safety

Improv is built on acceptance, and that goes beyond “yes, and”. To create great improv, we need an environment where everyone can show up authentically, bring their ideas, build on one another’s offers and create experiences that are fun, honest and comfortable for all. Because acceptance is key in improv, this festival actively prioritizes inclusion. We welcome participants from diverse backgrounds and lived experiences, and we are committed to providing a safe, respectful, and welcoming environment for everyone.

As improvisers and humans, we recognize that we will all make mistakes. Our goal is not perfection, but accountability. We are building a culture of tolerance, authenticity, and care. This includes taking responsibility for our actions, listening when harm is named, apologizing for behavior with unintended impact and prioritizing learning to make safe(r) choices for our community.

Well-being Rights and Code of Conduct

The festival Production Team has safety in mind from day one of festival planning. We are committed to honoring your well-being rights as well as enforcing our Code of Conduct, no matter who you are.

As an Impro Amsterdam organiser, volunteer, teacher, workshop participant, performer or audience member, I have the right:

• To feel safe, welcome and respected.

• To set my own physical and psychological boundaries. It is OK not to be OK.

• To refuse to take part, to be part, or to continue doing anything that makes me feel uncomfortable or unsafe, without any explanation needed.

• To love, to cry, to be happy and to be sad. I have the right to feel, whatever that is and means for me, without being judged.

• To speak up for myself if I feel uncomfortable or unsafe in any situation, if it is safe for me to do so. I have the right to speak up for anyone if I witness a situation where I think somebody feels uncomfortable or unsafe, either in the moment or by escalating to the Trustees.

• To be supported on and off stage.

• To try and to fail.

• To be the beautiful human I am.

By participating in the festival as an organiser, volunteer, teacher, workshop participant, performer or audience member, I commit to respecting the Impro Amsterdam Code of Conduct.

Trustees

If you ever feel unsafe, unwelcome, or uncomfortable, we want to help. While the Production Team is happy to have these conversations, we also appoint specific people to be your advocates during the festival itself. These people are our Trustees.

Our Trustees are appointed annually before the festival and exist outside of the Production Team. That means that, even if you have a problem with one of the organizers, you can safely and confidentially speak to them. Your conversations with them - by phone, message, email, or in person during the festival - are kept anonymous (unless you wish otherwise). The Trustees are empowered to help in any way they can, including facilitating conversations with the person who made you uncomfortable, going to the Production Team for action, or even alerting the authorities.

When our 2026 Trustees are appointed, their photos and contact information will be listed here and made widely available at the festival.

If you are interested in being a Trustee for IMPRO Amsterdam 2026, please email info@impro-amsterdam.nl.