The Boom Chicago Academy is your gateway to improv and comedy! Whether you’re a beginner or ready to refine your craft, we offer a variety of opportunities to learn, perform, and have fun:
Not sure where to start? Take a two-hour Taster Class for just €30, and we’ll credit the fee if you join a full course. Stick around after class to socialize with your new friends at the Boom Bar. It’s all part of the experience.
Come for the laughs, stay for the community. Join us today!
Session Dates for 2026
Summer Intensives
Unsure about improv? Let us give you a taste!
Spend two hours on a Saturday afternoon with Boom Chicago’s actors and experience what we do best: creating comedy on the spot. You’ll laugh, play, and discover the thrill of thinking fast and working together. No experience necessary.
Unsure about improv? Let us give you a taste! For 2 hours on a Saturday afternoon, Boom Chicago actors will give you an insight into what we do on stage. Feel the thrill of improvisation and get ready to have fun! No experience is necessary.
Taking an improv taster class is not an essential part of our training program, but it is a great introduction. A taster class costs €30, but if you decide to join a full class (Intro to Improv), we’ll deduct this from your fee.
This is where it all starts! An exciting eight-week course for beginners of all backgrounds. Join to increase your confidence, performance skills or join a fun community.
Unlock the world of improv with our engaging Introductory Improv Class! Perfect for beginners, this course dives into the essentials of improvisation, guiding students through fun exercises in agreement, commitment, spontaneity, and active listening. No prior experience or special training is needed—everyone is welcome to jump in and discover the magic of improv!
After class, keep the good times rolling! Head to our Boom Bar, where you can unwind, share laughs, and connect with your new improv friends over drinks. At Boom Chicago, we believe the joy of improv doesn’t stop when the class ends—it’s a community that keeps the fun going. Join us and discover the endless possibilities of improv in Amsterdam’s most dynamic space!
Curious about improv? Try it out!
Spend two fun-filled hours on a Saturday afternoon with Boom Chicago’s actors and discover the thrill of improvisation. No experience? No problem! This taster class is the perfect intro to thinking on your feet and having a blast. At just €30, it’s a great deal. And if you join our Intro to Improv course, we’ll credit the fee toward your class. Come as you are and leave with a smile (and maybe a new hobby)!
Eight Weeks – No Experience Needed!
In this introductory eight-week course, students explore the fundamental principles of improv through exercises in agreement, commitment, spontaneity and listening. You don’t need any experience or training to join. And the excitement doesn’t end there! Stay for a drink with your (new) friends at our Boom Bar!
Using mainly two-person scenic exercises, we’re going to build on everything we learned in your Intro to Improv Course. The level will incorporate more teacher feedback than Level 1 and still feature lots of group exercises, but Level 2 centers more on each student getting the practice needed to really discover their comedic style.
In Level 3, you will do some of your most advanced improv yet! You will learn to create characters from all sorts of inspiration points and also begin to start seeing how to string these scenes together so that you can connect these characters through narrative structures.
You will leave this class capable of playing lots of different short form games. You’ll master these classic improv
games alongside your ensemble with confidence, clarity, and playfulness. This whole course builds toward your 40-minute final showcase at the end of the term, which will consist of your ensemble’s favorite short-form games.
This is the final level of Short Form courses offered at Boom Chicago! You will become expert hosts and create your own short-form improv games. This whole course builds toward your hour-long final showcase at the end of the term where you will perform original and favorite improv games in front of an audience.
The goal of Level 4 Long Form is to form an ensemble that creates compelling scenes and builds engaging narratives. This whole course builds toward your 40-minute final showcase at the end of the term where you will perform long-form improv in front of an audience.
This is the final level of Long Form courses offered at Boom Chicago! With your ensemble, you will explore advanced long forms and develop your group style. With your instructor, you’ll use the knowledge of these other long forms to create an original one. This whole course builds toward your hour-long final showcase at the end of the term, where you will perform it in front of an audience.
4-Week Elective taught by Boom Chicago’s Artistic Director, Brad Kemp.
Sundays from 14:00-17:00 (October 25, Nov 1, 8, 15)
Turn off your inner critic, step onto the stage, and experience the thrill of making up songs on the spot. This four-week course uses high-energy short-form games and scenic forms to teach you the essentials of musical improv—from building vocal confidence and full commitment to song structures and rhyming. No musical background is required; just bring your basic improv skills and the confidence to sing out loud!
10-Week Elective taught by Boom Chicago cast member and Boom’s Academy Manager Laura Maynard
Both sections of this course in 2026 are sold out. There will be more dates in 2027 soon!
