“Impro is honesty” - An interview with volunteer coordinator Elena Carbonell

Have you ever been to a big, giant theatre festival and wondered how everything worked so smoothly? What’s keeping it all together? There’s a bunch of ways to answer that question, but maybe the most important one is: volunteers! 

Volunteers are the logistical and spiritual lifeblood of an arts festival like IMPRO Amsterdam. Every year, an entire legion of superstars come together to set up and break down stages, sell tickets and merchandise, show folks to their seats and workshops, pump everyone up when energy starts to dip, and so, so, so much more. And at the center of that spiderweb sits a volunteer coordinator.  

In 2026, we’re pleased as punch to welcome the great Elena Carbonell as our brand new volunteer coordinator. Elena is a mega talented improviser, actor, and singer, and a major advocate for improv as an art form. She’s been the volunteer coordinator for easylaughs for several years, and arrives ready to inspire. 

We sat down (or… toiled over a shared doc) to talk about Elena’s origin story, what she loves about improv, and a few goals for the 2026 edition of IMPRO Amsterdam. Prepare for too much joy, fair reader.  

IMPRO Amsterdam: How’d you get into improv? What kept you coming back?

Elena: Serendipity. After two years of drama lessons with a lot of… drama, I signed up for an easylaughs workshop and decided to give it a try. The moment I stepped into that workshop and saw that I was one of many clowns, I realized that this was what I was looking for. There were other people who were thinking outside of the box, and who were not scared of risking ridicule. There was also a real camaraderie. I felt like I belonged there; this is my tribe. That was more than ten years ago. 

What was your relationship with IMPRO Amsterdam before becoming the volunteer coordinator? What inspired you to apply to the gig?

I have been attending the festival for the past eight years. I started attending the shows, then went on to participate in a few workshops and additional shows. Finally, I started helping out, I felt that that was the way to understand how the festival worked. I have already seen scenes on stage, I wanted to get behind the scenes. 

One of the jobs I loved doing was helping clean the kitchen at the Compagnie Theatre, where the festival was before Het Zonnehuis. It was a professional kitchen and the water hose had lots of pressure. It was fun and whoever I was teamed with to do it, I had a really nice chat with.  

For IMPRO Amsterdam, I will be the volunteer coordinator, a role I have been fulfilling for a long time at easylaughs. My role is to take care of the people who help run the events, workshops, and shows. Support them in the best way possible so they know what they have to do and feel heard.  

How do you perceive improv in The Netherlands and how would you like it to be seen? What needs to happen for this vision to happen?

I think in The Netherlands and most of the world, improv is considered a lesser art form. Also, for reasons I don’t understand, people often confuse improv with stand-up. The first time I actually did stand-up, I was excited about it and my friends were like, “but that’s what you have been doing for a long time!”

The Holy Grail of impro is the answer to that question, “how can we get people to appreciate improv?” I would like it to be regarded as a respectable art form, as well as a way of living and thinking that is holistic and open-minded. Improv could be light, silly and playful, or other times it could be dark and heavy. With impro, you reach out to your subconscious and the velvety void where all good ideas come from. How can I make people see that? The beauty of it.

Whether comedy or drama, whether long-form or short-form. Let them read The Artist’s Way, for example, and tell them that those are the principles taught in impro. I don’t know how to convince people of something other than gentle persuasion.

What are your goals as the new volunteer coordinator?

I want the volunteers to feel supported and heard. That’s the only way they can do their job. I am not the leader, I am the last one of the wolf pack line making sure no one gets lost and everyone is OK.

What is your favorite stuff to do as an improviser?

Stuff that I don’t know I am doing right. When I surprise myself by being totally awesome. So there was this show where I was supposed to be with my team Piña Cölada in Amsterdam. But that same day, I was in Utrecht helping set up a gig. If everything had been OK I could come on time, but all Ubers cancelled the ride and the trains were running weird. My team told me, if it is for just the last five minutes, jump on stage and join us. 

Which I did! I came for the last five minutes, running, asked the stage manager, “tell me the gist of what has happened” (it was long-form) and joined, jumping on the stage. The audience laughed their heads off. 

At the end we were supposed to hold a power pose and I just collapsed on stage. I was dead. 

Aside from the festival, where else can we see you?

I go to almost every improv and/or musical show in the city. My house is easylaughs, but I am very open to the rest of the projects in our community. 

Finish the phrase “impro is” and tell us why!

Improv is honesty. Or, at least, I would like it to be. Daring to show the truth about the present moment, the truth behind the mask and the walls we build around our inner soft, fragile centers. Good improv for me is not about comedy or drama, or whether long-form is better than short-form. It’s about being honest. Forcing nothing.