The Wilma Theater is a 501(c)(3) non-profit theater company located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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It was founded in 1973 as the Wilma Project to encourage theatrical productions of original material and the development of community artists. In 1979, Blanka Zizka and Jiri Zizka of former Czechoslovakia forged a creative relationship with the Wilma Project as artists-in-residence. They gained swift acclaim for their bold, innovative productions and assumed artistic leadership, changing the name to The Wilma Theater. After many seasons of producing theater at various locations—mainly in a 100-seat converted garage on Sansom Street—the Wilma opened a new, state-of-the-art 300-seat theater on The Avenue of the Arts in 1996. Jiri Zizka left the theater[1] at the end of the 2009-2010 season.
Productions by the Wilma have been seen at the International Theater Festival in the Czech Republic; in New York at the Public Theater and Manhattan Theatre Club; The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC; McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton, NJ; Long Wharf Theatre in Connecticut; and ACT Seattle. In addition to their presentations and festivals, the Wilma has produced over 100 productions, including 18 World Premieres, 13 US Premieres, 5 East Coast Premieres, and 64 Philadelphia Premieres. The Wilma co-produced a feature film broadcast nationally on Great Performances. The theater has worked with notables such as Stephen Sondheim, Tom Stoppard, Christopher Hampton, Doug Wright, and Arthur Miller and produced works by up-and-coming playwrights such as Claudia Shear, Lillian Groag, Chay Yew, Charles L. Mee, Jason Sherman, Dael Orlandersmith, Robert William Sherwood, Sarah Ruhl, Polly Pen, and Laurence Klavan.
The Wilma Theater exists to present theater as an art form, engaging artists and audiences in an adventure of aesthetic philosophical reflection of the complexities of contemporary life. We accomplish our mission by producing thoughtful, well-crafted, productions of intelligent, daring plays that represent a range of voices, viewpoints, and production styles.[2]
The theater has won 39 Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theater, the most awards received by any company.[3]