Blanka and Jiri Zizka at the Wilma Theater, 1979 - 2000

Blanka and Jiri Zizka are the creative wellspring§behind The Wilma Theatre of Philadelphia, one of§America s most successful and innovative regional§theatre companies. They escaped Communist oppression§in Czechoslovakia during the 1970 s, and honed their§craft in Prague under threats of arrest and§censorship. The Zizkas ideas and artistry were§shaped by their experiences of oppression and exile,§as well as by their exposure to specific techniques,§traditions and practices in Prague and elsewhere. §In Philadelphia they created their own opportunities,§and took advantage of their newfound freedom to§create alternative theatre, pushing boundaries and§engaging in controversial positions and ideas. This§book traces the history of the Zizkas and of the§Wilma, and explores the cultural, political, artistic§and material influences that mark their provocative§productions. It also seeks to articulate the overall§significance of the Wilma s own cultural and economic§history, of its architectural spaces, audiences, and§artistic approach. Blanka and Jiri Zizka are the creative wellspring§behind The Wilma Theatre of Philadelphia, one of§America s most successful and innovative regional§theatre companies. They escaped Communist oppression§in Czechoslovakia during the 1970 s, and honed their§craft in Prague under threats of arrest and§censorship. The Zizkas ideas and artistry were§shaped by their experiences of oppression and exile,§as well as by their exposure to specific techniques,§traditions and practices in Prague and elsewhere. §In Philadelphia they created their own opportunities,§and took advantage of their newfound freedom to§create alternative theatre, pushing boundaries and§engaging in controversial positions and ideas. This§book traces the history of the Zizkas and of the§Wilma, and explores the cultural, political, artistic§and material influences that mark their provocative§productions. It also seeks to articulate the overall§significance of the Wilma s own cultural and economic§history, of its architectural spaces, audiences, and§artistic approach.