Lenka Pichlíková – Burke (born July 28, 1954 at

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

) is an American actress of Czech descent, the seventh generation of her family to appear onstage since the 18th century. Her great-uncle was the noted national actor,

Ladislav Pešek Ladislav Pešek (4 October 1906 – 13 July 1986) was a Czechoslovak film actor.Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

, she performed on stage in many theatres, played in twelve films, and created over 40 television roles, rising to the rank of Advanced Master Artist. In addition to performing as a speaking actress, she was also involved professionally in classic

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment, generally combining gender-crossing actors and topical humour with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or ...

. Since the 1980s she has resided in the United States. In the United States, she has performed onstage in speaking roles as well as in pantomime productions for more than 25 years. Since 1988, she has been a member of the

Actors' Equity Association The Actors' Equity Association (AEA), commonly called Actors' Equity or simply Equity, is an American trade union, labor union representing those who work in Theatre, live theatrical performance. Performers appearing in live stage productions w ...

, the union which represents professional actors. In 2006 she was named the "Best Mime" of

Fairfield County, Connecticut Fairfield County is a County (United States), county in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is the List of counties in Connecticut, most populous county in the state and was also its fastest-growing from 2010 to 2020. ...

. She teaches performing arts, dramatic literature, and cultural history, and translates plays.

Biography and work

Czechoslovak period

In 1977, Lenka Pichlíková finished her studies at the Faculty of Theatre of the

Academy of Performing Arts in Prague The Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (, AMU) is a university in the centre of Prague, Czech Republic, specialising in the study of music, dance, drama, film, television and multi-media. It is the largest art school in the Czech Republic, wit ...

. She was a member of the Jiří Wolker Theatre company in

, where she had originally performed at the age of nine. She subsequently worked in the companies of the

Theatre on the Balustrade The Theatre on the Balustrade () is situated in Prague, Czech Republic. History Early history The theatre was founded in 1958. Its founders - Helena Philipová, Ivan Vyskočil, Jiří Suchý and Vladimír Vodička named their professional thea ...

, The Drama Club, and The Vinohrady Theatre in Prague, and performed as a guest artist in the National Theatre in Prague. Among her roles during this period was Petrunjela in ''Uncle Maroje'' by

Marin Držić Marin Držić (; also ''Marino Darza'' or ''Marino Darsa''; 1508 – 2 May 1567) was a Croatian writer from Republic of Ragusa. He is considered to be one of the finest Renaissance playwrights and prose writers of Croatian literature. Li ...

, and two roles in ''Insect Play'' by

Karel Karel may refer to: People * Karel (given name) * Karel (surname) * Charles Karel Bouley (born 1962), American talk radio personality known on air as Karel * Christiaan Karel Appel (1921–2006), Dutch painter and sculptor Business * Karel Elec ...

and

Josef Čapek Josef Čapek (; 23 March 1887 – April 1945) was a Czech artist who was best known as a painter, but who was also noted as a writer and a poet. He invented the word "robot", which was introduced into literature by his brother, Karel Čapek. ...

( DISK Theatre – Faculty of Theatre), further Bianca in

Shakespeare's William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

The Taming of the Shrew ''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunke ...

'' (Jiří Wolker Theatre), Anna in

Vladislav Vančura Vladislav Vančura (; 23 June 1891 – 1 June 1942) was a Czech writer. He was also active as a film director, playwright and screenwriter. A member of the Czech resistance during WWII, he was captured and murdered by the Nazis. Early years Va ...

's ''Peevish Summer'' ( The Vinohrady Theatre), Anička in Josef Tajovský's ''Women's Law'' ( The Drama Club). In addition to acting onstage, she was a member of

Ladislav Fialka Ladislav Fialka (22 August 1931 in Prague – 22 February 1991 in Prague) was a Mime artist, mime from what is now the Czech Republic. In 1956 he founded a theater. Helena Philipová, Ivan Vyskočil, Jiří Suchý and Vladimír Vodička also c ...

's mime company at the

. She performed in a joint mime-acting production, ''Broom in Confusion'', based on works by

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, ; ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the great writers in the French language and world liter ...

(Milan Lukeš,

Evald Schorm Evald Schorm (15 December 1931 – 14 December 1988) was a Czech film and stage director, screenwriter and actor. He directed 26 films between 1959 and 1988. Schorm was a notable exponent of the Czech New Wave, Czech Film New Wave. Biograph ...

, and

, 1981). During her career in

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

, Lenka Pichlíková created over 40 television roles and performed in 12 Czech and European co-production feature films. The most successful of these was ''The Trumpet's Song'', directed by Ludvík Ráža, in which she played the main role. The film, originally produced for

Czechoslovak Television Czech Television ( ; abbreviation: ČT) is a public television broadcaster in the Czech Republic, broadcasting six channels. Established after breakup of Czechoslovakia in 1992, it is the successor to Czechoslovak Television founded in 1953. H ...

