Blanka Zizka was a Co-artistic Director of The Wilma Theater from 1981 to 2010, and the sole Artistic Director until 2021. She has directed over 70 plays and musicals at the Wilma. In January 2016 she received the Vilcek Prize, which is awarded annually to immigrants who have made lasting contributions to American society. She also received the Zelda Fichandler Award from the Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation in 2011, and was a Fellow at the 2015 Sundance Institute/LUMA Foundation Theatre Directors Retreat.