U.S. news show 60 Minutes reveals how Amsterdam’s Boom Chicago shapes American comedy
Since Boom Chicago’s launch over 30 years ago, the Amsterdam improv comedy theater has helped advance the careers of big names, like Jordan Peele, Jason Sudeikis, Amber Ruffin, Brendan Hunt, and Seth Meyers. The theater’s founders, Andrew Moskos and Pep Rosenfeld, found a clever way to stay in the Dutch capital when the two Americans opened the venue in 1993. They’ve certainly come far in that time, with the theater profiled over the weekend by 60 Minutes, the longest-running newsmagazine broadcast in the U.S.
Seth Meyers recalled how formative those early performances were, noting the candidness of Dutch audiences. “They so lovingly tell you they didn't like things. The honesty. The Dutch honesty—I've never been in a place where there's less malice behind deeply cruel—it's not rude at all,” he said, reflecting on the lessons in timing and audience reading that would later inform his work on Saturday Night Live and Late Night with Seth Meyers.
Performers also had to quickly learn the collaborative nature of Boom Chicago. Brendan Hunt, who later became known for Ted Lasso, described that, "you learn to trust your team and trust the moment." Both Meyers and Hunt credited the theater with connecting them to major U.S. comedy opportunities. "There’s no script to hide behind, so you either sink or swim together,” Hunt said.
Performing for Dutch audiences presents its own challenges. The crowds might be less overtly expressive than American audiences, forcing performers to pay closer attention to subtle reactions. Meyers said, “Dutch people, not the most giving laughers… Dutch people laugh like this. Ha-ha. And they immediately get quiet.”
The theater’s founders recall that same combination of experimentation and improvisation as central to the early operation. Pep Rosenfeld described the chaotic, hands-on process of running shows and handling finances: “Before the show I’d be selling tickets, and we didn’t have a bank account, so the money went in one of my boots. It was chaotic, but that chaos forced creativity. That’s what made it exciting—and it still drives us today.”
Since then, the Amsterdam theater has also expanded into corporate programming through Boom Chicago for Business, with Rosenfeld directing tailored shows that combine humor with professional development. Stacey Smith, a mainstage performer recruited while working in Chicago, now heads up the company's improv education programs.
The intense rehearsal and performance schedule, as well as the practice of adjusting material at intermission to fit the audience. She said, “It was intimidating and exhilarating. The audience was honest, the team was supportive. Boom taught me how to trust my instincts and take risks.”
It's an open secret that the influence of Boom Chicago extends well beyond Amsterdam, kicking open doors for its cast members and now putting the theater on one of America's most famous nationally televised programs. 60 Minutes is now in its 58th year on television, and draws an audience of about 10 million viewers per episode.
