Make your mark on
IMPRO Amsterdam
The passionate improv nerds who run IMPRO Amsterdam are looking to add some new faces to the team. Want to join us?
We’ve got a bunch of roles open, with a wide variety of commitment levels.
Click the links below to go to apply for specific positions, or keep scrolling to learn more and get the bigger picture.
We are holding online info sessions on Thursday, 10 April @ 19:00 and Sunday, 13 April @ 11:00. We’d love to meet you!
The big picture
We believe that improv is an art form that deserves the same respect, level of professionalism, and viewership as other performing arts (like scripted theatre, dance, or stand-up). To that end, our long-term goals include:
Creating a line-up of shows every year that surprise and delight both seasoned improvisers and first-time improv viewers
Pushing the boundaries of what improvised theatre can be through experimentation, integration with other art forms (like music, drag, even pro wrestling), and offering innovative workshops
Building and strengthening connections across the pan-Netherlands improv community
Dramatically increasing the general public’s awareness of improv as a skilled art form (because a bigger festival audience for us means a larger pool of audience members for all improv shows in the Netherlands throughout the year)
Providing payment for ALL participants of the festival, from performers to the production team itself.
The Details
Benefits
Being a part of the production team is a lot of work, but it’s also an incredible growth experience and, frankly, a good time. More specifically, you can expect:
The opportunity to meet and work with some of the best improvisers on the planet
The chance to build your skills with a lot of freedom to learn, experiment, and make your mark on the festival (and your resume)
Early access to workshop tickets (a bonus, but also helps us ensure team availability during the festival week), plus major discounts on merch
Payment?
While these are technically volunteer positions, this year we were able to give a small (three-figure) bonus to core production team members, and we hope to grow that number substantially. This payment would occur at the end of the festival season, and is based on how much money we’re able to raise. We hope to eventually offer full, fair payment to the core production team as well as a bonus to members of the production support team, and you can be a part of making that happen (and hopefully setting a trend).
General Requirements
Improv is supposed to be fun, so running an improv festival should be too. We place a high priority on keeping our production team happy and healthy, which means that attitude and soft skills are just as important as your CV, arguably more so. You’ll fit in well if you are:
Passionate about improv. Ideally you have attended IMPRO Amsterdam at least once and have visited other festivals.
Someone with experience in the field you’re applying for, even if that experience isn’t professional
Willing to learn and problem-solve independently
A good communicator who enjoys collaboration
Self-driven and capable of keeping to the festival schedule
Self-reflective and communicative about your needs, concerns, and how they react to problems and stress (because the week of the festival is pretty intense).
Commitment level
In the past, joining the IMPRO Amsterdam Production Team has been a huge commitment. We’re doing our best to reduce the load by:
Using professional software to reduce manual work
Expanding the team so that no individual carries an unrealistic burden
Facilitating ongoing, year-round conversations about support needs, boundaries, and capacity (and acting on requests that come out of those conversations)
Creating multiple levels of involvement
Core Production Team members can expect to participate throughout the year and be present for the entirety of the festival itself. The workload is larger, but the impact on the festival is much bigger. The requested term of commitment is 3 years (so that you have time to learn the gig and master it).
Production Support Team members have a much, much more flexible level of commitment. They commit to attending team meetings regularly, but can control their workload and availability so that they can fit their work into their busy schedule. The term of commitment is flexible and ongoing, although we hope you’ll stick around for the full year!
Application Process
All applicants must fill out the appropriate application form below.
You must have a meeting with the person who would be your supervisor. For core production team roles, this is Erica (the Artistic Director); for other roles it could be a different member of the production team.
This meeting can be virtual or in-person and can happen either before you fill out the application form (if you’d like to feel out whether you’re interested in the role or not) or after (in which case we’ll reach out to you to schedule).
If you fill out the application form first and you are deemed not to be a good fit (lack of experience, availability, or some other concern) we will let you know.
If you become a finalist for the position, you will have a meeting with the rest of the production team (to make sure everyone gets along and any final questions are answered) and, depending on the role, potentially a meeting with the Board. If the team agrees that you are the right fit, you will be offered the role.
artistic angel
Core Production Team, Artistic
The Co-Artistic Director (Artistic Angel) is the right hand of the Artistic Director and helps make all artistic decisions related to the festival. It’s an incredibly cool opportunity to have a say in all casting and selection decisions, and to work directly with some of the best improv performers and directors in the world.
Term: 3 years
Level: Core production team, reports to the Artistic Director (Erica Maity)
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Co-development of festival vision with Artistic Director
Partnering with Artistic Director to manage and review submissions and make selections for all performers, hosts, and teachers for main festival as well as IMPROotje Amsterdam, our all-Dutch minifestival
Artist communication pre-festival (including solicitation of technical requirements, sets, and costume needs)
During the festival, being available on all days to:
Supervise the stage manager
Source and keep track of props and sets
Coordinate set design and setup
Coordinate with technical improvisers and musical director
Problem-solve as needed
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Varies dramatically throughout the year, with summer (submission season) and the month prior to the festival being the busiest. Expect some weeks with very little to do, others with a 15-20 hour workload.
