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 (Zulu for “The Fire”), the SAFTA Award-winning^[1] South African drama.

Alexander F. Burger
Burger in 2023
Born	(1972-06-12) June 12, 1972 (age 53) Wenham, Massachusetts., U.S.
Occupation	Playwright screenwriter
Education	INSEAD Harvard University (MBA)
Notable works	Umlilo (2015)

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.^[2] The production was later referenced in Wellcome Trust Magazine^[3] and featured in the book Challenging History in the Museum.^[4] His other works include Mashoga (My Wife) 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^[5] (Season 1 and Season 2) which was released on Network 24 in September of that year.In 2023, Burger adapted the stage production The Cry of Winnie Mandela, based on the novel by Njabulo Ndebele, into a theatrical play.^[6] Burger adapted the stage production *The Cry of Winnie Mandela*, based on the novel by Njabulo Ndebele, into a theatrical play.[6] The production premiered at the Market Theatre in Johannesburg from 30 March to 21 April 2024,^[7] returned to the Market Theatre for a second run from 26 February to 30 March 2025,^[8] transferred to the Baxter Flipside in Cape Town from 29 January to 15 February 2025,^[9] and was later staged at the Playhouse Company’s Drama Theatre in Durban on 9 August 2025.^[10]

Activist career

Burger has collaborated with the International Finance Corporation^[11] (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank.

Filmography

Television series

Year	Show	Role	Season	Notes
2016	Umlilo	Head writer	3	13 episodes
			4	13 episodes
	Doubt	Storyline	1	13 episodes
	Hard Copy		4	13 episodes
2016 - 2017	90 Plein Street	Story	5	13 episodes
2018 - 2019	Isthembiso	Story consultant	1	Episode 1 - 208
2019	Die Testament	Head writer	1	Episode 1 - 64
2022			2	Episode 1 - 48

Plays

Writer

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2010	Ain’t Nothin’ Changed	Writer	Was performed in San Francisco as part of the Playground Theatre
2011	Whose Blood: A Tale of Desire and Despair Set in a 19th Century Operating Theatre[12]	Writer	At London’s Old Operating theatre (2012)
2013	Mashoga (My Wife)	Writer	Glasgow Any Objections Festival 2013
2015	The Inkanyamba	Writer	Market Theater Lab
2016	Fees Must Fall	Writer	The University of the Witwatersrand
2024	The Cry of Winie Mandela	Writer (adapted from the novel)	The Market Theatre[13]

Writing awards and recognition

• 1st Prize Short Fiction Competition Award sponsored by the Times Literary Supplement (UK), 2009^[14]