Several of her Arena Stage productions toured internationally, including "Inherit the Wind" and "The Crucible". From 1984 until 2009 Fichandler was chair of the graduate acting program and Master Teacher of Acting and Directing at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. From 1991–94, she was artistic director of The Acting Company. "Fichandler’s directing is characterized by intensive study and preparation. She all but psychoanalyzes  the character she is studying and physically describes the emotions of the characters onstage with the utmost clarity. That is why she was so remarked for her ability to bring the actors to that level of excellence in her productions." [8]   Her honors and awards include the Common Wealth Award for distinguished service in the dramatic arts (1985); the Helen Hayes Award for directing "The Crucible" (1988); and the National Medal of Arts in 1996. She was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame in 1999, the first artistic leader outside of New York to be so honored. In 2002, Zelda delivered The Americans for the Arts 15th Annual Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts and Public Policy at the Kennedy Center. In 2009, she received the Foremother Award from the National Center for Health Research  Fichandler died in her home on July 29, 2016, in Washington, D.C., due to complications from congestive heart failure. She was 91 years old. "There is a hunger to see the human presence acted out. As long as that need remains, people will find a way to do theater." List, Murray D., and Zelda Fichandler. "An Interview With Zelda Fichandler." Group 3, no. 4 (1979): 236-54. https://www.jstor.org/stable/41717969. Bartow, Arthur. "The Director's Voice : Twenty-One Interviews." New York : Theatre Communications Group. 2012. eBook. Marks, Peter. ZELDA FICHANDLER: [FINAL Edition] The Washington Post; Washington, D.C. [Washington, D.C] 11 Sep 2005: N.07. http://search.proquest.com/docview/409888684  10. Patricia Bauer. Zelda Fichandler. Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. September 30, 2016. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Zelda-Fichandler February 23, 2017  1.