We encourage you to be frank with us about the time you can commit, and we take these personal boundaries very seriously.
The festival will eat as much time as you feed it, so be prepared to manage your own bandwidth and request time away if and when you need it. We always honor these requests - we don’t want anyone to burn out.
However, if you can’t commit to managing the workload of the busy periods because of your day job, this role might not be the right fit for you.
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Required
Some experience with improv or event production (you’ve produced shows or organized workshops before, even if they were small - or maybe you organized your own wedding).
Deep knowledge of improv and an eye for quality and innovation
Some knowledge of (and participation in) the improv scene in the Netherlands
Have previously attended IMPRO Amsterdam (even just as an attendee)
Dutch residency and willingness to travel periodically to Amsterdam (although most work can be done remotely)
Full availability to be on-site the week of the festival
Preferred
Fluent or native Dutch speaker
Existing knowledge of (and connections to) the international improv scene
Volunteer coordinator
Core Production Team, Operations
IMPRO Amsterdam can’t happen without an army of volunteers. We want to make sure that they have a great experience by having a dedicated team member to recruit, train, and manage them. You get to meet and work with fantastic people from around the country, and have a key say in how they work, what they do, and making sure they have a great experience.
Term: 3 years
Level: Core production team, reports to the Artistic Director (Erica Maity) and works closely with the Operations Coordinator (Nina Wolfram)
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Creating a volunteer plan for the main festival (and potentially IMPROotje Amsterdam, our mini-festival) that includes identifying and developing volunteer roles, tasks, and schedules
Creating a training program for volunteers so that volunteer leads (like Front of House Manager and Stage Managers) are prepped and ready to do their jobs by the time they show up at the festival
Developing policies and procedures for volunteer management
Recruiting volunteers
During the festival, managing volunteers (including handling shift changes, dealing with emergent issues, and volunteer communication)
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We anticipate this varying pretty dramatically throughout the year, with April-November being largely prep work (and a pretty light time commitment), and December-February being quite busy.
We encourage you to be frank with us about the time you can commit, and we take these personal boundaries very seriously.
The festival will eat as much time as you feed it, so be prepared to manage your own bandwidth and request time away if and when you need it. We always honor these requests - we don’t want anyone to burn out.
However, if you can’t commit to managing the workload of the busy periods because of your day job, this role might not be the right fit for you.
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Required
Full availability to be on-site the week of the festival
Willingness to learn and use available tools for volunteer management including any festival management software used by the team
An aptitude for organization and documentation
Ability to stay calm and kind during periods of stress
Great interpersonal communication skills
Preferred
Previous experience as a volunteer at IMPRO Amsterdam or another festival/similar event
Fundraiser and partnership specialist
Core Production Team, Finance
The Fundraising and Partnership Specialist role is new, and based on our desire to grow the festival into something that becomes a real part of the Amsterdam theatre scene. It’s not just a great opportunity to meet people, build your network and become an evangelist for improv - you also play a key role in helping the festival grow and making sure everyone gets paid what they’re worth (including you!).
Term: 3 years
Level: Core production team, reports to the Artistic Director (Erica Maity) and works closely with our Finance Guru (Chi Chan)
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Developing and executing a fundraising plan that may include corporate and individual donations, sponsorship programs, fundraising events, and more
Identifying and developing sponsorship relationships with corporations, including soliciting financial donations and/or partnerships (donations of hotel rooms, alcohol, props, sets, etc.)
Identifying and developing donor relationships with individuals of means, potentially including fundraisers, auctions, or bequests
Working with finance guru (Chi Chan) to develop realistic festival budget
Working with rest of production team to maintain consistent communication about the goals of the festival and overall benefits of improv as an art form
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This is a new role, so we don’t have a great sense of what the time commitment will be.
We encourage you to be frank with us about the time you can commit, and we take these personal boundaries very seriously.
The festival will eat as much time as you feed it, so be prepared to manage your own bandwidth and request time away if and when you need it. We always honor these requests - we don’t want anyone to burn out.
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Required
Excellent communication skills (and ideally Dutch proficiency, as we think that will be very helpful)
Local to the Randstad
Comfortable handling/managing a budget (either personally or professionally - you know if you’re a spreadsheet person or not)
Willingness to be audacious about reaching out to people and companies, even if they seem like they’re big fish
Willingness to travel to meet individuals and corporate reps in person
Experience with and understanding of improv
High degree of professionalism
Ability to be self-driven: This is a new role, and we need someone with the confidence to develop and execute a plan without guidance from an expert
Preferred
Sales or fundraising experience
Webmaster
Production Support Team, Marketing & PR
This year, we updated our website. We need someone to help us maintain it and integrate it with our other tools. As webmaster, you have a direct effect on how people interact with the festival - artists, audience members, press and everyone else stop here first.