, won first prize ('' The Golden Nymph'' award) at the Festival de Télévision de Monte-Carlo in 1981. She also played in films by

Karel Kachyňa Karel Kachyňa (1 May 1924 – 12 March 2004) was a Czech film director and screenwriter. His career spanned over five decades. Early life He was born on May 1, 1924, in Vyškov, Czechoslovakia. His father was a government officer. His mother wa ...

('' Meeting in July'', '' Counting Sheep'', '' Time for a Check-up'',

Otakar Vávra Otakar Vávra (28 February 1911 – 15 September 2011) was a Czech film director, screenwriter and pedagogue. Biography and career Vávra attended universities in Brno and Prague, where he studied architecture. During 1929–30, while still a stud ...

(''

Dark Sun ''Dark Sun'' is an original ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (D&D) campaign setting set in the fictional, post-apocalyptic desert world of Athas. ''Dark Sun'' featured an innovative metaplot, influential art work, dark themes, and a genre-bending take ...

''),

Viktor Polesný The name Victor or Viktor may refer to: * Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname Arts and entertainment Film * Victor (1951 film), ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film * Victor (1993 film), ...

(''Birthday'' – a film that was suppressed by communist officials), and in

Jiří Krejčík Jiří Krejčík (; 26 June 1918 – 8 August 2013) was a Czech film director, screenwriter and actor. Born in 1918 in Prague, he began his film career as an extra for Barrandov Studios, during World War II. He then began creating short films an ...

's and

's comedies. For

German television Television in Germany began in Berlin on 22 March 1935, broadcasting for 90 minutes three times a week. It was home to the first regular television service in the world, named ''Fernsehsender Paul Nipkow''. In 2000, the German television marke ...

, she appeared in the series directed by

Franz Peter Wirth Franz Peter Wirth (22 September 1919 in Munich – 17 October 1999 in Berg, Upper Bavaria) was a German film director and screenwriter. His film '' Helden'' was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1958. Selected fil ...

, '' A Square of Sky'' (''Ein Stück Himmel''), which was based on the experiences of Janina Dawidowicz from the

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

ghetto A ghetto is a part of a city in which members of a minority group are concentrated, especially as a result of political, social, legal, religious, environmental or economic pressure. Ghettos are often known for being more impoverished than other ...

; in ''Die Schmuggler von Rajgrod'', directed by Konrad Petzold; and in several segments of the series, ''The Invisible Sight'' (''Das Unsichtbare Visier''), directed by Peter Hagen.

American period

Since coming to the United States in 1982, Lenka Pichlíková has acted in both university and professional theaters, including productions accredited by the

. Her roles include Masha in Chekhov's ''

The Seagull ''The Seagull'' () is a play by Russian dramatist Anton Chekhov, written in 1895 in literature, 1895 and first produced in 1896 in literature#Drama, 1896. ''The Seagull'' is generally considered to be the first of his four major plays. It dramati ...

'' (Theatre West,

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...

), Yelena in ''Uncle Vanya'' and Hilda in Ibsen's ''

The Master Builder ''The Master Builder'' () is a play by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It was first published in December 1892 and is regarded as one of Ibsen's more significant and revealing works. Performance The play was published by Gyldendal AS in C ...

'' (University Theater,

Richardson, Texas Richardson is a city in Dallas and Collin counties in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 United States census, the city had a total population of 119,469. Richardson is an inner suburb of the city of Dallas. It is home to the Universit ...

), Lea in

Wendy Kesselman Wendy Kesselman is an American playwright. Life Wendy Kesselman joined the Actors Theatre of Louisville in 1980. She lives in Wellfleet, Massachusetts Wellfleet is a New England town, town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, Barnstable Co ...

's ''My Sister in This House'' ( Undermain Theater,

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

), Joan in

Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known as Bertolt Brecht and Bert Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a p ...

's ''

Saint Joan of the Stockyards ''Saint Joan of the Stockyards'' () is a play written by the German modernist playwright Bertolt Brecht between 1929 and 1931, after the success of his musical ''The Threepenny Opera'' and during the period of his radical experimental work with th ...

'' (Dance Theater Workshop, New York City), Ophelia in Müller's '' Hamletmachine'' (

Theater for the New City Theater for the New City, founded in 1971 and known familiarly as "TNC", is one of New York City's leading off-off-Broadway theaters, known for radical political plays and community commitment. Productions at TNC have won 43 Obie Awards and the P ...

