tue, Jun 9 – Sun, Jul 5, 2026
Venue Folger Theatre
Tickets $20 – $90
Duration Approximately 90 minutes with no intermission
Please note: Children under the age of 4 are not permitted.
In How Shakespeare Saved My Life, Jacob Ming-Trent dares to rescue himself from the “slings and arrows” of his past. Born with a gift for poetry but rejected as unfit to play the part of the poet, Ming-Trent invites us to take a deep dive into the crevices of his youth. His search for home is relentless, and the results are by turns hilarious and tragic.
Calling on the Bard and a host of genius rappers, half-crazed preachers, and soulful poets to throw him a lifeline, he takes us on a propulsive ride that reaffirms the power of language and music. It all adds up to one man’s attempt to reclaim his youth, and through that journey we connect to the deeper parts of ourselves, and, ultimately, to each other.
“It’s brilliant and eminently theatrical” — Lily Janiak, San Francisco Chronicle
“Shakespeare would have loved this”— Beulah F. Vega, East Bay Express
“Live theater at its best” — Emily S. Mendel, Culture Vulture (San Francisco)
Special ticket offer for public servants
Folger Theatre is extending an invitation for public servants, including federal, state, and local government employees, to enjoy our production of How Shakespeare Saved My Life at a 50% discount.
Public servants may reserve up to two (2) discounted tickets online using the code THANKYOU. Please bring proof of current or recent employment when picking up tickets at will call.
People to Watch: Jacob Ming-Trent
In this American Theatre magazine interview, the versatile actor-writer talks about his solo show, How Shakespeare Saved My Life, on stage at Folger Theatre June 9 – July 5.
Henry V, Tupac, and the Power of Verse
Playwright and Broadway star Jacob Ming-Trent discusses How Shakespeare Saved My Life, part of the Folger Theatre 2025-2026 season.
Cast and creative team
Jacob Ming-Trent*
Jacob Ming-Trent: (Jacob and Playwright)
Folger Theatre: How Shakespeare Saved My Life (Reading Room Festival 2024), A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Shakespeare Theatre Company: Merry Wives. Broadway: Gypsy revival, original cast, Shrek the Musical, original cast, Hands on a Hardbody, original cast. Off-Broadway: The Public Theater: The Harder They Come (Lucille Lortel Award nomination, AUDELCO nomination), Twelfth Night, Father Comes Home from the Wars (Lortel Award, AUDELCO nomination), Cymbeline, The Tempest; Shakespeare in the Park: Merry Wives (Drama Desk nomination); Classic Stage Company: Mother Courage; Red Bull Theater: Medea Re-Versed, The Alchemist, Mammon (Lortel nomination); Theatre for a New Audience: The Merchant of Venice, A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Epic Theater Ensemble: Widowers’ Houses; Lincoln Center Theater: On the Levee. Television: Showtime: White Famous (series regular), Ray Donovan (recurring); HBO: Watchmen (series regular); AMC: Feed the Beast (recurring); Only Murders in the Building; WU-TANG: An American Saga; New Amsterdam; God Friended Me; High Maintenance, and more. Film: Superfly, Forty-Year-Old Version, Snakes, R+J, Possession of Hannah Grace, The Bygone, Julie Taymour’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Psycho Therapy: The Shallow Tale of a Writer…, Friendship.
Tony Taccone**
Tiffany Rachelle Stewart
Tiffany Rachelle Stewart (Choreography) Folger Theatre: debut. Choreography: Oregon Shakespeare Festival/The Old Globe: The Taming of the Shrew; Berkeley Repertory Theatre: How Shakespeare Saved My Life; Red Bull Theater: Medea Re-Versed; Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival: By the Queen; Oregon Shakespeare Festival: The Unfortunates. Acting: Broadway: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. Off-Broadway: The Signature Theatre/American Repertory Theatre Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992; Manhattan Theatre Club: Sugar In Our Wounds; The Public Theater: Pericles: Theatre for a New Audience: Julius Caesar; Cherry Lane: Vagina Monologues; Regional: Berkeley Repertory/Yale Repertory Theatres: The House That Will Not Stand: The Elley Theatre: The Winter’s Tale; Baltimore Center Stage/Milwaukee Repertory: Animal Farm: The Alliance: Vera Stark: Oregon Shakespeare Festival: Love’s Labour’s Lost & The African Company Presents Richard III; People’s Light: Mud Row by Dominique Morisseau (world premiere). Television/Film: Elsbeth, Law & Order, Law & Order SVU, Blacklist, Black Rose, Hotel Pennsylvania. Awards: Best Actress in a Drama, NYTVF “Black Rose”; Lucille Lortel for Best Revival (Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992); AUDELCO for Outstanding Ensemble (Sugar In Our Wounds). MFA in Acting, Yale School of Drama.
