Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Thijs Hogenboom. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Thijs, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
I am currently working on a beautiful show called Tartuffe, written by French playwright Molière. Like the famous Shakespeare in the Park, mostly known and done in Central Park in New York City, Molière in the Park has that same initiative, but with Molière and done in Prospect Park, Brooklyn.
Molière in the park provides a world class, English production with amazing actors known from both stage and screen, and I feel so very fortunate to work with these people. It is amazing to work outside in the park in the month of May, and it’s thrilling to be able to show free high-quality theater to the people of Brooklyn.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I am a professional dancer and actor from the Netherlands. From the age of 4 I started training ballet and tap dance and by the age of ten I got accepted into the prestigious Royal Conservatory in The Hague, The Netherlands, where I got taught ballet, folklore and modern dance for seven years. During my time at the Conservatory, I performed for the (then) Dutch queen several times, even meeting her personally and shook her hand. I continued my training after being accepted into the Royal Ballet School of Antwerp. Here I trained with teachers who had worked at the Bolshoi Ballet, American Ballet, Vienna Ballet and many, many other distinguished companies. In 2018 I got accepted into the oldest professional acting school in the US; the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. Here I worked with different teachers and theater directors who have worked on and off Broadway and in TV and film. Some well-known alumni of AADA are Sarah Paulson, Paul Rudd and Kim Cattrall.
I had the honor to work with some incredible dance companies in Europe. I was chosen after a remarkable tough audition to join Dantzaz Konpainia in Spain, where I toured with three different big shows through Spain, Germany, France, The Netherlands, Luxembourg and the Canary Islands.
I worked with the Dutch National Theater for a project named IJS&VIS (literally ice and fish), where I had the amazing opportunity to work with acclaimed Dutch dance choreographer Wubkje Kuindersma, as well as well-known, established and awarded Dutch actors like Betty Schuurmans and Jaap Spijkers. Here I played the lead and made my acting debut. I also worked with dance choreographer David Middendorp, mostly known in the US for being a finalist on America’s Got Talent. David is invited to showcase his work all over the world. This includes taking me to Cairo, Egypt to perform on superstar Shereen Abd El-Wahab’s talk show.
In my time in the US I had the opportunity to work on the musical Young Frankenstein as one of the principal roles Dr. Victor von Frankenstein. I appeared in several Lenovo and XBOX commercials and most recently played Flipote in Molière in the Park’s Tartuffe.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
Currently, the Writers Guild Strike is roaring through the country and rightfully so! Please understand that even though A.I. is fascinating, it simply could never replace actual human beings, and these human beings deserve to be paid fairly. If you have the opportunity, please support our writers and join them in their protests.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
I learn so much from it. I know it sounds silly but it’s true. I’ve always been this guy that has many interests, but somewhat struggles to always follow through (or become an “expert”) and I think acting has taught that I don’t need to be an expert on something to enjoy doing or learning something. If it’s a skill I need for a show, or simply a track of thoughts I would never have myself, it teaches me different sides of life, which makes life so much more interesting. And whenever I hear that whatever I did inspired someone else somehow… that feeling is just indescribable! 
Contact Info:
- Website: https://thijshogenboom.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thijshogenboom
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thijs-hogenboom/
- Other: https://resumes.actorsaccess.com/thijshogenboom https://www.backstage.com/u/thijs-hogenboom
Image Credits
Russ Rowland Misja Van De Klomp