Meet Tara Shakespeare

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tara Shakespeare.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Tara. So, let’s start at the beginning, and we can move on from there.
I always liked to make people laugh. I learned to be funny as self-defense initially. My brothers would clown me because I didn’t look like the other girls around me. I was a 6-foot freshman in high school who couldn’t avoid judgment. I was also chubby. With a combination of both tall and chubby I was an easy target for ‘big jokes.’ I decided to become a ‘comeback queen.’

When people would try to roast me, I wouldn’t give them a chance to finish before I spouted something sharp and funny back at them. Eventually, I earned respect, and it stopped. I used my comedy to make my family and friends laugh through tough situations, and I kept getting better. My mother and close friends kept asking me to get on stage but little did they know I feared my comedy wouldn’t be funny to people who didn’t know me.

I met a female comedienne in the mall in 2014, and she invited me to her show and also gave me the contact to do my first show. I first took the stage in 2015. I did horribly, but I went back a month later, and I killed it.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It hasn’t been easy. I was a single woman without any children when I first decided to pursue comedy. In 2016 I began raising my four nieces, and everything changed. I’m an over the road truck driver by trade, so I quit my job the same day my nieces arrived at my home. I lived in a studio apartment at the time with four kids.

I had to put comedy on the back burner for a while. My duty was to them first. I went back to doing caregiving for a while, taking a huge pay cut. I had to get on food stamps for the first time in my adult life. I had to find decent childcare so that I could work. I also had to depend on the children who were already traumatized to do their part. It was a rough year for comedy.

Please tell us about Tara Shakespeare Laughs.
I love honest comedy. I provide clean comedy for religious events and family gatherings. I can appeal to crowds ranging from four-year-olds to ninety-four-year-olds. I offer something for everyone. I’m different because my story makes me so. I use my real life situations on stage because I believe life is the funniest joke of all. Given my unique circumstance, I feel I’m at an advantage.

How would you describe the type of kid you were growing up?
I was a sweet little girl until I had my first growth spurt. I followed my mom everywhere because I had four older brothers who loved to remind me I wasn’t a boy. I became a tomboy in my tween years because little girl clothes didn’t fit anymore and my body looked older than my face.

In my high school years, I realized I was the shit. I played sports, I was in the school plays, I was in the dance team at church, and I sang in the choir. I kept busy doing positive things in my community. I was always adventurous.

Contact Info:

• Phone: 3373099629
• Email: shakespearetara888@gmail.com
• Instagram: @mrssuge
• Facebook: TaraShakespeareLaughs

Image Credit:
Bishop 57 Studio Production

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