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Ralph de Rijke (1958, British/Dutch) has been a practicing musician for 40 years and a
practicing theatre improviser for 20. What with all that practice he looks forward to being quite good any day now.
He loves the good things in life: play, music, languages, sun, water, Citroëns, lasagna, Linux - and taking his clothes
off, though not usually on stage. Founder member of Impromptu. Also gives group
workshops to theatre players and other groups on collective creativity, (self-)perception, non-narrative
storytelling, fearlessness and group support, using collaborative improv techniques and focusing on sound and music.
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Hans Kuykens (1962, Dutch) started improvising in Amsterdam's oldest
theatresports company, the TVA, and has been active in Dutch improv since 1995. Joining Impromptu has
allowed him to fulfill a long-held ambition: to combine his acting skills with his musical talents. A strong
character player who touches the audience's heart with emotional scenes, he is also a multi-instrumentalist
and a lovely singer. And he's built his own double bass.
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Hannah Borst (1976, Dutch) has followed acting and music classes since primary school. Her
main passion, both in music and in the theatre, was always improvisation. She joined the improv theatre group
'Kitch in Synch' in 1999 while in Boston, and joined Impromptu in 2002. She is also founder, writer, actress and composer
for 'ZieZus' (tailormade musical improv theatre, played in schools, libraries and companies) and of Improactief, a professional cabaret improv group. And no wonder: her spontaneity, vocal and musical skills are a delight.
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Grainne Delaney (1965, British) is a classically trained actress who joined Impromptu in early 2003. A professional actress, teacher, writer, workshop leader and stand-up comedian, she often held Impromptu gigs together just by hanging around with us on stage and pretending to play an instrument (kind of like the drummer, when you think about it.) When the fame, the drugs and the money got too much she left the group, in April 2006, but by October 2008 she was missing them so much she came back. Welcome back, Grainne!
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IMPROMPTU ALUMNI...
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Jacqueline Fleskens (1976, Dutch), a.k.a. 'La Jacque' started as a piano accompanist with the TVA in 1998, but was soon playing on stage with the Lelijke Eendjes, with De Arrogantjes, and with and for kids in Theater Fez. She joined Impromptu in 2006 but left in 2008 to focus on her role in the formidable, all-star improv group DIT.
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Johanna Klaassen (1973, Dutch) joined Impromptu in August 2004 when we thought the group should be six strong. We were wrong, and Johanna left in July 2005 to concentrate on her own theatre bureau, Animata.
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Laurens Joensen (Dutch/Faroe Islands) also joined Impromptu in August 2004. Laurens threw himself enthusiastically into the deep end of musical improv theatre with Impromptu, but his ensemble work was no match for his extraordinary solo musical skills. He left in July 2005 and is now world-famous.
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Gaby Agsteribbe (1966, Dutch) was the second founder member of Impromptu. He left in August 2004 to concentrate on his growing family and his own company, Clipmedia.
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