--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was 15 years old, I saw my first…" description: "\"When I was 15 years old, I saw my first production of a Shakespeare play at the British pavilion at the Century of Progress World's Fair in Chicago.\" —..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3d/sam-wanamaker-14366_actor_when-i-was-15-years-old-i-saw-my-first-p_847138.jpg" --- # When I was 15 years old, I saw my first production of a… ![“When I was 15 years old, I saw my first production of a Shakespeare play at the British pavilion at the Century of Progress World's Fair in Chicago.” quote by Sam Wanamaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3d/sam-wanamaker-14366_actor_when-i-was-15-years-old-i-saw-my-first-p_847138.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3d/sam-wanamaker-14366_actor_when-i-was-15-years-old-i-saw-my-first-p_847138.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3d/sam-wanamaker-14366_actor_when-i-was-15-years-old-i-saw-my-first-p_847138.jpg) > “When I was 15 years old, I saw my first production of a Shakespeare play at the British pavilion at the Century of Progress World's Fair in Chicago.” [Sam Wanamaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-wanamaker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A formative childhood experience sparked a lifelong appreciation for theatre and cultural heritage **In simple terms:** Seeing a Shakespeare play at 15 inspired a lasting love of drama Key Takeaway Embrace early artistic experiences Themes growth culture inspiration Mood nostalgic reflective Type personal historical When to use this quote - school trips - family outings - community theater participation - art education programs Key Concepts Theatre history personal development Questions to Reflect On - What role did this experience play in your later artistic choices? - How can we create more formative cultural moments for youth? A Different Perspective Early exposure may not guarantee sustained interest without continued support ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Chicago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chicago/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Progress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/progress/) [Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shakespeare/) [Shakespeare play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shakespeare-play/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [I apologize for being obvious, but every time I watch the curtain come down on even a halfway decent production of a Shakespeare play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/i-apologize-for-being-obvious-but-every-time-i-watch-the-curtain-come/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [It was Chicago with its World's Fair which vivified the national desire for civic beauty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-burnham/it-was-chicago-with-its-world-s-fair-which-vivified-the-national/) [Daniel Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-burnham/) > [When I was 19, I took a train from Houston to New York, and I had in my lap the collected works of William…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-burstyn/when-i-was-19-i-took-a-train-from-houston-to-new-york-and-i-had-in-my/) [Ellen Burstyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-burstyn/) > [Whether it is the cavemen in the caves thousands of years ago, Shakespeare plays, television, movies and books, stories and characters take us on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-burnett/whether-it-is-the-cavemen-in-the-caves-thousands-of-years-ago/) [Mark Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-burnett/) > [All the great Shakespeare plays are about killing. 'Alas, poor Yorick,' that's about death. And in 'Romeo and Juliet' everyone up ends up dying.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-winstone/all-the-great-shakespeare-plays-are-about-killing-alas-poor-yorick/) [Ray Winstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-winstone/) > [A lot of people have a fear of Shakespeare. Even actors do. People are like, "Oh, I won't go and see Shakespeare because the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugo-weaving/a-lot-of-people-have-a-fear-of-shakespeare-even-actors-do-people-are/) [Hugo Weaving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugo-weaving/) > [Nothing in this world is fair except chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin/nothing-in-this-world-is-fair-except-chance/) [Alvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin/) > [If u expect the world to b fair with u cuz u r fair. Its Just like expecting the lion not to eat u…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/addy/if-u-expect-the-world-to-b-fair-with-u-cuz-u-r-fair-its-just-like/) [Addy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/addy/) > [We went to the New York World's Fair, saw what the past had been like, according to the Ford Motor Car Company and Walt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/we-went-to-the-new-york-world-s-fair-saw-what-the-past-had-been-like/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [ \[Drawing\] and making things was all we ever did. My brother and I built the entire New York World's Fair of 1939 in miniature… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/drawing-and-making-things-was-all-we-ever-did-my-brother-and-i-built/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [I believe that anything in this world is fair game for a creative exercise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-berg/i-believe-that-anything-in-this-world-is-fair-game-for-a-creative/) [Peter Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-berg/) > [Never expect that the world is fair... It's just like expecting a lion infront of you not to eat you just because you don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrisha-zel-espares/never-expect-that-the-world-is-fair-it-s-just-like-expecting-a-lion/) Patrisha Zel Espares > [If u expect the world to b fair with u because u r fair. Its just like expecting the lion not to eat u…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu/if-u-expect-the-world-to-b-fair-with-u-because-u-r-fair-its-just-like/) [Ritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu/) > [“The World's Fair audience tended to think of the machine as unqualifiedly good, strong, stupid and obedient. They thought of it as a giant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hughes/the-world-s-fair-audience-tended-to-think-of-the-machine-as/) [Robert Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hughes/) > [“a world fair celebrated the progress of the nations of the world. It did not investigate its underpinnings.