Theater

Betal Özay
Betal Özay (1980) had been telling stories at the courthouses as a lawyer but he had enough of that. So he found a way out and attended Mezrab Storytelling School in 2020. Betal likes to peel off all himself in front of the audiences about being a lawyer with weird cases, a citizen of a failing country, a husband who does not have a stable income. He definitely did not expect to celebrate his 40th birthday getting drunk under Covid-19 lockdown talking to his family through Zoom. His new storytelling show ‘Goodbye Erdogan’ just premiered at the Amsterdam Fringe Festival. Now he is ready to tackle something new: combining storytelling and animation. 

Lara Ricote
Lara Ricote is a Mexican-American, Amsterdam-based, stand up comedian who has recently won the Funny Women Stage Award and the Best Newcomer Award at the Edinburgh Fringe. Lara graduated from the Mezrab Storytelling School, acquiring the title of Very Professional Storyteller. Pre-pandemic, she’s performed in Miami, Argentina, London, Brussels, Rio de Janeiro, and Madrid.  
She teaches comedy theory and writing courses with the Improv company easylaughs, she co-writes and co-produces a satirical Dutch news show in Spanish called “Que Onda NL País.” and runs a Spanish Comedy company called “La Risa Dam.” She’s co-producing comedy nights with the Comedy Undergradz, and co-hosting «The Comedy Undergradz» podcast with Slim Radio. She’s also a house comedian at the Comedy Embassy: Amsterdam’s highest rated English stand up show.