Marcel van der Heijden

Sjaak Bral, the stage name of Marcel van der Heijden (born November 11, 1963, in The Hague), is a Dutch cabaret performer, television presenter and writer. Active in stand-up cabaret since 1995, he is closely associated with The Hague and is one of the most recognizable regional cabaret voices in the Netherlands, best known for his annual oudejaarsconference broadcast on TV West since 1996.

Bral gained early visibility in 1992 through interviews on the television program RUR and the radio show of Frits Spits, then moved to Radio West as a columnist. He took the stage name Sjaak Bral in 1995 because he felt his real name was not fit for an artist. Since 1996 he has produced an annual oudejaarsconference titled 'Vaarwel' followed by the year, recorded and broadcast on TV West. From 2001 to 2004 he was a panelist on the consumer satire program 'Ook dat nog'. Bral is a co-author of the bestseller 'Het Groen Geile Boekje', a tongue-in-cheek spelling guide for the Hague dialect that has sold more than 76,000 copies. Since April 2018 he hosts his own weekly radio program 'Broodje Bral' on Radio West, broadcast every Saturday between noon and 2 PM. His comedy mixes topical satire with strong regional identity, leaning heavily on the rhythms and vocabulary of the Haagse dialect.

Sjaak Bral tours theaters across the Netherlands with his annual oudejaarsconference, which premieres in December and runs into the new year. He continues to host 'Broodje Bral' every Saturday on Radio West and posts clips from his shows on his YouTube channel and Instagram. His official website sjaakbral.nl lists tour dates and book releases.