Alex Burger (screenwriter)


Alex Burger is an American playwright and screenwriter, based in Los Angeles. He is known for serving as the head writer for Seasons 3 and 4 of Umlilo, the SAFTA Award-winning South African drama.

Writing career

Burger began his career as a poet and later transitioned into playwriting. In 2012, his play Whose Blood: A Tale of Desire and Despair Set in a 19th Century Operating Theatre was staged at London's Old Operating Theatre. The production was later referenced in Wellcome Trust Magazine and featured in the book Challenging History in the Museum. His other works include Mashoga presented at the Glasgow Any Objections Festival in 2013, The Inkanyamba performed Market Theatre Lab in 2015, and Fees Must Fall, staged at Wits University in 2016..
In 2019, Burger was the head writer for the South African Afrikaans Drama Die Testament which was released on Network 24 in September of that year.In 2024, Burger adapted the stage production The Cry of Winnie Mandela, based on the novel by Njabulo Ndebele, into a theatrical play.
Burger adapted the stage production *The Cry of Winnie Mandela*, based on the novel by Njabulo Ndebele, into a theatrical play. The production premiered at the Market Theatre in Johannesburg from 30 March to 21 April 2024, returned to the Market Theatre for a second run from 26 February to 30 March 2025, transferred to the Baxter Flipside in Cape Town from 29 January to 15 February 2025, and was later staged at the Playhouse Company's Drama Theatre in Durban on 9 August 2025.

Activist career

Burger has collaborated with the International Finance Corporation
, the private sector arm of the World Bank.

Filmography

Plays

Writer

YearTitleRoleNotes
2010Ain’t Nothin’ ChangedWriterWas performed in San Francisco as part of the Playground Theatre
2011Whose Blood: A Tale of Desire and Despair Set in a 19th Century Operating TheatreWriterAt London's Old Operating theatre
2013Mashoga WriterGlasgow Any Objections Festival 2013
2015The InkanyambaWriterMarket Theater Lab
2016Fees Must FallWriterThe University of the Witwatersrand
2024The Cry of Winnie MandelaWriter The Market Theatre
2025The Cry of Winnie MandelaWriter The Baxter Theatre
2025The Cry of Winnie MandelaWriter The Market Theatre
2025The Cry of Winnie MandelaWriter The Playhouse Company

Writing awards and recognition