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Viewing report
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Blanka and Jiri Zizka at the Wilma Theater, 1979-2000. Edition No. 1
VDM Publishing House, Nov 2008, Pages: 144
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.
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