Junior Mthombeni is a theatre-maker, actor and musician. In recent years he has made a name for himself as the artistic head of the SinCollectief, with whom he created such highly praised productions as Troost (with the NoMoBS hip hop collective), Rumble in da Jungle and Reizen Jihad.

As a creator, he is also part of the collective Jr.cE.sA.r with Fikry El Azzouzi and Cesar Janssens. They were responsible for the successes Malcolm X (“breaking point in Flemish theatre history” – De Standaard) and Drarrie in de Nacht (“cool scattergun”, also according to De Standaard). Together with KVS artistic director Michael De Cock, he directed the Brel-adaptation of L’Homme de La Mancha, based on the book Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes. This recent production was also widely praised: “A bomb. Explosive direction. Unexpected, poetic, and with a magnificent finale,” according to RTBF.

His work as a director presents a theatrical interpretation of burning topical issues (e.g. Syria fighters, corner boys, ...), but equally examines the contemporary significance of inspiring people, movements and events from the recent past, like Malcolm X. Working with a multiethnic cast, Mthombeni captures the metropolitan setting in a form of contemporary music theatre that is influenced by urban arts and musical traditions from every continent.

He himself also appeared on stage as a musician, singer and actor from a very early age. He has worked with, among others, Tone Brulin at the KNS and Alida Neslo at De Nieuwe Amsterdam, and for many years appeared with such bands as Afrobeat Association, El Tattoo Del Tigre, the African Jazz Pioneers and the Internationals.

In the spring of 2020, Junior Mthombeni brings a very personal story to the stage with Dear Winnie. As a tribute to his father, a former ANC resistance fighter, and to his confidant, Winnie Mandela, he creates a musical performance about the infectious power of exceptional people. 

Fikry El Azzouzi is a writer known for his columns, a.o. in De Morgen and De Standaard, novels and plays. His debut, Het Schapenfeest, was published in 2010 and was highly praised. In 2014 it was followed by the novel Drarrie in de nacht, which has been translated into several languages and was nominated for the Golden Owl. It became a true bestseller in Germany and the Spanish translation was warmly welcomed in Latin America. 

El Azzouzi has now written about ten plays and has been widely acclaimed for them. He won the performing arts prize for authors for the play IJdele dagen. For both the play Reizen Jihad and the novel Drarrie in de nacht, he was awarded the Ark Prize for Free Expression in 2015. Together with his company Jr.cE.sA.r he also made Malcolm X, which has been called a piece of theatre history, and the stage version of Drarrie in de nacht, adapted from his novel.

His novel Alleen Zij is the final part of a trilogy whose first two parts are Het Schapenfeest and Drarrie in de nacht. His last novel De Beloning came out in 2019.  

In the fall of 2019 Fikry El Azzouzi creates Dear Winnie, with the company Jr.cE.sA.r: a musical performance about the infectious power of exceptional people, following in the footsteps of Winnie Mandela. 

Cesar Janssens is an autodidact multiinstrumentalist and composer, and is among the top rank in Belgium.

The first band he performed in, The Kids, gained international renown. He was for a long time Raymond van het Groenewoud’s drummer and as a session musician and live accompanist has played with numerous other artists (Roland, Helmut Lotti, Bart Peeters, Kommil Foo, Ronny Mosuse etc.). He has surprised the theatre world with his very unusual compositions and soundscapes, for productions including Reizen Jihad (SinCollectief) and Hannibal (t,arsenaal Mechelen). He joined forces with Junior Mthombeni and Fikry ElAzzouzi to form the collective Jr.cE.sA.r, with whom he created Malcolm X, Drarrie in de nacht, Dear Winnie, and Who's Tupac?.