Come be part of a full sketch ensemble process from start to finish! This ten-week elective includes four weeks of creating sketches, three weeks of learning to act and perform these sketches, and then a three-week run of shows.
NOTE: There will not be a general on-sale for this class. A prerequisite for this course is either previous sketch experience at a different improv theater, one of our one-day sketch workshops (Creating Your Own Sketches) or attendance at one of our free 3-hour sketch workshops, which are available to anyone, with any improv experience level. Laura wants to ensure the sketch ensemble’s casting is balanced and diverse, so if you’re interested in this course, make sure you’ve completed one of these other prerequisites first!
Mondays from 19:00-22:00 (Nov 9, 16, 23)
Ever gotten the note to project your voice? Or to be more committed to your characters? We are improvisers, but we are also actors! In this three-week elective, we will dive into the actor’s toolbox in an accessible, fun way.
We’ll work on:
– Vocal technique: projection, vocal care, diction, maybe even some dialects
– Physicality: how to increase your space awareness and use the stage to your advantage
– Lessons from stage acting that we can use as improvisers, such as emotional vulnerability and character commitment
– Scripted scene study: what can we learn from written work to help our improv?
This class is open to anyone enrolled in Level 2 or higher. There will be some light homework. Taught by Boom Chicago ensemble member and instructor Katie Nixon.
Tuesdays from 19:00-22:00 (Oct 27, Nov 3, 10, 17)
Explore the skills that breathe life into a narrative piece. Deshawn will use techniques from forms like the Movie, Shamilton, and The Deconstruction to teach narrative improv. In this four week elective, you will also study story structures, like the Hero’s Journey and The Mindset of A Swim in the Pond in the Rain. Deshawn will also have you look to your favorite movies, TV shows, plays, and films to inspire these forms.
This class is open to anyone enrolled in Level 3 or higher. Taught by Boom Chicago ensemble member and instructor, Deshawn Mason. If you’re unsure if you’re eligible to sign-up for this elective, please email the Academy Manager, Laura, ([email protected]) directly.
4-Week Elective taught by Katie O’Reilly
Tuesdays from 19:00-22:00 starting October 6th
Tuesday from 19:00-22:00 starting November 10th
This comedy writing course is designed for people who want to explore comedy beyond traditional setups and punchlines, with a focus on alternative comedy, absurdism, character work, satire, storytelling, sketch concepts, and finding unique comedic ideas. Through a series of writing exercises, prompts, and workshops, students will learn how to generate original material, develop a distinct comedic perspective, and experiment with different forms of comedy writing. Whether you’re interested in creating solo shows, sketches, characters, satirical pieces, humorous essays, videos, or simply writing stranger and more inventive comedy, this class will help you expand your creative toolkit. No previous comedy experience is required, just curiosity, a willingness to take creative risks, and an interest in making weird, wonderful, and memorable comedy.
The course covers a wide range of techniques and styles to help you discover your own comedy voice along with exercises to boost confidence, creativity and imagination. You will learn the basics of joke writing, presentation and you will leave these four weeks with the beginning of a stand-up routine.
6-Week Elective taught by Katie O’Reilly
Two sections available in 2026:
Saturdays from 14:00-17:00 starting August 29th, with a showcase on October 3rd
Sundays from 14:00-17:00 starting November 8th, with a showcase on December 13th
Ready to take your stand-up to the next level? This advanced course is designed for comedians who have already completed our introductory class or have prior stand-up experience and are looking to sharpen their material, strengthen their stage presence, and develop a more distinctive comedic voice.
Students will focus on writing stronger premises, crafting longer-form bits, improving transitions, refining crowd work skills, and developing a cohesive set. Through in-depth feedback, writing exercises, and performance workshops, comedians will learn how to edit more effectively, elevate their joke-writing, and create material that feels uniquely their own.
The course will end with a live showcase where students will perform an extended set in front of an audience.
Join Boom Chicago cast member and Academy Manager Laura Maynard for a day long workshop all about how to take an idea for a sketch and prevent it from dying in the notes app on your phone.
Laura will teach you how to translate your idea into something others can understand and build upon. This workshop is perfect for improvisers who have always wanted to do sketch comedy but have no idea where to begin. Apply all the skills you already hold as an improviser to crafting your own hilarious and unique sketches- no script or previous experience required!
This day-long workshop will include an hour break for lunch. This class will be held on Saturday, September 12th, from 11:00-17:00 at Boom Chicago, and the attendance will be capped at 12 students. Book now!
Saturday, September 19th from 10:00 to 17:00 (with an hour lunch break)
Improvising solo can be exciting, terrifying, and an incredible exploration of who we are as improvisers. And everything’s more fun in a group! Using the energy of an ensemble, we will try on different solo styles and focus on what we love about improv, how we want to play, and what makes each of us unique. Whether you’re super comfortable on your own or find the idea scary, we’ll create a fun environment to challenge yourself, delight each other and play!?
