WILMA THEATER INC
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Mission Statement
The Wilma Theater creates living, adventurous art. We engage artists and audiences in imaginative reflection on the complexities of contemporary life. We present bold, original, well-crafted productions that represent a range of voices, viewpoints, and styles.
About This Cause
The Wilma was founded in 1973 as the Wilma Project, and Blanka Zizka and Jiri Zizka of Czechoslovakia forged a strong artistic relationship with the organization in 1979. Within their first several seasons at the Wilma Project, their boldly innovative productions had received such acclaim that they assumed artistic leadership, renaming the project The Wilma Theater. After many seasons of producing work in venues throughout Philadelphia, the Wilma opened its own 300-seat, state-of-the-art theater on Avenue of the Arts in 1996. The Wilma produces three to five mainstage productions each year, including premieres of new work, second and third productions of new plays, and reimaginings of classic texts. Under the continued artistic leadership of Blanka Zizka, the Wilma has established its place in Philadelphia's theatrical vanguard, serving as a leader within the city's arts scene while offering mentorship and support to younger companies. We work across disciplines to present programming that speaks to the breadth of perspectives in our community, serving as the artistic home for BalletX dance company. We are also a founding member of the Philadelphia Regional Arts Consortium, a fourteen-member organization that shares marketing, ticketing, and development software and data. In addition to producing contemporary and classic plays that are emotionally and intellectually complex, the Wilma is committed to lowering barriers to participation in the arts through its education and community outreach programs. Wilma WynTix, made possible by a generous grant from the Wyncote Foundation, makes our productions available to a much broader audience by providing general admission tickets at $35 during select weekday performances, with $10 tickets for students and artists available throughout each show’s run. This initiative, initially envisioned as a 3-year project to conclude in our 2016-2017 season, and extended by popular demand through our 2018-2019 season, supports our belief that everyone should experience art, and it reflects our responsibility to reach deeply into Philadelphia communities, engaging with an audience that is increasingly reflective of the people of the city that we serve. Through diverse methods that include formal school-based residencies, ticket subsidies, and onsite programming at the Wilma, our community outreach programming engages first-time young arts participants, and then builds on that initial contact to forge a lasting connection with the performing arts. First and foremost, Wilma productions are public encounters that engage their audiences in acts of collective imagination, speaking to each viewer personally while challenging them to consider the lives, passions, conflicts, and ideologies of others. In so doing, the pieces that we create rely on experimentation, imagination, and collaboration, which all serve as key facets of our new Wilma HotHouse initiative. Launched formally in January 2016, the HotHouse serves as an incubator for artistic investigation, allowing artists to dare and explore under the Wilma's auspices. HotHouse company members perform in mainstage productions, participate in workshops, and help to further develop the Wilma's unique artistic aesthetic. In 2017, the Wilma launched our Portable Studio program, designed to bring the methods of the HotHouse to community centers in Philadelphia.