Programme
Content
A 5 full day international program, held in Ghent where participants create a performance together, writing and staging a play on a real stage – in front of a guest audience.
What we work with:
- The power of storytelling: How stories build community and strengthen leadership
- Performance as ritual: Theatre as a powerful ceremony where participants encounter themselves in new roles and perspectives.
- The role of the body: Rhythm, breath and movement as keys to presence and impact.
What is the outcome:
- Breaking old patterns – awareness and discovering a new you.
- Connect with your instincts, body language and emotional intelligence.
- Approach tension and conflict from a place of calm and authenticity.
Authentic leadership
The challenges in life are strong and as a leader we need to stand firm – hold the space for those who follow in our footsteps. To do that we can connect to what is already there … The road is not starting and ending with the individual. The systemic contribution is offering a rootedness in the bigger story of your life – the wider system that holds us and connects us.
This is not your typical leadership training programme. It’s a unique experience where theatre and ritual come together to help leaders.
Your life and leadership become the script, you are on stage – welcome transformation on body, mind and spirit. By performing on stage, you tap into everything you are and share with other participants. Each is a hero and a support role in one play, one life, one universe.
What participants say…
- “It changed my DNA, I feel energized, happier and full of life after this group program.”
- “I found my voice, It is not just a program for public speaking, it is a program that changes you deeply, giving you the ability to empathize, to feel, to be real in all circumstances”.
- “I calibrate now much better my feelings in relationships, I gain trust in myself, and the ability to accept my past with dignity”.
- “I discovered life through other people stories, it is so touching and it brought so many emotions, making me open up about my own story and I felt held by the group with care.”
- “Being on stage was very difficult, but I found the courage and the experience made me a new person”.
Practical info:
Location: Theatre VIERNULVIER – Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 23, 9000 Gent
Working times:
- 7-11 juli 2026; 9:30-20:00 (lunch & dinner are inclusive)
- The performance: 11 Juli, pm – Invite your friends, family & colleagues
Price:
- one leader on stage – €2500,- excl vat
- two or more – €2250,-excl vat
Trainers:
Junior Mthombeni – Director, theatre maker
“Drawing on my years of experience as a theatre maker, director and storyteller, I will lead an intensive long weekend workshop in Bucharest, Romania: Together with my team we bring a rich mix of disciplines to offer participants a powerful and transformative experience”.
Ria Verlinden – Trainer & supervisor in systemic work.
Trained in Gestalt and initiated in ritual work and old wisdom from South Africa. “This week will dust off your roots and make your wings fly and open up to live fully – with all it brings and asks of you. In the past, the future is growing…”
Nina Plantefève-Castryck – Dancer and coreographer.
Nina is active as a dancer and is associated with companies such as Jr.cE.sA.r in KVS and Hetpaleis. She participated in productions that explore the boundaries of contemporary dance and theater, such as ‘R.I.S.A.’ (2023) and ‘Burning City’ (2024).
Elke Gijsemans – Visual artist and designer
Elke Gijsemans is a visual artist who works both in the studio and live on stage. Her paintings emerge from the raw energy of performers, while her installations confront injustice with bold acts of resistance. She has been featured in performances such as Hannibal and Burning City, where her live painting became an integral part of the work.
Ilinca Păun – Coach, Systemio co-founder, founder of Leaders on Stage
“This program was born from an inspirational moment – seeing the play R.I.S.A, in Bruxelles, where Junior and his team performed magically on stage about family traumas, about social unfair decisions, and above all, about the power of healing together.
I thought – wow, this could be a way for mature leaders to step out of the shadow of perfectionism and control, and show that a full life includes wounds, but we must not hide it anymore, but make it part of our leadership, our voice, our identity.”
The first edition of Leaders on Stage was in April 2025 (Bukarest); further editions were in december 2025 and 3 more editions are planned in Romenia in 2026; aside of Belgium and probably other countries as from 2027.
Evelyne Debeuckelaer – Coach, Trainer
Systemic coach for organisational & leadership development in international settings, following a previous career in HR management. Trainer in systemic work and facilitator of personal development also for women.
Her passion for systemic work, ancient wisdom and rituals, and her inspiration from South Africa continue to fuel her personal and professional development.
She was particpant of the first edition of Leaders on Stage in 2025 and is eager to bring the transformational power of this unique concept to Belgium.