Term: 3 years
Level: Production support team, reports to the Artistic Director (Erica Maity) and the PR & Marketing Lead (Isaac Simon)
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Working with our outgoing webmaster (Di Ratushnyy) to understand the core needs of our website and helping to build them into Squarespace
Handling necessary integrations with festival management software, ticketing, and merch sales
Ensuring that production team members can update content as necessary (which helps the website stay sustainable as well as making sure that your own workload isn’t crazy)
Timely updating of website with new content as necessary
Ensuring that the website is ready for moments of peak load (we got accidentally DDOS’ed by improvisers trying to buy workshop tickets last year)
Ensuring that our website looks and works great in both desktop and mobile environments
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Because the goal is creating a website that is sustainable and updatable by the core production team, we hope that the overall annual workload will be fairly low (with peaks in early summer when we integrate our festival management software and autumn, when we release tickets.)
We encourage you to be frank with us about the time you can commit, and we take these personal boundaries very seriously.
The festival will eat as much time as you feed it, so be prepared to manage your own bandwidth and request time away if and when you need it. We always honor these requests - we don’t want anyone to burn out.
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Required
Experience with website creation and management (either personal or professional)
Experience with APIs
Ability to respond quickly to change requests
Willingness to maintain brand standards
Ability to manage your own schedule
Preferred
Experience with Squarespace
Some coding aptitude (scripting languages, front-end web stuff)
Content creators
Production Support Team, PR & Marketing
Do you like making graphics? Video? We’re looking for people proficient in Canva (or similar, or someone willing to learn) and/or social media video production who wants to take on making content for social media. This isn’t a full branding project (we did that last year), but you’d still have a ton of influence and control over how the festival looks and feels.
Term: Ongoing
Level: Production Support Team, reports to PR & Marketing Lead (Isaac Simon)
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Graphics Content Specialist
Timely generation of web graphics for use in social media and other campaigns
Creation of print collateral including flyers/posters
Maintenance of brand standards and consistency in communication
(If desired) Input on/creation of merch designs
Video Specialist
Ideation and creation of video for social media
Co-development of video content creation plan and timeline with head of PR & Marketing
Editing existing video from previous festivals into trailers and other promo
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The time commitment for Production Support Team roles are really flexible. These roles are a great way to get involved in a more casual way.
We encourage you to be frank with us about the time you can commit, and we take these personal boundaries very seriously.
The festival will eat as much time as you feed it, so be prepared to manage your own bandwidth and request time away if and when you need it. We always honor these requests - we don’t want anyone to burn out.
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Graphics Specialist
Required
An eye for design and some existing work that we can see
Commitment to deadlines
Frequent communication with the PR & Marketing Team
Knowledge of design software. We’ve been using Canva and have lots of existing designs that can be iterated, but if you prefer another tool we’re open to it.
Preferred
Some knowledge of the differences inherent in designing for print vs web (e.g. RGB vs CMYK, color correction for print)
Video Specialist
Required
Prior experience with video content creation (show us your socials!) at either a personal or professional level
Willingness to adhere to brand standards (both in terms of visuals and tone)
Ability to both collaborate with the rest of the PR & Marketing team and work independently on projects, respecting deadlines.
Preferred
Existing connections within the Netherlands improv community
Some improv experience
PR and media outreach
Production Support Team, PR + Marketing
Getting the general public aware of and excited about improv is a huge part of our festival vision. We’re looking for someone who is willing and interested in doing that legwork - finding press contacts, getting interviews, and spreading the word.
Term: Ongoing
Level: Production Support Team, reports to the Artistic Director (Erica Maity) and PR & Marketing Lead (Isaac Simon)
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Identifying and engaging channels for media outreach (newspapers, radio shows, even TV)
Identifying unconventional marketing channels and working with the head of PR & Marketing to use them
Working with other members of the team to consistently communicate the festival vision
Working with other members of the team to craft press releases, video content, and graphics to increase outreach
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Production Support Roles are designed to be extremely flexible. They’re a great way to get involved at a level that works with your life.
We encourage you to be frank with us about the time you can commit, and we take these personal boundaries very seriously.
The festival will eat as much time as you feed it, so be prepared to manage your own bandwidth and request time away if and when you need it. We always honor these requests - we don’t want anyone to burn out.
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Required
Fearlessness about approaching potential media partners (willingness to take meetings, make phone calls, and be audacious)
Professional attitude - able and willing to present the festival as a professional production worthy of coverage
Good English-language skills
Willingness to be self-driven in finding potential media partners
Preferred
Good Dutch-language skills (strongly preferred)
Local to Amsterdam
Some prior experience in working with the media
