Red Bull Theater Kicks Off The 20th Anniversary Festival With Jacob Ming-Trent's HOW SHAKESPEARE SAVED MY LIFE

RED BULL THEATER has announced details for the first presentation of its 20th Anniversary Festival, How Shakespeare Saved My Life, an epic poem told by Jacob Ming-Trent with verse rhyme and song.

Jacob tells us how Shakespeare raised him, saved him and ultimately showed him that forgiveness and mercy could set him free. "America tried to take my life, a five-hundred-year-old white dude saved it."  

How Shakespeare Saved My Life has music by Ming-Trent and Ray Leslee and is directed by Karen Ann Daniels. Along with Jacob Ming-Trent, How Shakespeare Saved My Life also features Greg Rucci on the drums, Jason Wilson on bass, and Jae Anthonee on keys.

This one-night-only in-person event will take place Monday April 15th (7:30 PM) at Sheen Center Shiner Theatre, 18 Bleecker Street. Tickets for this evening are currently SOLD OUT. Interested patrons who wish to be notified of available seats should they become available can join the waitlist at THIS LINK.

Hailed by The New York Times as “a dynamic producer of classic plays” and “a troupe that lovers of classic theater should put on their must-watch list,” Red Bull Theater is New York City's destination for dynamic performances of great plays that stand the test of time as well as new works that are in conversation with the classics. A home for artists, scholars and students, With the Jacobean plays of Shakespeare and his contemporaries as its cornerstone, Red Bull Theater strives to make work that is accessible, diverse, and welcoming to all theater-goers while keeping a rich and vital tradition thriving.  Red Bull Theater believes in the power of great classic stories and plays of heightened language to deepen our understanding of the human condition, in the special ability of live theater to create unique collective experiences, and in the limitless capacity of classical theater to illuminate the events of our times.

"When Jacob sent me his first ten pages of what has now become How Shakespeare Saved My Life, I was blown away and knew immediately it was something we wanted to fully support at Red Bull.” said Founder & Artistic Director Berger. “Since then, it has evolved into something with all the insight, passion, and deeply meaningful stories that make for powerful theater – not to mention music and humor! Join us as Jacob shares his personal journey in this show: a journey that is at once Homeric, Shakespearean, and very much of today.”

"I sat down four months ago to write a different story, but my subconscious, my soul, my spirit, my ancestors demanded I write this Epic Poem. I named this Poem "how Shakespeare saved my life", because mine was a life that needed saving, And a five-hundred-year-old dead white man lent me a hand. In America, it is often said that the only way out of the ghetto is to make music or play ball. Shakespeare was my way out. I was the son of two mentally ill parents, homeless twice before the age of sixteen, a high school drop out,  short, fat, black, and ugly, and Shakespeare transformed me. Shakespeare didn't change me, he revealed to me the beauty that lived within me. As a black man fighting injustice daily, my anger and need for revenge almost killed me. Shakespeare taught me how to forgive, and I'm thankful. I'm not here to share my story, but to tell you parts of my tale in the hope that this might save a life as well,” said Mr. Ming-Tent.

Jacob Ming-Tent (Playwright and Performer).  Broadway: Hands on a Hardbody, Shrek the Musical. Off-Broadway credits include Red Bull Theater: The Alchemist (Lucille Lortel Award nomination); Public Theater: Merry Wives, Father Comes Home from the Wars, Parts 1, 2, and 3 (Lucille Lortel Award), Cymbeline, Twelfth Night, The Tempest; Lincoln Center Theater: On the Levee; Theatre for a New Audience: The Merchant of Venice, A Midsummer Night's Dream; The Acting Company: The Two Gentlemen of Verona; Folger Theatre: A Midsummer Night's Dream. Film: Superfly, The Forty-Year Old Version; R#J; The Possession of Hannah Grace. Television: "Watchmen,"  "White Famous," "Ray Donavan," "Feed the Beast," "Only Murders in the Building," "New Amsterdam," "God Friended Me."

About Red Bull Theater

Red Bull Theater brings rarely seen classic plays to dynamic new life for contemporary audiences, uniting a respect for tradition with a modern sensibility. Named for the rowdy Jacobean playhouse that illegally performed plays in England during the years of Puritan rule, Red Bull Theater is New York City's home for dynamic performances of great plays that stand the test of time. With the Jacobean plays of Shakespeare and his contemporaries as its cornerstone, the company also produces new works that are in conversation with the classics. A home for artists, scholars, and students, Red Bull Theater delights and engages the intellect and imagination of audiences, and strives to make its work accessible, diverse, and welcoming to all. We value and practice inclusiveness, equity, and diversity in all of our activities, and are committed to antiracist action. Red Bull Theater believes in the power of great classic stories and plays of heightened language to deepen our understanding of the human condition, in the special ability of live theater to create unique, collective experiences, and in the timeless capacity of classical theater to illuminate the events of our times. Variety agreed, hailing Red Bull's work as: “Proof that classical theater can still be surprising after hundreds of years.” Since its debut in 2003 with a production of Shakespeare's Pericles starring Daniel Breaker, Red Bull Theater has served adventurous theatergoers with Off-Broadway productions, Revelation Readings, and the annual Short New Play Festival. The company also offers outreach programs including Shakespeare in Schools bringing professional actors and teaching artists into public school classrooms; Bull Sessions, free post-play discussions with top scholars; and Classical Acting Intensives led by veteran theater professionals. During the pandemic, Red Bull created several new and ongoing programs to serve audiences and artists with our mission: the Red Bull Theater Podcast, Online Readings, Seminars, and more. The company has produced 24 Off-Broadway productions and over 200 Revelation Readings of rarely seen classics, serving a community of more than 5,000 artists and providing quality artistic programming to an audience of over 65,000. The company's unique programming has received ongoing critical acclaim and has been recognized with Lortel, Drama Desk, Drama League, Callaway, Off-Broadway Alliance, and OBIE nominations and Awards.

For more information about the 20th Anniversary Festival, or any of Red Bull Theater's programs, visit www.redbulltheater.com.

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