IMPROotje amsterdam 2026
October 10 & 11 - the Zonnehuis Blauwe Zaal, Amsterdam Noord
48 improvisers. 6 directors. 6 shows.
1 community.
IMPRO Amsterdam only comes around once a year and we want more improv. So for the third 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, and a way to meet and play with brilliant people from other communities you might not otherwise easily meet.
It’s also your opportunity to audition to be a part of the 2027 IMPRO Amsterdam Festival Ensemble, joining a group of incredible international performers on the mainstage of the Zonnehuis. Of the 48 people performers selected for IMPROotje, 7 will be invited to join the ensemble.
Applications to be a performer open from 8 August to 12 september!
48 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.
As one of those performers, you’ll experience exactly what IMPRO Amsterdam ensemble members do on show days - a six hour workshop from a top director (in this case, at a highly subsidized cost), followed by a show in the evening, open to the public. The goal is to give you a sense of what being an ensemble member is like, and to give the IA artistic team a sense of how you’d thrive in the festival environment.
Of the 48 performers, 7 will be selected to join the IA2027 Festival Ensemble.
Even if you’re not selected, our hope is that you meet amazing people, learn something new, and have a great show. In other words, we want the experience to stand on its own regardless of the casting outcome.
When we’re assigning performers to directors, we often try to push people out of their comfort zone. IMPRO Amsterdam shows are extremely stylistically diverse, and we want to see how you handle that. If you’re comedy forward, how do you do in a grounded, dramatic set? If you rely on talking, how do you do in silent scenes? The challenge is half of the fun, though, and you’ll be performing in front of an extremely warm audience (and an artistic team that knows and understands that you’re out of your comfort zone).
all about improotje amsterdam
48 Improvisers:
Six incredible improvisers from the Netherlands will direct our 48 performers in unique showcases.
Our directors for IMPROotje 2026 will be:
Salomé Attias (Netherlands)
Jenny Hasenack (Netherlands)
Nardje Trepels (Netherlands)
Emma Wessleus (Netherlands)
Simon Lukacs (Netherlands)
Nora McLeese (Netherlands)
Follow our socials to get to know them a little better!
6 directors
6 shows
IMPROotje Amsterdam is a two day affair, with three showcases per night, varying in tone, structure, and (of course) cast. It’s a great taster for the main festival - we believe that impro can be anything!
1 community
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.
IMPROOTJE amsterdam FAQ
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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, and 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.
Ultimately, we’re looking for an excellent ensemble, not just individuals. In other words, we want a group of people that compliment each other, represent the variety of styles, skillsets, and points of view inherent in our community, and who will work well with the specific makeup of this year’s international cast. In other words, it’s about the blend, not just the ingredients.
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To be considered for the audition and the ensemble, you must:
Be a resident of the Netherlands on or before 10 October, 2026.
Be available during the entirety of the festival
Not have been a member of the ensemble in BOTH 2025 and 2026.
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 generally being a part of the festival community. We do pay performers, but this may not offset lost work hours. Questions about that? Please please talk to us! We love questions.
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We hope to notify everybody by 1 November at the latest. Keep an eye on our socials, though - if we run into any delays, that’s where we’ll let you know.
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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.
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Selections will be made by the IA Artistic Team: Erica Maity (Artistic Director) and Bodei Brouwer (co-Artistic Director), with feedback from the directors and other members of the Production Team.
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Absolutely not! We’ve spread IMPROotje out over two days 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.
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In order to be considered for the cast of IMPRO Amsterdam 2027, you must take part in IMPROotje. Unfortunately, we cannot schedule other days to hold extra auditions.
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Because we have limited space, a prerequisite for taking part in IMPROotje as a performer is your interest and availability in being in the IA2027 festival ensemble.
If that’s not you, that’s OK! The shows are open to the public and will be excellent. We’d love to see you come out and support! -
Yes, particiption in IMPROotje Amsterdam (taking a workshop and performing in a showcase) costs €75.
Basically, we charge for participation to pay the teachers and pay for the venue. IMPRO Amsterdam is a stichting which does not make a profit. Even with this payment, IMPROotje as an event loses the festival money every year. Worth it.
We’ve also dramatically lowered the cost of the showcase workshops to make them more accessible. Typically, a 6-hour workshop at IA costs €120. Still, if you have trouble covering the €75 to participate, please let us know on the application form. We don’t want finances to be a barrier.
Apply to perform at IMPROotje Amsterdam 2026
and audition to join the 2027 IMpro amsterdam festival ensemble
If you have any questions, please check the FAQ first. Question not answered? Email info@impro-amsterdam.nl.
If you are accepted into the cast of IMPROotje, we will follow up with a request for a payment of €75. This cost covers the cost of our venue and allows us to pay our teachers. If you can’t afford it, please don’t let that stop you - let us know on the form and we will do our best to help.
IMPROotje applications are now closed! We will let you know as soon as possible if you’ve been accepted. If not, ticket sales will go live shortly!