The Dead Wait - by Paul Herzberg

"The Dead Wait"

Joe is working closely with writer Paul Herzberg on mounting a new production of his striking play The Dead Wait. The play has had award winning runs in South Africa and Manchester. This production, to be produced by The Ideas Foundry, will be its first London run.

The production team are delighted to announce that Lucian Msamati has agreed to become attached to the project.

Lucian can currently be seen playing the role of Ubu at the Lyric Hammersmith and in Anthony Minghella's The Number One Ladies’ Detective Agency for the BBC.

Further casting will be announced shortly.

Nominations and Awards for The Dead Wait

  • Short listed for 1997 Verity Bargate Award
  • Won British Council Grant Award 1997
  • Nominated Best New Play/Production and Best Performance by Actor Manchester Evening News
  • Won Best Performance by an Actor Manchester Evening News
  • Screenplay selected for Moonstone/Sundance 1998

Previous Productions and Publications

  • Produced by Market Theatre Company, 1997
  • Adapted and broadcast: BBC Radio 4, 1997
  • Adapted/broadcast: WestD Rundfunk, 2002
  • Produced by Royal Exchange Theatre, 2002
  • Published by Oberon Books, 2003
  • The screenplay is currently in development with The Film Council, Moonstone International & Rubicon Films

Reviews from South African and Manchester Productions of The Dead Wait:

A trio of magnificent performances. A shattering parable. Herzberg's performance has a terrible psychotic intensity all the more alarming for having witnessed the conflict first hand.
The London Guardian

Strikingly modern…an autopsy on apartheid.
The New York Times

Paul Herzberg's THE DEAD WAIT is quite incredible… the image of a white soldier carrying a black 'terrorist' on his back towards safety stays in the mind for days... Intense, intelligent, in your face - don't wait another day to see it!
The Sunday Times (South Africa)

Powerful, human and emotional, an historic piece which investigates the past with a view to establishing truth and how to effect reconciliation, not only within society, but within the self - a welcome dimension to the South African theatrical landscape.
The Mail & Guardian

Powerful, compelling and emotional. I have rarely encountered such concentration of energy.
The Citizen

Ex-SA actor and playwright Paul Herzberg has given local theatre a jolt with THE DEAD WAIT and the huge emotional impact it carries.
Business Day Online

Having spent a lot of time in parts of Southern Angola during various African invasions – on the Angolan side – I think Mr Herzberg has done an extraordinary job of capturing the atmosphere of the time. This is an important play, dealing with current subject matter, that should be seen by a London audience.
Victoria Brittain, Deputy Foreign Editor, The Guardian

After a long wait, new South African theatre is beginning to emerge. Playwrights and actors – no longer socially or politically restrained – have found their creative voice and are using it.
Grace Cutler, The Voice Of America

Bravely eschewing easy answers about the realities of reconciliation and redemption, The Dead Wait is a powerful and compelling drama.
Manchester Evening News

Stark, spare, searing, believable – a brilliant take on one of the really big issues in the world today: reconciliation and peace after war.
BBC Radio 4 – Front Row