The workshop will immediately be followed by a solo improv show, open to the public, performed by Anděl in our Attic Theater at 6PM.
Anděl Sudik is a director, improviser, actor, and writer based in L.A. and Chicago, known for her explosive energy onstage and in the classroom as well as her experiential teaching style. She is a faculty member of the Second City, where she teaches sketch writing and improvisation remotely and iO, where she teaches summer intensives in Chicago. She is an alum of Boom Chicago in Amsterdam, the Second City Touring, and resident ETC Company and has directed Sketch, Improvisation, and Solo shows at The Public House, Annoyance, iO, Lyric Hyperion, Thymele, and Second City and Edinburgh Fringe. Before 2020, she could be found traveling, teaching and performing all over the states as well as across Europe in festivals and privately. Now she can be found doing… the same, but sometimes over Zoom. Full bio at YesAndel.com
Sunday, October 11th from 14:00-17:00
Sometimes in an improv scene, you just really want to hit somebody! Instead of committing a felony, this workshop teaches improvisors the foundations of unarmed stage combat to keep yourself and your teammates safe if the scene calls for violence. For students of all levels of familiarity with Stage Combat, this will touch on some basics, and end with learning a few set choreographed spots that you can pepper into your improv scenes!
Jon van Luling is an American comedian and actor who has spent the better part of 2 decades talking to his hands, feet, and inanimate objects. He has done nearly every job in theater you can imagine. Jon was a Master Puppeteer with Puppets in Education in Vermont. This company is dedicated to bringing education to children from ages 5 to 75 across the Northeast of the US. He has directed, acted in, choreographed stage combat for, and produced shows all over the East Coast of America (most recently in Vermont Stage’s production of “The Play That Goes Wrong”) while teaching and performing long-form improv at Vermont Comedy Club, Revelry Theater and the Big Pond Improv Festival. He created, hosted, and produced Green Mountain Cabaret in 2012, which was Vermont’s first Burlesque variety show since the early 1920s. Before all that he spent 10 years in Chicago performing improv (long form and puppet style) on the stages of The Playground, iO, and The Annoyance Theater. You might find some of his work in “Late Night Freak Show,” “Queen Dad,” and “Fairy Tale Fallout – Jerk of Hearts” on YouTube. When not trying to find the spotlight, Jon enjoys being an agent of chaos in his long-running D&D campaign podcast “Improvised Weapons,” or re reading his collection of Discworld novels. Jon knows exactly which series you will start with, and it’s not the one you’re thinking of right now!
Saturday, October 17th from 14:00-17:00
Sometimes all you need to find a character is to fill a sock with magic. Learn the history of puppetry and the fundamentals of puppet performance through practicing improv games and scenes. No puppet experience is required, just an open mind and a hand. Jon van Luling is an American comedian and actor who has spent the better part of 2 decades talking to his hands, feet, and inanimate objects. He has done nearly every job in theater you can imagine.
Jon was a Master Puppeteer with Puppets in Education in Vermont. This company is dedicated to bringing education to children from ages 5 to 75 across the Northeast of the US. He has directed, acted in, choreographed stage combat for, and produced shows all over the East Coast of America (most recently in Vermont Stage’s production of “The Play That Goes Wrong”) while teaching and performing long-form improv at Vermont Comedy Club, Revelry Theater and the Big Pond Improv Festival. He created, hosted, and produced Green Mountain Cabaret in 2012, which was Vermont’s first Burlesque variety show since the early 1920s. Before all that he spent 10 years in Chicago performing improv (long form and puppet style) on the stages of The Playground, iO, and The Annoyance Theater. You might find some of his work in “Late Night Freak Show,” “Queen Dad,” and “Fairy Tale Fallout – Jerk of Hearts” on YouTube. When not trying to find the spotlight, Jon enjoys being an agent of chaos in his long-running D&D campaign podcast “Improvised Weapons,” or re reading his collection of Discworld novels. Jon knows exactly which series you will start with, and it’s not the one you’re thinking of right now!
Boom Chicago Academy students and instructors join forces! On the first Sunday of every month, we’ll feature students of our academy. They will be joined on stage by the instructors of the Boom Academy to create a unique improv comedy Jam once a month.
Get ready for a night where the rules of comedy get delightfully rewritten. The Comedy Lab is an experimental playground – a space where our Boom Chicago cast tests out bold, funny, and gloriously strange new formats.
From wild new improv structures to hybrid sketch shows, stand-up experiments, and ideas that simply defy definition, this is where creativity runs free and funny gets fearless.
