Marcia Ferguson

Blanka and Jiri Zizka at the Wilma Theater, 1979-2000: from the Underground to the Avenue Marcia Ferguson

Blanka and Jiri Zizka are the creative wellspringbehind The Wilma Theatre of Philadelphia, one ofAmerica?s most successful and innovative regionaltheatre companies. They escaped Communist oppressionin Czechoslovakia during the 1970?s, and honed theircraft in Prague under threats of arrest andcensorship. The Zizkas? ideas and artistry wereshaped 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 tocreate alternative theatre, pushing boundaries andengaging in controversial positions and ideas. Thisbook traces the history of the Zizkas and of theWilma, and explores the cultural, political, artisticand material influences that mark their provocativeproductions. It also seeks to articulate the overallsignificance of the Wilma?s own cultural and economichistory, of its architectural spaces, audiences, andartistic approach.