Micha Wertheim

Micha Wertheim studied cultural sciences at Maastricht University, finishing with a thesis on Franz Kafka, and then moved to Amsterdam to work as a freelance radio producer, writer and comedian. He joined the Amsterdam comedy collective Comedytrain, played regularly at the comedy theatre Toomler, and in 2004 his one-man show took both the jury prize and the audience prize at the Leids Cabaret Festival.

His solo programmes make up a long series whose titles all start with his own name, from Micha Wertheim voor beginners and voor gevorderden to voor de grap, voor alle duidelijkheid and voor twaalven. Micha Wertheim voor zichzelf was selected for the Nederlands Theater Festival, the first cabaret programme ever to be chosen. His play with form goes furthest in Ergens anders, a show at which he was not present at all: the audience ran the evening by following instructions from a printer and through headphones. It was paired with Iemand anders, and Niemand anders came later.

Outside the theatre he makes radio documentaries, writes columns for de Volkskrant and De Correspondent, and has published widely on the link between comedy and populism. He has written four children's books and co-created the podcast and storytelling platform Echt Gebeurd, and his shows have been performed in Edinburgh, London and New York.