--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was 20 years old and first with…" description: "\"When I was 20 years old and first with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, we had an 88-seat theater in a basement and no money.\" — Joan Allen" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f38/joan-allen-15752_actor_when-i-was-20-years-old-and-first-with-t_205773.jpg" --- # When I was 20 years old and first with the Steppenwolf… ![“When I was 20 years old and first with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, we had an 88-seat theater in a basement and no money.” quote by Joan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f38/joan-allen-15752_actor_when-i-was-20-years-old-and-first-with-t_205773.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f38/joan-allen-15752_actor_when-i-was-20-years-old-and-first-with-t_205773.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f38/joan-allen-15752_actor_when-i-was-20-years-old-and-first-with-t_205773.jpg) > “When I was 20 years old and first with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, we had an 88-seat theater in a basement and no money.” [Joan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-allen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early career struggles in theater highlight resource scarcity and determination. **In simple terms:** Starting small with limited resources. Key Takeaway Embrace constraints as creative fuel. Themes determination resourcefulness theatre career beginnings Mood reflective inspired Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - starting a theatre company - first productions - fundraising - creative problem solving Key Concepts artistic perseverance budget constraints Questions to Reflect On - How can scarcity inspire innovation? - What strategies help sustain a fledgling arts group? A Different Perspective Limited resources can hinder growth without strategic planning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Company](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/company/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) ## Related quotes > [I was one of the artistic directors of the Steppenwolf Theatre, which me and many dear buddies started all the way back in 1974,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-perry/i-was-one-of-the-artistic-directors-of-the-steppenwolf-theatre-which/) [Jeff Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-perry/) > [In 1993, I was working at the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-cole/in-1993-i-was-working-at-the-steppenwolf-theatre-in-chicago/) [Gary Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-cole/) > [I started writing music around 20 years old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-i-d/i-started-writing-music-around-20-years-old/) J.I.D > [When I was 20 years old, I got cast in 'Spring Awakening' and got swept up in this experience where it was kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-groff/when-i-was-20-years-old-i-got-cast-in-spring-awakening-and-got-swept/) [Jonathan Groff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-groff/) > [Makeup is only fun if it's occasional and capricious - just like it's a treat to have an empty day ahead, but it wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-coren-mitchell/makeup-is-only-fun-if-it-s-occasional-and-capricious-just-like-it-s-a/) [Victoria Coren Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-coren-mitchell/) > [I have so many people come up to me, 20-some years later, and saying, "I loved you in Jawbreaker!".](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-benz/i-have-so-many-people-come-up-to-me-20-some-years-later-and-saying-i/) [Julie Benz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-benz/) > [“but 20 years from now it will be bizarre if you walk into a store and the store doesn’t know who you are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-scoble/but-20-years-from-now-it-will-be-bizarre-if-you-walk-into-a-store-and/) [Robert Scoble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-scoble/) > [I think 20 years of experience really came to fruition and enabled me to be able to play Cotton Marcus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-fabian/i-think-20-years-of-experience-really-came-to-fruition-and-enabled-me/) [Patrick Fabian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-fabian/) > [I and haven't been unemployed for 20 years. I'm an exception to the rule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/i-and-haven-t-been-unemployed-for-20-years-i-m-an-exception-to-the/) [Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/) > [There has been a great proliferation of lawyers in the pat 20 years, just as there has been a proliferation of computers. But unlike…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-burns/there-has-been-a-great-proliferation-of-lawyers-in-the-pat-20-years/) [Edward Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-burns/) > [It wasn't that I ever knew I'd be at the Met for 20 years, or 30 years, or 40 years, or anything like that](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-levine/it-wasn-t-that-i-ever-knew-i-d-be-at-the-met-for-20-years-or-30-years/) [James Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-levine/) > [For 20 years, I've been running an institute in Chennai where serious dancers from Kerala come with aspirations of becoming professional dancers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shobana/for-20-years-i-ve-been-running-an-institute-in-chennai-where-serious/) [Shobana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shobana/) > [My wife and I were happy for 20 years. Then we met.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-dangerfield/my-wife-and-i-were-happy-for-20-years-then-we-met/) [Rodney Dangerfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-dangerfield/) > [Records became much cruder in the last 20 years. Let's put it that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-garfunkel/records-became-much-cruder-in-the-last-20-years-let-s-put-it-that-way/) [Art Garfunkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-garfunkel/) > [If my wisdom could get support from officials, I think society would move forward 20 years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chen-guangbiao/if-my-wisdom-could-get-support-from-officials-i-think-society-would/) [Chen Guangbiao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chen-guangbiao/) ## More by Joan Allen > [I think plays deserve other interpretations. They should live on, and other people should should take their hand at them. I'm very supportive of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-allen/i-think-plays-deserve-other-interpretations-they-should-live-on-and/) [Joan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-allen/) > [I think the people who cast films tend to think of me in regard to strong women with integrity and a lot of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-allen/i-think-the-people-who-cast-films-tend-to-think-of-me-in-regard-to/) [Joan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-allen/) > [I wasn't one of those kids who was like, 'Get me to New York. Get me to a big city.' I was always much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-allen/i-wasn-t-one-of-those-kids-who-was-like-get-me-to-new-york-get-me-to/) [Joan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-allen/) > [It's important to really listen to the other person and have them feel like they're heard, to make sure the relationship feels equal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-allen/it-s-important-to-really-listen-to-the-other-person-and-have-them/) [Joan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-allen/) > [Once I got to high school and auditioned for a play and got in, I thought this was really what I was looking for.