Creative Conversations: How Shakespeare Saved My Life

How Shakespeare Saved My Life director Tony Taccone shares his creative perspectives on the production and its journey to the Folger stage in an insightful pre-performance discussion moderated by Folger Theatre General Manager Jeff Kirkman III.

About How Shakespeare Saved My Life

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.