IMPROotje amsterdam 2025.

September 20 & 21 - the Zonnehuis Blauwe Zaal, Amsterdam Noord

40 improvisers. 5 directors. 6 shows. 1 community.

IMPRO Amsterdam only comes around once a year, so for the second year in a row we’re throwing an all-Netherlands mini-festival, IMPROotje Amsterdam (“little IMPRO Amsterdam”). It’s a celebration of the many improv communities all around The Netherlands that make our big annual festival possible.

IMPROotje Amsterdam is two days of shows and workshops spotlighting local performers, directors, and teachers. It’s also the audition to be a part of the 2026 IMPRO Amsterdam Festival Ensemble.

Here you’ll find all the information on how to sign up for the audition, take a workshop, and see improvisers from all around the country playing like they’ve never played before!

sign ups for the audition open on 29 July,and close on 24 august.

all about improotje amsterdam

40 performers from all over the Netherlands will be matched with guest directors to learn a brand new format in one day and perform it that evening. It’s a chance to play with new people, learn from an IMPRO Amsterdam director, and perform in a style you may not have tried before.

40 Improvisers:

Five incredible improvisers from the Netherlands and Belgium who have been on the IMPRO Amsterdam stage before will direct our 40 performers in unique showcases. We’ll be announcing our guest directors soon, so stay tuned!

5 directors

IMPROotje Amsterdam is a two day affair, with three shows per night. On September 20th, you’ll see three audition showcases, and on the 21st, you’ll see two more, plus a special Director’s Show, featuring all of our guest directors and a few surprise players from the IMPRO Amsterdam production team.

6 shows

Not eligible or interested in being part of the 2026 Festival Ensemble? Not a problem. We’re offering several non-audition workshops, too! Will they be reprises of sold-out workshops from last year’s festival? Something brand new? Stay tuned - workshop tickets will go on sale soon.

2 workshops

Yes, IMPROotje acts as an opportunity for us to select the local members of our Festival Ensemble, but it’s so much more. It’s also an opportunity to spotlight the incredible performers who make up our community. It’s a chance to nerd out with fellow improvisers from other cities, learn from folks outside of our normal cycling range, and revel in all the talent we have here at home.

1 community

One of the main features of IMPRO Amsterdam is our Festival Ensemble. Who’s in the ensemble, you ask? It’s a mix of international performers we love who we’ve invited, and top performers from all over the Netherlands who we think would blend well into one beautiful troupe.

To build this ensemble, the Artistic Team goes to shows throughout the year to get to know local communities around the country. But the ultimate selection is made from the showcase performers at IMPROotje Amsterdam.

Why? Ensemble members need to be fast on their feet, able to pick up a new format in a single workshop. They need to be well-rounded performers, comfortable with anything from broad comedy to grounded drama. And finally, they need to be team players who can mesh with a group, take notes, and allow others their time to shine while finding moments for themselves. The showcases at IMPROotje Amsterdam give us the opportunity to see performers stretch themselves, taking on formats that are outside of their comfort zone and working with new directors and teammates. If you thrive at IMPROotje, we know you’ll thrive at the main festival.

So how does it work?

Interested improvisers apply to be a part of the IMPROotje program. These spots are not first come first served - we will be screening applicants to make sure they have sufficient experience to succeed. They must also live in the Netherlands, be comfortable performing in English, and available for the dates of the main festival (21-28 February).

Accepted improvisers will be placed into a team of up to 8 players led by a guest director who has performed, directed, or taught at IMPRO Amsterdam before. They’ll be asked to perform a format that we think may be a little out of their comfort zone. For example, a comedic player might be placed in a drama, or a very wordy player might be asked to get abstract.

On either 20 or 21 September, the team will gather at Het Zonnehuis in Amsterdam Noord for a five-hour format workshop. That evening, they’ll perform their show for a general audience, plus the Artistic Team of IMPRO Amsterdam.

The Artistic Team will select up to eight local performers to invite to join the IA 2026 Ensemble, based on their performance that evening, any prior knowledge of their performance, and feedback from the directors.

Applications open 29 July!

audition to be a part of the 2026 ensemble

IMPROOTJE amsterdam FAQ

  • Members of the IA festival ensemble need to be all-rounders, capable of playing big and silly as well as grounded and emotional. We want to see what you can do!

    We watch a lot of improv throughout the year across the Netherlands, but we recognize that we may only be seeing a part of your skillset. With IMPROotje, we want you to show us all of your facets - if you usually play comedy, we might place you in a drama. If you usually play physically, you might be asked to talk a lot!

    We know that this means that you might be a little out of your comfort zone, but that’s designed to be part of the fun. Ensemble performers at the main festival are often asked to try new things, and we are looking to see how you adapt to that - not just how good your performance is that night.

  • To be considered for the audition and the ensemble, you must:

    • Be a resident of the Netherlands (or you will be one by the time the main festival happens in February).

    • Not have been a member of the ensemble in BOTH 2024 and 2025.

    • Have a high degree of English language competency.

    Additionally, to be a good fit for the IA ensemble, you should be:

    • An experienced improviser who is capable of learning a new format within 3-6 hours

    • A supportive player who knows when to step forward and when to let others shine

    • A solid teammate - you show up on time, respect your colleagues and your directors, and give it your all.

    • Available! IA ensemble members are expected to be present for all 8 days of the festival, participating in shows and workshops. We do pay performers, but this may not offset lost work hours. Questions about that? Please please talk to us! We love questions.

  • Performers who have been selected to join the Festival Ensemble will know by 1 October. If you were not selected, you will be notified shortly after.

  • Listen, casting the festival is by far the hardest part. We have to consider the ensemble as a whole, not just the individual.

    Sometimes a performer is brilliant but doesn’t mesh well with the other folks who were selected. Sometimes they were too similar in play style to someone else. Sometimes it comes down to demographics - we want folks from a range of improv communities all around the country, an even mix of genders, a variety of perspectives.

    In short, if you weren’t selected, it doesn’t mean that we didn’t like you or that you won’t get selected another year. Basically, there’s just too much damn talent in this country to make our jobs easy.

  • Selections will be made by the IA Artistic Team: Erica Maity (Artistic Director) and Willem van den Brink (co-Artistic Director), with feedback from the directors and other members of the Production Team.

  • Absolutely not! We’ve spread IMPROotje out over two days this year so that we can better fit into more people’s schedules, as well as to give the Artistic Team a little breathing room.

    We know that travel and accommodation are expensive. If you’d like to come for both days, you certainly can - but if it doesn’t work for you, it’s not a problem at all.

  • Fill out the form below and select “I’m not available on these dates”.

    We know that September is a busy month for everyone. While we’d like to mandate that all potential Ensemble members come to IMPROotje to audition, if we find that there’s a huge group of people who are unavailable those days, we’ll see about a secondary make-up set elsewhere.

    That said, we hope to make decisions by 1 October, so if you are out of the country for all of August and September, we may not be able to consider you this year. Fortunately, IMPRO Amsterdam happens annually - we really want to see you next time!

  • Absolutely! IMPROotje Amsterdam has a little something for everyone. We will have workshops from top teachers in the Netherlands and Belgium. You can also see some excellent improv and support your friends by watching them audition in the main shows.

  • That’s right! Tickets for the shows and non-audition workshops will go on sale soon. Please sign up for our mailing list and/or subscribe to our socials to get updates.