, New York City), and Tamara Sachs in

Ronald Harwood Sir Ronald Harwood ( né Horwitz; 9 November 1934 – 8 September 2020) was a South African-born British author, playwright, and screenwriter, best known for his plays for the British stage as well as the screenplays for '' The Dresser'' (for ...

's '' Taking Sides'' ( Stamford Theatre Works, Connecticut). Other roles include Rosebud in ''Natalie Needs a Nightie'' and Christina in ''Drop Zone'' ( Kweskin Theater, Stamford). Subsequently, Lenka Pichlíková studied with

Marcel Marceau Marcel Marceau (; born Marcel Mangel; 22 March 1923 – 22 September 2007) was a French mime artist and actor most famous for his stage persona, "Bip the Clown". He referred to mime as the "art of silence", performing professionally worldwide ...

in the United States, and has performed as a

mime A mime artist, or simply mime (from Greek language, Greek , , "imitator, actor"), is a person who uses ''mime'' (also called ''pantomime'' outside of Britain), the acting out of a story through body motions without the use of speech, as a the ...

in Mexico, France, Texas, New York, and throughout Connecticut. She was a member of the blacklight theatre company, ''Ta Fantastika'', during their New York City period, 1982 – 1984 (the company is now located in

). In 1987, she performed as the lead narrator and mime in segments of ''The Magic Game'', produced in

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

and performed throughout the southwest United States. She has also created a character dance role, the Duchess, in the original ballet, ''

Alice in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (also known as ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English Children's literature, children's novel by Lewis Carroll, a mathematics university don, don at the University of Oxford. It details the story of a ...

'' by Laurie Gage (East Coast Youth Ballet, Stamford). Her mimodrama, ''Medea'', and her mime performance piece, ''Seven Deadly Sins and a Virtue'' (the latter inspired by the Baroque statues at the historical spa of Kuks,

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

) have been presented in several states. ''Medea'', for which she wrote, directed, and played the lead, was featured in Connecticut's International Festival of Arts and Ideas in 2001. In 2006, she wrote and performed in the one-person drama, ''Three Women of Faith'', based on the lives of the Abbess

Hildegard of Bingen Hildegard of Bingen Benedictines, OSB (, ; ; 17 September 1179), also known as the Sibyl of the Rhine, was a German Benedictines, Benedictine abbess and polymath active as a writer, composer, philosopher, Christian mysticism, mystic, visiona ...

, Queen Sofia of Bavaria (protector of the church reformer,

Jan Hus Jan Hus (; ; 1369 – 6 July 1415), sometimes anglicized as John Hus or John Huss, and referred to in historical texts as ''Iohannes Hus'' or ''Johannes Huss'', was a Czechs, Czech theologian and philosopher who became a Church reformer and t ...

), and Katharina von Bora Luther (

Martin Luther Martin Luther ( ; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, Theology, theologian, author, hymnwriter, professor, and former Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. Luther was the seminal figure of the Reformation, Pr ...

's wife and co-worker). In 2006, she was named the ''Best Mime'' of

by the area news media. In 2014 she performed in her own translation a play by Anna Hodkova, ''Gertrude'', which is a one-woman show about queen Gertrude from

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

''.Connecticut Post
– Article about the premiere. Image:Lenka Pichlikova as Masha.jpg, Lenka Pichlíková as Masha in Chekhov's ''

'' (Theatre West,

). File:Lenka Pichlikova in Taking Sides.jpg, Lenka Pichlíková (at center) as Tamara Sachs in '' Taking Sides'' (Stamford Theatre Works, Connecticut, 1999). Image:Lenka Pichlikova as Medea.jpg, Lenka Pichlíková and Patrick McCluskey in mimodrama ''Medea'' (International Festival of Arts and Ideas, 2000). Image:Lenka Pichlikova as Greed.jpg, Lenka Pichlíková as

Greed Greed (or avarice, ) is an insatiable desire for material gain (be it food, money, land, or animate/inanimate possessions) or social value, such as status or power. Nature of greed The initial motivation for (or purpose of) greed and a ...

in mime performance ''Seven Deadly Sins and One Virtue'' (2002). Lenka Pichlíková currently devotes herself to her own one-person shows, mimodramas, and schools performances, as well as to acting in independent films, teaching, directing, and coaching actors. Among her recent activities and performances are the following: * One-woman shows such as '' Katharina Luther'' for diverse audiences. * Hundreds of interactive schools performances and shows for young audiences, including ** ''

Mother Goose Mother Goose is a character that originated in children's fiction, as the imaginary author of a collection of French fairy tales and later of English nursery rhymes. She also appeared in a song, the first stanza of which often functions now as ...

