Folger Theatre Presents World Premiere of How Shakespeare Saved My Life

Folger Theatre announced its final offer for the season, the world premiere of How Shakespeare Saved My Life, written and performed by Broadway star Jacob Ming-Trent and directed by renowned director Tony Taccone, on stage at the Folger for a limited engagement, June 9–July 5, 2026.

Co-commissioned, developed, and presented by Folger Theatre, How Shakespeare Saved My Life dives into Ming-Trent’s turbulent youth. Blending Shakespeare with the voices of Basquiat, Biggie, and Tupac, the piece reveals how art helped a young artist find his identity, his purpose, and his path forward.

“I wanted to tell my story, but I wanted to tell it with purpose and for a purpose," Ming-Trent shared about the inception of this play. “I thought there was another kid out there who needed to hear it, a young actor who needed to hear it, a young hip-hop artist, a young painter, a young whoever who needed to hear it and that my story could save their life. That’s why I called it How Shakespeare Saved My Life.”

In January, Ming-Trent was named one of American Theatre's "People to Watch," and his recent performance as Falstaff in Shakespeare Theatre Company's Merry Wives was nominated for a Helen Hayes Award for Best Ensemble. Folger Theatre audiences will remember Ming-Trent as Bottom from A Midsummer Night's Dream performed at the National Building Museum in 2022.

On stage, Ming-Trent has appeared on Broadway in Shrek the Musical, Hands on a Hardbody, and, most recently, the revival of Gypsy. A film and television actor (Watchmen, Only Murders in the Building, R&J, and The Forty-Year-Old Version), he is an acclaimed Shakespearean actor earning a Drama Desk nomination as Falstaff in The Public Theater's Merry Wives, and performing Shakespeare roles in The Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park, Red Bull Theater, and Theatre for a New Audience.

In addition to director Tony Taccone (The Harder They Come by Suzan Lori-Parks, and Kiss My Aztec, co-written with John Leguizamo), the creative team for How Shakespeare Saved My Life includes Tiffany Rachelle Stewart (Choreography), Takeshi Kata (Scenic Design), Danielle Preston (Costume Design), Alan C. Edwards (Lighting Design), Jake Rodriguez (Sound Design and Composer), Alexander V. Nichols (Projection Design), Taylor Kiechlin (Production Stage Manager), and Miranda Korieth (Assistant Stage Manager).

Co-commissioned by Folger Theatre and Red Bull Theater and co-produced by Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Folger Theatre, and Red Bull Theater, How Shakespeare Saved My Life earned rave reviews in the San Francisco press during its January debut at Berkeley Repertory Theatre and will have its New York City premiere this fall in Red Bull Theater’s production at The Public Theater.