Junior Mthombeni is a theatre maker, actor, and musician. His work is known for its explosive power, blending societal themes, musicality, and the complexity of identity into vibrant, contemporary theatre.

Since 2009, he has been the artistic director of SINcollectief, which gained acclaim with productions such as Troost (with hip-hop collective NoMoBS), Rumble in da Jungle, and Reizen Jihad. These performances brought urban stories to the stage, steering clear of clichés and offering a direct, layered style where music, text, and visuals merge into a sensory theatrical experience.

Together with writer Fikry El Azzouzi and musician Cesar Janssens, he co-founded the collective Jr.cE.sA.r. This trio created some of the most talked-about productions of the past decade, including Malcolm X and Drarrie in de Nacht. In Malcolm X, the iconic civil rights leader was brought to life through slam poetry, beats, and theatre—described as a pivotal moment in Flemish theatre history. Drarrie in de Nacht portrayed the lives of four young men in a multicultural city through a sharp mix of poetry, street language, and sound.

Mthombeni also brings a fresh take to the classical repertoire. Alongside Michael De Cock, he co-directed L’Homme de La Mancha, a contemporary reimagining of Jacques Brel’s take on Don Quixote, praised for its poetic visuals, rawness, and surprising finale. They also collaborated on Hannibal, a visually and musically driven exploration of the famed Carthaginian general’s life—an inquiry into identity, power, and history.

In 2020, he made a strong impression with Dear Winnie, an international production in which nine actresses and singers of African descent paid tribute to Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. The performance, blending dance, song, and personal testimony, became a collective celebration of female strength, resilience, and resistance. For Mthombeni, it was also a tribute to his father, a former ANC freedom fighter, and to the legacy of shared struggle.

That same year, he delved into his musical roots with Sangoma Flight, a swinging and melancholic homage to blues, soul, and the power of performance. In Who’s Tupac? (2021), he flipped the genre on its head with a radical talent show where young performers explored their identity in relation to the icon Tupac Shakur.

With Vaderlandloos (2021), Mthombeni created his most personal work to date. In this solo performance, he wove together the story of his South African father, his Belgian (Mechelen) mother, and his own experience as a child of two worlds. The result was a raw, rhythmic, and emotional journey into identity, connection, and healing both intimate and socially resonant. Vaderlandloos was selected for Het TheaterFestival and received high praise for its honesty and intensity.

In 2023, together with Jr.cE.sA.r, he presented R.I.S.A. (Reckless Idiots Seeking for Absolution), a sharp, humorous ode to laughter as a survival strategy. In an age of chaos and pressure, R.I.S.A. sought room to breathe, laugh, and rebel ushering in a new lightness in Mthombeni’s work without losing its edge.

In 2024, he collaborated with Gerardo Salinas in Barcelona on WTF, a production at the Teatre Nacional de Catalunya. WTF is a raw, socially engaged reflection on identity, privilege, and societal blindness, delivered as a bold collage of language, rhythm, and confrontation uniting two powerful artistic voices.

With the production Hannibal, a collaboration with Michael De Cock, he turned KVS upside down in September 2024. “By blurring the boundaries between all these art forms, Hannibal challenges the hierarchical and binary self-image of the West,” wrote Theaterkrant. His most recent production, Burning City (SOCHA, hetpaleis, KVS, and theater arsenaal), shook the very foundations again in 2025. “Burning City suggests a possible way out of theatre, towards a much more intuitive and musical ritual of collectively making sense of the inner and outer world,” wrote Wouter Hillaert in pzazz.

Throughout all his work, Junior Mthombeni stays true to a core belief: theatre is not a mirror, but a motor for change. His performances aim not just to move audiences but to challenge, question, and awaken them.