''The Dead Wait'' is a play by

Paul Herzberg Paul Herzberg (born 1953) is a South African actor and writer, known for ''The Honourable Woman'' (2014), ''Black Earth Rising'' (2019), ''My Week with Marilyn'' (2011), '' Room 36'' (2005), ''Blood'' and ''Cry Freedom'' (1987). Early life Bo ...

which tells the tale of a young

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

n athlete,

conscripted Conscription, also known as the draft in the United States and Israel, is the practice in which the compulsory enlistment in a national service, mainly a military service, is enforced by law. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it contin ...

as a soldier in the

Angolan Civil War The Angolan Civil War () was a civil war in Angola, beginning in 1975 and continuing, with interludes, until 2002. The war began immediately after Angola became independent from Portugal in November 1975. It was a power struggle between two for ...

, who tries to own up to a crime on arriving back home. Partly autobiographical, it draws on Herzberg's similar experiences prior to his leaving South Africa. It was aired for a spell on

BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927. The service provides national radio stations cove ...

. Although the play stems from and has its roots in the context of the

Truth and Reconciliation Commission A truth commission, also known as a truth and reconciliation commission or truth and justice commission, is an official body tasked with discovering and revealing past wrongdoing by a government (or, depending on the circumstances, non-state ac ...

, it does not, unlike its coevals ''

Ubu and the Truth Commission ''Ubu and the Truth Commission'' is a South African play by Jane Taylor. It was first produced on 26 May 1997, directed by William Kentridge at The Laboratory in Johannesburg's Market Theatre. Produced by the Handspring Puppet Company, and empl ...

'' and '' The Story I Am About To Tell'' (with which it was shown at The Laboratory in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...

's Market Theatre), embrace it directly. It is also, unlike the other two, built along traditional theatrical lines. Audiences were generally and genuinely touched by the play. "A friend was deeply moved by the ''Dead Wait''," recalled

William Kentridge William Kentridge (born 28 April 1955) is a South African artist best known for his prints, drawings, and animated films. He is especially noted for a sequence of hand-drawn animated films he produced during the 1990s, constructed by filming ...

, "the play about the war in

Angola Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-Central Africa, central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking world, Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) country in both total area and List of c ...

. He had served as a soldier in that war." The play was staged during Autumn of 2002 under the direction of Jacob Murray, at the Royal Exchange Theatre. The Dead Wait was nominated for Best New Play and production by the Manchester Evening News awards, and in 2002 it won Best Supporting Actor.

Notes

References

* Kentridge, William. "Director's Note." In ''

'', by Jane Taylor, viii-xv.

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

: University of Cape Town Press,

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

External links

"The Dead Wait: This post-Apartheid drama, rooted in South Africa's involvement in the Angolan civil war, is a smart and compelling piece of theatre"
review in ''

The Telegraph ''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are often names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include: Australia * The Telegraph (Adelaide), ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaid ...

'' South African plays 2002 plays Plays set in South Africa Plays set in the 1970s Plays set in the 1980s Plays set in the 1990s Plays set in the 21st century Autobiographical plays {{1990s-play-stub