Sam WanamakerEdit
Sam Wanamaker (1919–1993) was an American actor, director, and cultural entrepreneur whose most lasting achievement was the promotion and realization of a faithful revival of Shakespeare’s Globe in Bankside, London. Though his career began in the United States, Wanamaker’s work bridged the Atlantic and helped reinforce a tradition of theatre that prizes historical continuity, public access to the arts, and the enduring relevance of Shakespeare to generations of readers and spectators. His efforts culminated in the opening of Shakespeare's Globe in 1997, a project he long championed from exile and influence in Britain, and later inspired the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse as an indoor companion venue.
Wanamaker’s life intersected with two defining currents of mid‑to‑late 20th‑century theatre: the anti‑establishment anxieties that accompanied the Cold War era and the postwar revival of interest in historical drama as a practical and democratic form of culture. After a successful career in American stage and screen, he faced the pressures of the era of McCarthyism and the scrutiny that fell on many artists with even tenuous associations with left‑leaning causes. This climate helped push him toward Europe, where he found opportunities to continue acting and directing, while laying the groundwork for a distinctly transatlantic project—one that would ultimately demonstrate that private initiative and public access could coexist in the arts.
Early life and career
Wanamaker cultivated a long and varied career in the performing arts, working in theatre, film, and television. He built a reputation as a versatile performer and producer, and his experience across different media gave him a practical understanding of how to mount complex productions and secure broad audiences. His leadership extended beyond performance to the organization and fundraising that are essential to large cultural projects. The impulse behind his later work with Shakespeare’s Globe was, in part, a belief that the most meaningful theatre preserves a living link to the past while remaining accessible to contemporary audiences.
Throughout his time in the United States, Wanamaker remained convinced that the theatre could be both a serious art form and a popular cultural experience. He came to view Shakespeare as a common thread linking English‑speaking cultures and, crucially, as a source of enduring civic value. This conviction would inform his most ambitious undertaking: reviving the Elizabethan theatre in a form faithful to its original design and its public role.
The Globe project and transatlantic cultural work
Wanamaker articulated a plan to recreate an authentic Elizabethan playhouse on the site of the original Bankside theatre. He proposed a venue that would educate, entertain, and engage a broad public, while adhering to historical principles of stagecraft, acoustics, and audience interaction. The project drew on a combination of private philanthropy, international fundraising networks, and scholarly consultation, and it became a touchstone for a certain strand of cultural philanthropy that prized tradition, craftsmanship, and self‑sustaining institutions.
The campaign to realize Shakespeare's Globe gathered momentum over decades. Wanamaker’s advocacy helped mobilize patrons, scholars, and theatre practitioners across the Atlantic, illustrating a model of cultural entrepreneurship that relies on private initiative to expand public access to the arts without expanding state control. In this sense, the Globe project served as a form of cultural diplomacy, strengthening British theatre and reinforcing ties with the United States by presenting a shared literary heritage in a physically and socially open space.
The structure opened in 1997 as a working theatre that stages plays during prolonged seasons, with productions of William Shakespeare’s works and related Elizabethan drama. The venue emphasizes an immersive experience—an open stage, elevated galleries, and performers who interact directly with audiences—factors that distinguish it from more conventional indoor theatres. The project also spawned the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, an indoor venue opened in 2014, which extends the mission of reviving early modern performance practices and late‑medieval craft in a climate‑controlled setting Sam Wanamaker Playhouse.
Wanamaker’s approach to the project reflected a broader belief in private initiative as a catalyst for public culture. He argued that long‑term, disciplined fundraising and a clear architectural vision could restore a national treasure for the benefit of the public without becoming dependent on periodic government subsidies. In the eyes of many supporters of traditional arts, the Globe stands as a practical example of cultural continuity—an investment in national memory that also creates jobs, attracts visitors, and stimulates related trades such as education, tourism, and crafts.
Architecture, practice, and reception
The rebuilt Shakespeare's Globe is designed to reflect key elements of the 1599 structure: a timber frame, a thatched roof, a thrust stage, and an open yard where audiences stand. This design choice prioritizes direct encounter with performance and a sense of communal participation—principles that many conservatives regard as essential to high‑quality theatre. The emphasis on historical accuracy, combined with a commitment to offering affordable tickets and educational programs, is often cited as a successful blend of heritage preservation and public service.
Critics of the project have argued that a reconstruction necessarily imposes a degree of interpretation on the past, and that the emphasis on historical exactitude can crowd out modern, innovative approaches to staging and dramaturgy. From a right‑of‑center standpoint, proponents counter that the Globe demonstrates how to preserve cultural patrimony while keeping it relevant to present audiences. They point to the theatre’s ability to attract a wide range of visitors, to train actors and stage crews in traditional crafts, and to generate economic activity in London’s Bankside without relying exclusively on state sponsorship.
The Globe also became a site of broader debates about public culture and national identity. Supporters emphasize its role in promoting a robust, traditional form of theatre that prizes literacy, discipline, and communal experience. Critics sometimes charge that the project privileges a particular historical narrative or that it mirrors a romanticized view of the past. Proponents respond that the project invites ongoing dialogue about history, theatre, and the responsibilities of cultural stewardship, while continuing to offer a living repertoire that includes works closely tied to Shakespeare and his era.
Legacy
Wanamaker’s most enduring legacy is the enduring presence of Shakespeare’s Globe as a working theatre and as a symbol of how private energy can transform cultural life. By creating a venue that celebrates Elizabethan staging practices, Wanamaker helped preserve a craft tradition—ranging from stage carpentry to costume making—that had been in danger of fading. The Globe’s programming continues to educate audiences about early modern drama, while also hosting contemporary productions and educational initiatives that connect past and present.
From a contemporary vantage point that values efficiency and results, Wanamaker’s model is often cited as an example of successful cultural entrepreneurship. It demonstrates how a focused, long‑term commitment to a cultural project can yield durable public benefits—economic, educational, and civic—without requiring ongoing direct public expenditure. The project’s transatlantic character also stands as a case study in how American and British cultural institutions cooperate to promote shared literary heritage and the performing arts more broadly.