'' (nursery rhymes and activities for preschool), recipient of grants for underserved communities; ** ''Time for Mime'' (a classic pantomime learning performance), recipient of grants for underserved communities, ** ''A Visit from Mrs. Claus'' (Holiday Storyteller – Christmas / Hanukkah); ** ''Kids Kanga-Rules'' (two-person schools performance on social interaction, manners, and preventing bullying), recipient of grants for underserved communities. * Workshops, artist-in-residence projects, and arts enrichment programs under the sponsorship of the Connecticut Commission for Culture and Tourism, local schools and boards of education, and private foundations. * Directing stage plays and musical theatre for adolescents, college students, and adults, including works such as ''

CATS The cat (''Felis catus''), also referred to as the domestic cat or house cat, is a small domesticated carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species of the family Felidae. Advances in archaeology and genetics have shown that the ...

'', '' The Boy Friend'', and '' Pictures from the Insects' Life''. * Directing children's theatre in elementary schools and regional theatres, including works such as ''

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory ''Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory'' is a 1971 American musical film, musical fantasy film directed by Mel Stuart from a screenplay by Roald Dahl, based on his 1964 novel ''Charlie and the Chocolate Factory''. It stars Gene Wilder as chocol ...

''. * Featured roles in independent films, including ''Keep the Lights On'' (Ira Sachs), ''Chasing Lost Youth'' (Nicole Cobb), ''Apples'' (Brunella Steger), ''Butterfingers'' (Milan Roganovic) and ''Trophy Kids'' (Josh Sugarman). * Television commercials and

infomercial An infomercial is a form of television commercial that resembles regular TV programming yet is intended to promote or sell a product, service or idea. It generally includes a toll-free telephone number or website. Most often used as a form of di ...

s, including ''The Pearl'', ''Diamond Radiance'', ''Amgen Pharmaceuticals'', and ''McNamara Skin Products''. * Translating plays, including

Joyce Carol Oates Joyce Carol Oates (born June 16, 1938) is an American writer. Oates published her first book in 1963, and has since published 58 novels, a number of plays and novellas, and many volumes of short stories, poetry, and nonfiction. Her novels ''Black ...

's ''Tone Clusters'' and ''Eclipse'', from ''In Darkest America''. * Scholarly investigations, such as ''Josef Čapek, Czech Modernist Innovator'', for the

New York Art Resources Consortium The New York Art Resources Consortium (NYARC) consists of the research libraries of three leading art museums in New York City: The Brooklyn Museum, The Frick Collection, and The Museum of Modern Art. With funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundatio ...

. File:Lenka Pichlikova as Katharina Luther.jpg, Lenka Pichlíková as Katharina Luther (2010). File:Lenka Pichlikova on Location XXXXX.JPG, Lenka Pichlíková on location for XXXXX

(New York City 2011). Lenka Pichlíková teaches acting, other performing arts, dramatic literature, and cultural history in the Conservatory of Theatre Arts,

State University of New York at Purchase The State University of New York at Purchase, commonly referred to as Purchase College or SUNY Purchase, is a public liberal arts college in Purchase, New York. Established in 1967 by Governor Nelson Rockefeller, SUNY Purchase is one of 13 compr ...

, at

Fairfield University Fairfield University is a private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit university in Fairfield, Connecticut. It was founded by the Jesuits in 1942. In 2023, the university had about 5,000 full-time undergraduate students and 1,200 gra ...

in Connecticut, and at other colleges, as well as having taught in the former School of Performing Arts of Stamford Theatre Works, a professional acting company, also in Connecticut.

References

This article is partially based on translation from Czech Wikipedia. * ''Česká divadla 1977/78 – 1980/82''; Divadelní ústav;

1979 – 1983. * Minor, E. Kyle: ''Seeing It from All Sides''; in: ''The Advocate'', Stamford, November 5, 1999. * Minor, E. Kyle: ''The Might and Mystery of a Woman Scorned''; in: ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', New York City, June 18, 2000. * Fountain, Christie: ''Miming Medea''; in: ''The Advocate / Greenwich Times'', Greenwich, July 28, 2000. * ''Time for Mime – Lenka Pichlikova''; in: ''

'', New York City, February 11, 2001. * ''The Best of the Gold Coast''; in: ''Greenwich Magazine / Westport Magazine'',

Greenwich Greenwich ( , , ) is an List of areas of London, area in south-east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime hi ...

and Westport, August 2006.

External links

*
Filmography in Czech (Kinobox)

Filmography in Czech (CSFD)

Josef Čapek, Czech Modernist Innovator

Personal site
– Web site of Lenka Pichlíková – Burke. {{DEFAULTSORT:Pichlikova-Burke, Lenka Czech stage actresses Czech film actresses Czech mimes American mimes American stage actresses 1954 births Living people Fairfield University faculty Actresses from Prague Czechoslovak emigrants to the United States Academy of Performing Arts in Prague alumni American women academics 21st-century American women