ABOUT MPILO MAY

Mpilo May is a South African actor, director, producer, musician, and writer known for his acclaimed theatrical performances, international stage appearances, and versatile artistic talent. Throughout his career, he has successfully combined theatre, music, filmmaking, and voice acting, becoming one of the most multifaceted contemporary performers from South Africa.

Mpilo gained international recognition through his powerful theatrical productions and one-man shows, which received praise from both critics and audiences. His performances in Pay Back The Curry (2016), State Fracture (2017), and Land Acts (2018) earned him four nominations at the prestigious Fleur Du Cap Theatre Awards as well as two Naledi Theatre Awards. These productions were written by renowned South African playwright Mike van Graan, widely regarded as one of the country’s most influential and critically acclaimed dramatists.

Over the course of his career, Mpilo has performed internationally in England, the United States, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Sweden, Rwanda, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. His global experience helped shape a unique artistic style that combines emotional depth, charisma, and a strong attention to character detail.

Education and creative growth have always played an important role in Mpilo’s journey. He is a Chevening Alumnus and earned his Master’s degree in Film Producing from MetFilm School in the United Kingdom. He also graduated from the University of Cape Town with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Bilingual Acting.

Among his notable stage performances are his portrayal of William Shakespeare in Shakespeare in Love and Bernardo in the legendary musical West Side Story. His ability to fully transform into diverse and emotionally rich characters has earned him recognition within both the theatre industry and international artistic communities.

Beyond acting, Mpilo May is also deeply passionate about music. He plays multiple instruments, including guitar, piano, bass guitar, and didgeridoo, while also working extensively with vocal performance. Outside of the arts, he enjoys capoeira, salsa dancing, swimming, and football.

In 2026, Mpilo May became especially well known among gaming audiences for voicing Glowy in the globally popular mobile game Brawl Stars. Players praised the character’s energetic personality, memorable voice lines, and distinctive vocal performance. For many fans, Glowy quickly became one of the most recognizable and charismatic new characters in the game.

His work on Glowy demonstrated another side of his talent - the ability to bring a character to life purely through voice, emotion, and performance. By combining his theatrical background with professional voice acting skills, Mpilo succeeded in creating a character that felt vibrant, expressive, and unforgettable.

Today, Mpilo continues to grow as an international artist, working across theatre, film, music, and the gaming industry while expanding his creative influence around the world.

INTERVIEW

Q: Hello Mpilo! Could you tell us a little about yourself? When did you realize that you wanted to dedicate your life to the arts and performing on stage?

Mpilo: I was born in Switzerland and grew up in South Africa. (Johannesburg and Cape Town). I fell in love with the arts when I did my first professional show at the Market theatre performing in ‘Lord of The Flies’. I was still at school at the time (year 9) and it was the perfect excuse to sack off school and forget about homework. I loved every minute of doing that show. We did a 6 week run in theatre.

Q: You work as an actor, musician, director, producer, and writer. Which of these roles feels closest to you today?

Mpilo: Writer and musician. But everything feeds into each other.

Q: You have performed in many countries around the world. Which experience has had the greatest impact on you as an artist?

Mpilo: Two experiences come to mind.

1. Performing at the Tennessee Williams Theatre Festival in Provincetown, USA. I was in a cast of four and we performed two different shows and alternated between these shows over 10 days. It was the first time I performed in the USA and it was alongside some legendary South African artists.

2. The Makhanda National Arts Festival where I did a total of 27 performances in 11 days. I performed in 4 different shows (two one-man shows and two cast shows) over this period and it required an immense amount of discipline and stamina.

Q: Your one-man shows received critical acclaim and prestigious awards. What was the most important lesson you learned during that period of your career?

Mpilo: The team around you is critical. Performing one-man shows can be incredibly lonely and you need people around you that you trust.

Q: How have your theatrical education and stage experience shaped your approach to creating characters?

Mpilo: It has helped me formulate my own method to creating characters. There are different ways to approach creating characters and my education and experience have crystallised how I enjoy doing it.

Q: How different is working in theatre compared to performing in front of a microphone in a voice-over studio?

Mpilo: For me, it’s not different at all. It requires the same energy and commitment physically and vocally.

Q: How did you first receive the opportunity to work on the character Glowy for Brawl Stars?

Mpilo: My VoiceOver agent, Cheryl, from Fitzrovia sent me the brief, which encouraged improvisation and theatricality.

Q: What was your reaction when you found out that you would be voicing a character in one of the world’s most popular mobile games?

Mpilo: I was over the moon! I couldn’t believe it! I was SO EXCITED.

Q: How did the development team introduce Glowy to you? What was your first impression of the brawler?

Mpilo: The development team gave me a character bio of Glowy. My first impression was a passionate nerd.

Q: How long did it take to find the right voice for Glowy?

Mpilo: I think I submitted 4–6 different voices for Glowy. The team chose the one they liked.

Q: What aspects of Glowy’s personality were you trying to convey through your performance and vocal delivery?

Mpilo: His deep passion for marine biology and his quirkiness.

Q: Were there any moments when you had to completely change your interpretation of certain lines to achieve the desired result?

Mpilo: Yes. I had to say some of the lines in ‘utter disbelief’ even though he wasn’t saying it with that intention.

Q: What was the most interesting and memorable part of the voice recording process for Glowy?

Mpilo: The development team’s laughter at my performance. It made me realise how alive Glowy was and he suddenly became real for me.

Q: Does Glowy have a particular voice line or sound effect that you are especially proud of?

Mpilo: “Dolphins recognise themselves in the mirror!”

“Wasn’t that fin’tastic!” - the vocal range on this line is crazy. Not sure if I can ever recreate it.

Q: How closely did the final version of Glowy match the character you imagined while recording?

Mpilo: It matched exactly.

Q: Did you follow the players’ reactions after Glowy was released? Which comments or feedback stood out to you the most?

Mpilo: Yes. People found him goofy which I love. I posted a reel on instagram which got a lot of love and people were surprised to see the actor behind the voice which was really satisfying. Someone said “this is so inspiring”.

Q: How has voicing Glowy influenced your career?

Mpilo: It has encouraged me to lean into voiceover acting even more.

Q: Mpilo, what advice would you give to aspiring voice actors who want to showcase their talent and build a successful career?

Mpilo: The only way people will know you can do it is by showing them. So use social media to demonstrate your skill.

Q: What would you like to say to Brawl Stars fans and to everyone who discovered your work through Glowy?

Mpilo: Thank you for the love! This is only the beginning so watch this space!

Q: Finally, what are your plans for the future? What projects and goals are you focusing on next?

Mpilo: I recently voiced a character for an animation feature film (The Amazing Maurice 2), which I cannot wait to share. There might be a few famous people in that one.

I am currently writing a musical with my friend and collaborative partner, Jimmy Nevis. I will be releasing more music soon and I plan to have one of my tv/ film scripts commissioned soon.

Mpilo May’s social networks and links

If you’d like to see more from Mpilo, you can follow him on his official social medias:

Official website - (www.mpilomay.com/)

Facebook - (www.facebook.com/danielmpilorichards/)

X (Twitter) - (x.com/danielmpilo)

Instagram - (www.instagram.com/mpilo_may/)