Reza de Wet


Reza de Wet (11 May 1952 – 27 January 2012) was a South African playwright known for her significant contributions to South African theatre.

De Wet was born in Senekal in the Free State of South Africa. She graduated from the University of Cape Town drama school[1][2][3][4][5][6] and worked as an actress. She later obtained a master's degree in English literature and lectured in the drama department of Rhodes University in Grahamstown.[7][8]

Over a span of fifteen years, De Wet wrote twelve plays, five in English and seven in Afrikaans. She won numerous awards for her work, including five Vita Awards, three Fleur du Cap Awards, and one Dalro Award. Her literary accolades include one CNA Prize, one Rapport Prize, and two Hertzog Prizes. Productions of her plays have garnered more than forty theatre awards. Her play Yelena won the Vita Award for Best Script in 1998-1999, and Drie Susters Twee, an Afrikaans adaptation of the Three Sisters, was named Best Production for the same year.

De Wet's play Diepe Grond is a notable work that premiered at the Market Theater in Johannesburg, a venue known for its opposition to apartheid. The play serves as a critique of the moral decay resulting from the country's racist policies.[9] In 2024, a feature film adaptation titled WHITE DEVILS was directed by Gabriel Bologna.[10]

De Wet passed away from leukaemia at her home on 27 January 2012.[11]

  1. ^ Rautenbach, Elmari “Leukemie eis Reza de Wet” “Beeld” 28 January 2012
  2. ^ Brink, André P. “Rapport” 22 March 1987
  3. ^ Odendaal, L.B. “Tydskrif vir Geesteswetenskappe” Jaargang 27 no. 3, September 1987
  4. ^ Olivier, Fanie “Rapport” 29 June 1986
  5. ^ Schutte, H.J. “Tydskrif vir Letterkunde” Jaargang 26, no. 4 November 1989
  6. ^ Van Vuuren, Helize “Die Burger” 16 April 1987
  7. ^ "The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-moon Marigolds - ESAT".
  8. ^ Little Theatre, Univ of Cape Town (1976). "Programme of Die Effek van Gamma Strale directed by Robert Mohr, Reza De Wet in cast". Die Effek van Gamma Strale – via Internet Archive.
  9. ^ "Theatre news: African Gothic by Reza de Wet, directed by Amee Lekas, winner of Theatre Arts Emerging Theatre Directors Bursary 2023". 22 November 2023.
  10. ^ "WHITE DEVILS IMDb". IMDb.
  11. ^ "Reza de Wet". www.doollee.com. Retrieved 7 November 2022.