Come see comedy in its most exciting form: inventive and straight from the lab. Who knows? You might just witness the birth of Boom’s next big show.
History has seen greats like Carol Burnett, Ed Sullivan, Van Kooten en De Bie name a show after themselves… and now Lesley Presley will join their ranks. Who is Lesley Presley? Lesley Presely is a host persona that anyone in the Boom Chicago community, from month to month, might embody. What we, and the fictional character Lesley, can guarantee is a night of improv, sketches, comedy, music, and so much more than we could try to describe here. Boom Chicago’s Academy Manager, Laura Maynard, programs a completely different show every month.
Celebrate fresh talent at Thuis Party! This show highlights Boom Academy graduates as they hit the stage with brand-new acts and unstoppable energy. Come support the next generation of comedy stars!
Join our newest improv jam, where students of different experience levels can mix, match, and of course above all else-improvise! This hour-long program is perfect for students to get on our Attic stage to do lots of scenes while also meeting more members of our community!
We’re thrilled to open up The Attic Theater for performer and student-led shows every 3rd Saturday of the month at 19:30 & 21:30! This is your chance to bring your own creative vision to life – whether it’s a bold new format, a passion project, a variety show, or a fully polished performance ready for an audience.
You and your team take the reins – host, promote, and run your own show in our cozy, intimate attic theatre. It’s your night, your stage, and your chance to make something unforgettable.
Dream it. Create it. Perform it. In the Attic Theater.
Big Game Comedy is your monthly ticket to an unpredictable comedy experience! Featuring a fresh lineup of sketch comedy, stand-up, character acts, improv, music, and more, each show brings together new performers and writers to create an all-new comedy night. Don’t miss the fun!
Come watch our Boom Chicago Academy students shine in their end-of-session showcase! Each show runs about 90 minutes, packed with laughter, talent, and surprises. Don’t miss it!
From this page, you can see our available courses.
You can register for classes 4-6 weeks before the next session begins. Our “ON SALE” dates for 2025 are listed on our website. The best way to stay up to date with electives is to follow our Academy instagram page (@boomchicagoacademy).
Yes. Please email Stacey at [email protected] with what class (day/time) you’d like to be on the waitlist for and we will notify you if a spot becomes available.
Our core courses are €300 (classes that run 3 hours for 8 weeks). Our electives, workshops, and intensives vary depending on duration and length.
New students at Boom should begin with ‘Intro to Improv’. If you have previously taken a course at another improv school, you may join us in The 2 Person Scene.
Please email [email protected] for permission to join us in The 2 Person Scene or higher.
Most of our courses are held at Boom Chicago (Rozengracht 117, Amsterdam). Occasionally, due to volume, we hold them offsite at De Hallen (Hannie Dankbaarpassage 47, Amsterdam) and Akademie Vogue (Rozengracht 133, Amsterdam)
Our Advanced Levels (Level 4-6) in both our Long-Form and Short-Form programs will have a class performance. This show takes place at Boom Chicago after completing the final course.
Thuis Party (our House Team) members will have a monthly show at Boom Chicago on Sunday evenings. Auditions for those will be twice a year and you’ll have to be a graduate of our program to audition.
Our courses are taught by individuals who have graduated from the Academy and have a wealth of experience performing in Boom’s unique style. Our trainers are trained and selected to teach the level that best suits their specialist skill set.
Our core curriculum classes are 8-week courses that meet for 3 hours, once a week.
Because all of the teachers at the Boom work in the entertainment industry, their schedules can change at a moment’s notice. It’s for this reason that we do a blind registration. Since all of our teachers have gone through the same rigorous training and are experts at what they do, you are in safe hands with the person we allocate to your class.
In order to encourage Boom’s philosophy of commitment to a group and an ensemble, students are allowed to miss no more than two classes in each 8-week session. (You may make up a class, but make-ups will still count as an absence.) If a student misses more than 2 classes they are required to repeat the level. You can schedule a make-up course with [email protected]
No. To maintain course integrity, we do not allow auditing. Only students who have registered and paid will be allowed to attend. Prospective improv students are encouraged to attend a show at Boom Chicago or join us for a 2 hr Taster class.
You’ll be absolutely fine. In fact, that’s the best way to do it! Regardless of the other participants’ performance or comedy experience, they will share the same nerves on the first day. Don’t worry – your trainer and the rest of the class will have your back!
Boom Chicago reserves the right to hold a student back or move them forward according to ability and need. Feel free to inquire with your trainer before registering for the next level. If you repeat a level, you can do so for 40% off.
Sorry, not at the moment. However, this is something we are looking at.
You can email us at [email protected]
