Jacob Ming-Trent Photo by Kevin Berne

That portion of How Shakespeare Saved My Life is an especially apt example of the subtle (and often not so) racism Ming-Trent has faced as an African-American man who decided from the age of 12 that he wanted to be a Shakespearean actor, after receiving encouragement and prodding from a junior high school teacher. His mother warns young Ming-Trent that the world would not see him as a potential thespian, but as a predator, robber, and attacker. However, clearly as a man of commitment and focus, he did not let that–or any of the other many challenges that faced him–deter him from his dream, and after graduating from American Conservatory Theater's MFA program, he has worked in film and television, as well as on and off-Broadway, including stints as Shakespeare's Falstaff and Sir Toby Belch, among others.

Jacob Ming-Trent's story is both unique (I can't imagine that many young Black men growing up in a "lower middle class" neighborhood in Pittsburgh developed a love for the Bard) and sadly too common: his addict father was booted from the house when he was 12, he was homeless at 16, briefly fell in with a crew/gang, and witnessed a murder.

But at 17, still laser-focused on his dream, he moved to New York to study at the Stella Adler Conservatory and was the youngest person accepted in both the Public Theater's Shakespeare Lab and ACT's MFA program. But this early success did not translate into happiness or satisfaction with his life, and over the course of 95 intermission-less minutes, Jacob Ming-Trent takes us along for his bumpy ride to self-acceptance–liberally dosed with memories of the characters he met along the way, including one gloriously touching and hysterically charming tale of a cellmate (a short stint for an unjust arrest for disturbing the peace) with a surprisingly broad literary knowledge.

Ming-Trent is a skilled performer, using only slight changes in voice and mannerisms to portray his parents, his teachers, the gang leader called "Popeye," the doctor who managed to talk him out of committing suicide, and a church congregant who introduced him to a concept sadly foreign to the young man: unconditional love.

As directed by Tony Taccone, and using the many technical skills of the team at Berkeley Rep, How Shakespeare Saved My Life is much more than a simple monologue by a gifted storyteller; it is a truly powerful work of theatre, thanks in part to the scenic design (by Takeshi Kata) with its moving walls (that also serve as projection surfaces for the designs (Alexander Nichols) which reinforce various elements of Ming-Trent's tale. Original music and sound design by Jake Rodriguez help to establish mood and provide beats that occasionally back Ming-Trent's forays into hip-hop poetry.

Theatre is a powerful opportunity to engage one's sense of empathy, and that's especially true in a solo, biographical performance such as How Shakespeare Saved My Life, which takes its audience deep, deep into the psyche (and travails) of a fellow human relating his own survival story. The result is an entertaining–if at times harrowing–evening of theatre.

How Shakespeare Saved My Life runs through March 1, 2026, at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Peet's Theatre, 2025 Addison Street, Berkeley CA. Shows are Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 7:00pm, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m., with matinees Saturdays and Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. with an additional matinee February 5 at 1:00 p.m., with no evening show that night. Tickets are $32-$140, with discounts available for those under 35. For tickets and information, please visit www.berkeleyrep.org, or call the box office at 510-647-2949.