Wilma Theater's Artistic Director Emeritus returns to direct latest production of "Archduke"

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Paid Sponsor Partnership: Philadelphia Corporation for Aging

Recently, Blanka Zizka returned to the Wilma Theater, where she led creatively for 40 years from 1981 until 2021.

"Describe the Night" was the last play Zizka directed there. Now, she's directing "Archduke," which runs through May 4, 2025. She calls the play, "a very dark comedy".

"It deals with history," she says. "A catalyst for the first World War."

She estimates she's done 100 productions since leaving Czechoslovakia in the late 70s with her then husband, Jiri Zizka, and coming to the U.S.

"My meaning in life was to do theater," she says.

Zizka says she immediately looked for a company to work with when she got to Philadelphia. They joined the Wilma Project.

"My first show was in 1979. It was an adaptation of 'Animal Farm'," she says.

She and Jiri directed it together. Then in 1981, they took over the Wilma Project and founded the Wilma Theater. It started in a small theater on Sansom Street, which would later become the Adrienne Theater. The Wilma then moved to its current home on South Broad Street in 1996, helping grow the Avenue of the Arts.

"We kind of got the reputation of doing serious theater that was not just entertainment, but also had a lot of entertainment in it," she says. "Intellectual vigor, but also with emotional depth."

In 2011, Zizka also founded the Wilma HotHouse Company.

"I was directing a play, 'Our Class'," she says. "I needed actors that need to go through training."

Zizka started workshops for Philadelphia actors. When the training was complete, she chose 16 members for the company.

With skilled actors, she made bold directorial moves.

"My 'Hamlet' was a Black female actress," she says. "Theater is about transformation."

She says she wants audiences to be able to imagine the life of a completely different person, having the actors "step into some other shoes and experience life." Zizka says she's enjoying this turn as a visiting artist since retiring in 2021.

"I love to work with the company, because I've created company of these fearless actors who are not afraid to experiment and try anything," she says.

For "Archduke" she chose to have two boys being played by two women.

In 2024, the Wilma Theater went on to win Philly's First 'Outstanding Regional Theatre' Tony Award.

"There is a great leadership," she says. "And that makes me very proud."

For more information:

Blanka Zizka at The Wilma Theater: https://wilmatheater.org/artist/blanka-zizka/
"Archduke" on stage through May 4: https://wilmatheater.org/event/archduke/

The Wilma Theater
265 S. Broad Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107