Takeshi Kata***
Takeshi Kata (Scenic Designer) Folger Theatre: debut; Alliance Theatre, American Players Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Geffen Playhouse, Goodman Theatre, Guthrie Theater, Hartford Stage, La Jolla Playhouse, Mark Taper Forum, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, The Old Globe, Yale Repertory Theatre among others. Broadway: Bug; Water for Elephants (Tony Nom.); Prayer for the French Republic; Clyde’s (Drama Desk); Derren Brown’s Secret. Off Broadway: Atlantic Theater Company, New York Theatre Workshop, Manhattan Theatre Club, Playwrights Horizons, The Public Theater, Rattlestick Theater, Second Stage Theater, Signature Theatre, Vineyard Theatre. Awards: Drama Desk, Obie, Jeff, Suzi Bass, and Michael Merrit Award for Excellence in Design and Collaboration. Teaching: Associate Professor, University of Southern California, School of Dramatic Arts.
Danielle Preston***
Danielle Preston (Costume Designer) Folger Theatre: Julius X; Round House Theatre, TheaterWorks Hartford, Olney Theatre Center, Barrington Stage Company, Studio Theatre, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Signature Theatre, Children’s Theatre Company, Berkshire Theater Group, and Theater J. NYC: 59E59, Lincoln Center/ Kennedy Center Awards: SETC Distinguished Keynote: Costume Design, Helen Hayes nomination 2024, OPERA America Tobin Director-Designer Prize 2022, Kenan Costume Fellow for the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts 2015, A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute Fellowship in Costume Design 2013. MFA in Costume Design from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.
Alan C. Edwards***
Alan C. Edwards (Lighting Designer) Folger Theatre: debut; Off-Broadway: New York Theatre Week: My Joy Is Heavy; The York Theatre: Monte Cristo, Fires in The Mirror (Lortel nomination), Signature Theatre Company: Twilight: Los Angeles 1992; Vineyard Theatre: Harry Clarke (Lortel Award); National Black Theatre: Kill Move Paradise (Drama Desk nomination); Classical Theatre of Harlem: Twelfth Night, Memnon. Regional: Asolo Repertory Theatre: Beautiful; A.R.T.: Gatsby: An American Myth (Norton Award); The Old Globe: Appropriate; Alley Theatre: Fences. Dance: In The Same Tongue (Dianne McIntyre); Chasing Magic (Ayodele Casel); Lifted (American Ballet Theatre/Christopher Rudd). West End: Harry Clarke. Teaching: Assistant Professor of Lighting Design at Yale School of Drama. Training: MFA from Yale School of Drama. www.alancedwards.com
Jake Rodriguez***
Jake Rodriguez (Sound Design/Composer) Folger Theatre: debut; Regional Theater: Huntington Theatre Company: Oedipus el Rey, Don’t Eat the Mangos; Berkeley Repertory Theatre: How Shakespeare Saved My Life, Mother of Exiles, The Reservoir; Alley Theatre: Private Lives; Perelman Performing Arts Center: Between Two Knees; Stratford Festival: Frankenstein Revived. Awards: 2021 Honorary M.F.A. from American Conservatory Theater, 2004 Princess Grace Award. soundcrack.net @soundcrack.net
Alexander V. Nichols***
Alexander V. Nichols (Projection Design) Folger Theatre: debut; Broadway: Carrie Fisher’s Wishful Drinking, Hugh Jackman: Back On Broadway, Nice Work If You Can Get It, Latin History For Morons; Off-Broadway: Earnest Shackleton Loves Me, Through the Night, In the Wake, Taking Over, Horizon, Los Big Names, In Masks Outrageous and Austere, Bridge and Tunnel; Regional: Lyric Opera Chicago: Fidelio; Joffrey Ballet: Wabash and You; International: Hong Kong Ballet: Swan Lake; Upcoming: Washington National Opera: Nixon in China, Madama Butterfly; Goodman Theater: The Attic with Les 7 Doigts de la Main. www.alexandervnichols.com
Taylor Kiechlin*
Taylor Kiechlin (Production Stage Manager) Folger Theatre: The Winter’s Tale, Where We Belong; Signature Theatre: In Clay, Untitled Unauthorized Hunter S. Thompson Musical, Hair, Passing Strange, Into the Woods, La Cage aux Folles; Studio Theatre: Jonah, Fun Home, Espejos: Clean; Ford’s Theatre: Born Yesterday, A Christmas Carol, 12 Angry Men, Into the Woods, Fences, Silent Sky, Guys and Dolls, Come From Away; Kennedy Center: Acoustic Rooster’s Barnyard Boogie. Regional: GLCFA: Jersey Boys, Mamma Mia, Godspell; BRT: 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Times Stands Still, The Producers, Triumph of Love; Williamstown Theatre Festival: Moscow x6. Education: BA, University of Mary Washington.