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-allen/once-i-got-to-high-school-and-auditioned-for-a-play-and-got-in-i/) [Joan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-allen/) > [I don't have a political bone in my body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-allen/i-don-t-have-a-political-bone-in-my-body/) [Joan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-allen/) > [I didn't really think about being a movie star. I was more about theater.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-allen/i-didn-t-really-think-about-being-a-movie-star-i-was-more-about/) [Joan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-allen/) > [I was a very good girl for a long time, that's what really drew me to acting. The stage was the perfect place to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-allen/i-was-a-very-good-girl-for-a-long-time-that-s-what-really-drew-me-to/) [Joan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-allen/) > [There are not many things that can happen much worse to a family than having a member taken and not knowing what happened to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-allen/there-are-not-many-things-that-can-happen-much-worse-to-a-family-than/) [Joan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-allen/) > [I think there's been a tendency to place me in what has been characterised as the 'moral centre' of the film. In films like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-allen/i-think-there-s-been-a-tendency-to-place-me-in-what-has-been/) [Joan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-allen/) > [Almost any film that you do is an opportunity to open you up and make you more aware of an area that you might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-allen/almost-any-film-that-you-do-is-an-opportunity-to-open-you-up-and-make/) [Joan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-allen/) > [I'm pretty picky about plays.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-allen/i-m-pretty-picky-about-plays/) [Joan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-allen/) > [How do we escape who we are? I think, going to college, I felt freer. I loved the clean slate. I wasn't known as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-allen/how-do-we-escape-who-we-are-i-think-going-to-college-i-felt-freer-i/) [Joan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-allen/) > [Acting gave me the opportunity to do outrageous things. It allowed me to be sad, happy, angry and lustful even if it was just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-allen/acting-gave-me-the-opportunity-to-do-outrageous-things-it-allowed-me/) [Joan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-allen/) > [My favorite way of learning for acting has been doing it, not talking about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-allen/my-favorite-way-of-learning-for-acting-has-been-doing-it-not-talking/) [Joan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-allen/) [Explore all 42 Joan Allen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-allen/) ## More Actor quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [I once told someone I could act. They totally bought it. I've been getting away with it ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshay-kumar/i-once-told-someone-i-could-act-they-totally-bought-it-i-ve-been/) [Akshay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshay-kumar/) > [There has got to be a way for me to have a role on TV or in film that is just as normal as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adeel-akhtar/there-has-got-to-be-a-way-for-me-to-have-a-role-on-tv-or-in-film-that/) [Adeel Akhtar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adeel-akhtar/) > [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/) [David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/) > [I'm an actor, so I'm never going to feel like I've done enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italia-ricci/i-m-an-actor-so-i-m-never-going-to-feel-like-i-ve-done-enough/) [Italia Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italia-ricci/) > [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/) [Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/) > [When I was 13, I auditioned for the theater school, and I was there for four years. In the meantime, I did my first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-de-armas/when-i-was-13-i-auditioned-for-the-theater-school-and-i-was-there-for/) [Ana de Armas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-de-armas/) > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [failure in the theater is more public, more brilliant, more unreal than in any other field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-hellman/failure-in-the-theater-is-more-public-more-brilliant-more-unreal-than/) [Lillian Hellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-hellman/) > [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/) [Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/) > [Actors don't hate acting. Most people don't hate acting! Whether you're a child mucking around with your friends or a grown up being paid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-hewson/actors-don-t-hate-acting-most-people-don-t-hate-acting-whether-you-re/) [Liv Hewson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-hewson/) > [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/) [Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/) > [I never planned to do female roles. It just happened. I was typecast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divine/i-never-planned-to-do-female-roles-it-just-happened-i-was-typecast/) [Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divine/) > [Once I committed to acting, this has been it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-hudson/once-i-committed-to-acting-this-has-been-it/) [Ernie Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-hudson/) [Browse all 21,590 Actor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I was 20 years old and first with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, we had an 88-seat theater in a basement and no money.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joan Allen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-allen/when-i-was-20-years-old-and-first-with-the-steppenwolf-theatre/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-allen/when-i-was-20-years-old-and-first-with-the-steppenwolf-theatre/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f38/joan-allen-15752_actor_when-i-was-20-years-old-and-first-with-t_205773.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f38/joan-allen-15752_actor_when-i-was-20-years-old-and-first-with-t_205773.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f38/joan-allen-15752_actor_when-i-was-20-years-old-and-first-with-t_205773.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I was 20 years old and first with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, we had an 88-seat theater in a…” — Joan Allen", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Joan Allen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-allen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When I was 20 years old...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-allen/when-i-was-20-years-old-and-first-with-the-steppenwolf-theatre/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-allen/when-i-was-20-years-old-and-first-with-the-steppenwolf-theatre/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```