Blanka Zizka (born 1955) is a Czechoslovakia-born American theatre director and playwright. She is currently the Founding Artistic Director of The Wilma Theater.

Biography

Blanka Zizka defected from Czechoslovakia in 1973 with her husband, Jiri Zizka, and came to

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. The couple joined up with a feminist experimental theater collective called the Wilma Project (as it was then known). By 1981, she and Jiri became co-artistic directors of the Wilma, known for their bold productions of the works of

Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known as Bertolt Brecht and Bert Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a p ...

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and

Tom Stoppard Sir Tom Stoppard (; born , 3 July 1937) is a Czech-born British playwright and screenwriter. He has written for film, radio, stage, and television, finding prominence with plays. His work covers the themes of human rights, censorship, and politi ...

. In 1995, Blanka Zizka's Barrymore Award-winning production of Jim Cartwright's ROAD was presented at the International Theater Festival in the Czech Republic, the first American company to be invited. CBS News called the Wilma "one playhouse that has emerged from the shadow of the Great White Way to make history on its own." Blanka and Jiri set up shop in a former industrial space on Sansom Street, refurbishing it themselves with the help of friends, creating what would become the Adrienne Theater, which for many years was a locus for new theatrical work in Philadelphia. The company remained there until 1996 when it moved to its current home on Avenue of the Arts, at the intersection of Broad and Spruce Streets. Blanka became the sole Artistic Director of the Wilma shortly before Jiri's death in 2010. In 2011, she created a resident company called HotHouse. This ensemble of actors train together every month in European-style techniques as disparate as that of Greek director Theodorus Terzopoulos and Jean-René Toussaint's Primitive Voice. Zizka has directed the following works:

Paula Vogel Paula Vogel (born November 16, 1951) is an American playwright. She is known for her provocative explorations of complex social and political issues. Much of her work delves into themes of psychological trauma, abuse, and the complexities of hum ...

’s ''Don Juan Comes Home from Iraq'',

Richard Bean Richard Anthony Bean (born 11 June 1956) is an English playwright. Early years Born in East Hull, Bean was educated at Hull Grammar School, and then studied social psychology at Loughborough University, graduating with a 2:1 BSc Hons. He the ...

’s ''Under the Whaleback'',

Tony Kushner Anthony Robert Kushner (born July 16, 1956) is an American author, playwright, and screenwriter. Among his stage work, he is most known for ''Angels in America'', which earned a Pulitzer Prize and a Tony Award, as well as its subsequent acclaime ...

’s ''

Angels in America ''Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes'' is a 1991 American two-part Play (theatre), play by American playwright Tony Kushner. The two parts of the play, ''Millennium Approaches'' and ''Perestroika'', may be presented separate ...

'', Tadeusz Słobodzianek’s ''Our Class'',

Sarah Ruhl Sarah Ruhl (born January 24, 1974) is an American playwright, poet, professor, and essayist. Among her most popular plays are ''Eurydice'' (2003), '' The Clean House'' (2004), and '' In the Next Room (or the Vibrator Play)'' (2009). She has been ...

’s ''In the Next Room'', and ''

Macbeth ''The Tragedy of Macbeth'', often shortened to ''Macbeth'' (), is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, estimated to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambiti ...

''.

Awards and honors

In the fall of 2011, Blanka received the Zelda Fichandler Award from the Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation, which recognizes an outstanding director or choreographer transforming the regional arts landscape. As of early 2018, she has won 14 Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre, which recognizes excellence for professional theatre in the Greater Philadelphia region.

References

External links

The history of the Wilma Theatre HotHouse
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zizka, Blanka 1955 births Living people American theatre directors Czechoslovak emigrants to the United States American women theatre directors