Miranda Korieth*
Miranda Korieth (Assistant Stage Manager) Folger Theatre: debut; Theater J: Eureka Day, Stories from the Brink, Chanukah in the Dark, Your Name Means Dream, The Hatmaker’s Wife; Shakespeare Theatre Company: The Wild Duck; Signature Theatre: Strategic Love Play, Job; Arena Stage: A Wrinkle In Time, Data: Studio Theatre: At the Wedding, Fat Ham, Fun Home: Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company: My Mama & the Full-Scale Invasion. Regional: Great Lakes Center of the Arts: Jersey Boys, Mamma Mia; Tantrum Theater: 9 to 5: The Musical, Carrie: The Musical.
* Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Manager in the United States
** Member of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society
*** Member of United Scenic Artists
Reviews
“A vivid, deeply personal narrative about survival, resilience, and the transformative power of language.” — Chuck Louden, Stage and Cinema
“Delicious enough to bask in forever.” — Lily Janiak, San Francisco Chronicle
“Shakespeare would have loved this.” — Beulah F. Vega, East Bay Express
“A truly powerful work of theatre.” — Patrick Thomas, Talkin’ Broadway
Related events
Creative Conversations: How Shakespeare Saved My Life
Humanities Lab: Imagining Shakespeare
Folger Theatre Sponsors
With special thanks to
Share Fund
The Shubert Foundation
Premiere Season Sponsors
Dr. Bill and Evelyn Braithwaite
Season Sponsors
Andrea “Andi” Kasarsky
Helen and David Kenney
Scott and Liz Vance
Production Sponsors
Nancy and Steve Howard
Contributing Sponsors
Keith and Celia Arnaud
Artist Sponsors
Karl K. and Carrol Benner Kindel
Open-captioned Performance Sponsors
Vinton and Sigrid Cerf
Accessibility
The Folger wants every visitor to enjoy exploring our building, our programs, and our collection. We strive to provide access to all audiences. Please contact us at VisitorServices@folger.edu or (202) 544-7077 with questions or requests. More information
Masked performances
- Sunday, June 21, 2026 at 7:30pm
While Folger Theatre no longer requires masks at most performances, we recognize that some patrons may prefer to attend in a fully masked environment. At the request of audience members, Folger Theatre has designated several performances during the 2025-2026 season as mask-required for all audience members, staff, and volunteers. If you need a mask, we are happy to provide one to you.
Relaxed performances
- Sunday, June 28, 2026 at 7:30pm
- Wednesday, July 1, 2026 at 2pm
Relaxed performances are designed to create a welcoming and comfortable environment for audiences that may receive and react to information in different ways. The content of the production is the same, but some elements of the environment are altered. Download our social narrative
Audio-described performance
- Saturday, June 27, 2026 at 2pm
Audio description (AD) is a narration service that attempts to describe the visual aspects of theatre and make the visual an auditory experience, with the goal of helping low vision and Blind audience members share in the experience of live theatre more fully.
Open-captioned performances
- Sunday, Jun 28, 2026 at 2pm
- Sunday, Jun 28, 2026 at 7:30pm
Open-captioning makes live theater performances accessible by using a non-intrusive caption board at the front of the stage which scrolls the entire text of the production in real time.
For information about the best seat locations from which to see the caption board, contact us at VisitorServices@folger.edu or (202) 544–7077.
Special performances
Pay what you will
Tuesday, Jun 9, 2026 at 7:30pm
The concept is simple: you tell us what you will pay for your ticket! Sales begin two (2) hours before curtain at the door and are available on a first come, first served basis — limit one (1) ticket per person.
Post-show discussion
Thursday, Jun 25, 2026 at 7:30pm
Join us after the performance for a free conversation with the cast, moderated by the production dramaturg.