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-emmerson/a-world-fair-celebrated-the-progress-of-the-nations-of-the-world-it/) [Charles Emmerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-emmerson/) ## More by Sam Wanamaker > [Frankly, the British always looked at this as a dumpy industrial area, but this was where Shakespeare lived and wrote and performed some of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-wanamaker/frankly-the-british-always-looked-at-this-as-a-dumpy-industrial-area/) [Sam Wanamaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-wanamaker/) > [That first replica of the Globe that I saw at the Chicago World's Fair was a suspect thing, made of plywood and papier-mache. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-wanamaker/that-first-replica-of-the-globe-that-i-saw-at-the-chicago-world-s/) [Sam Wanamaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-wanamaker/) > [I had been in 760 performances of 10 different Shakespeare plays by the time I was 17.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-wanamaker/i-had-been-in-760-performances-of-10-different-shakespeare-plays-by/) [Sam Wanamaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-wanamaker/) > [In my teens, I saw a terrible production of 'Die Walkuere.' To a person of 15, it was just awful, and it put me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-wanamaker/in-my-teens-i-saw-a-terrible-production-of-die-walkuere-to-a-person/) [Sam Wanamaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-wanamaker/) > [We hope the Bell Shakespeare Company will become an indigenous part of the Globe Shakespeare Centre in Australia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-wanamaker/we-hope-the-bell-shakespeare-company-will-become-an-indigenous-part/) [Sam Wanamaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-wanamaker/) > [I've lived in London more or less permanently since the 1950s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-wanamaker/i-ve-lived-in-london-more-or-less-permanently-since-the-1950s/) [Sam Wanamaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-wanamaker/) > [The Globe will become an automatic sight like the Tower of London and St. Paul's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-wanamaker/the-globe-will-become-an-automatic-sight-like-the-tower-of-london-and/) [Sam Wanamaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-wanamaker/) > [England is a mecca for actors who want to do the classics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-wanamaker/england-is-a-mecca-for-actors-who-want-to-do-the-classics/) [Sam Wanamaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-wanamaker/) > [Two planeloads of California actors and directors flew to Washington in support of the Hollywood Ten, and some of us, like John Garfield, came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-wanamaker/two-planeloads-of-california-actors-and-directors-flew-to-washington/) [Sam Wanamaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-wanamaker/) > [Shakespeare is as naturally a part of American culture as it is the British culture; the Americans have a natural interest in their heritage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-wanamaker/shakespeare-is-as-naturally-a-part-of-american-culture-as-it-is-the/) [Sam Wanamaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-wanamaker/) > [Of course, the Globe will be an international educational center as well as a theater.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-wanamaker/of-course-the-globe-will-be-an-international-educational-center-as/) [Sam Wanamaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-wanamaker/) > [What I want is an international monument to the world's greatest playwright. It would be an attraction that would be both educational and an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-wanamaker/what-i-want-is-an-international-monument-to-the-world-s-greatest/) [Sam Wanamaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-wanamaker/) > [The Ides of March? That doesn't worry me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-wanamaker/the-ides-of-march-that-doesn-t-worry-me/) [Sam Wanamaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-wanamaker/) > [What would the world say if the Globe, now that it has at last been found, is not excavated?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-wanamaker/what-would-the-world-say-if-the-globe-now-that-it-has-at-last-been/) [Sam Wanamaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-wanamaker/) > [My middle daughter is with the Royal Shakespeare Company and was on Broadway several years ago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-wanamaker/my-middle-daughter-is-with-the-royal-shakespeare-company-and-was-on/) [Sam Wanamaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-wanamaker/) [Explore all 47 Sam Wanamaker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-wanamaker/) ## 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. 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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! 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