SPARK Rotterdam

Here’s something we often hear or read: As you grow older, it gets harder to make new friends. Sure, you occasionally meet new people - colleagues you actually like, short-lived holiday buddies, party encounters -or even unsuccessful dates-turned-pals. But maybe you feel that gone are the days when you didn’t have to take out your agendas to plan your next hangout. That everyone just seems too busy. Perhaps you’ve made some big life moves but didn’t find the right people along the way. Maybe...

When we sent out a survey earlier this summer asking, “How has your time at SPARK been?” , we expected comments about logistics, location, or some well-sandwiched feedback points. Instead, we discovered something deeper. Their experience of improv wasn’t just about picking up a hobby or filling the blank spaces in one’s schedule — it was about community, belonging, presence, and fun . Our weekly classes, monthly shows, and regular activities had become spaces for genuine connection . It...

Ditch your vitamin C tabs, your magnesium pill, your vitamin D lamp and your gym membership: laughter is the best medicine. Seriously though, keep your tablets and regular GP checkups. What we mean to say is that laughter is scientifically proven to have physical and mental health benefits. Laughter is associated to reduced levels of cortisol (the stress hormone, the one that makes you wake up in with a beating heart, crave kaassoufflées or tony chocolonely and yell at your loved ones) and...