Ties Jansen

Ties Jansen is a 26-year-old actor, singer, director, producer, and writer from Amsterdam. Having spent half his life in Europe and the other half in the United States, he could not be more proud of his multifaceted upbringing.

At age two, his career began on the (then imaginary) stage, reciting the Pythagorean theorem to anyone who would listen. Later, this evolved into reciting commercials on TV. Nothing could keep him away from the (now real) stage. After moving with his family to Mamaroneck, New York, in 2010, his passion for acting began to blossom. He played the role of Augustus Gloop in his first school production in New York: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory . And after his debut, Ties knew he had no choice but to act.

In high school, his passion for acting further developed, particularly through the Mamaroneck Shakespeare Players (with whom he appeared in four productions) and the jazz choir. In May 2021, Ties graduated Summa Cum Laude from Pace University’s Sands College of Performing Arts in New York City with a BFA in Acting and a Minor in Film and Screen Studies. During his years in NYC, Ties appeared in several short films, participated in the HOT! Festival (New York’s oldest festival for Queer Theater), and played Claudio in a production of Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure at the (Off-Broadway) NuBox Theater.

After returning to Amsterdam in August 2021, Ties first completed two internships: one as Assistant Director at REP Entertainment (for the productions The Mousetrap and Huisvrouwen don’t exist ) and one as a dramaturgy intern at ITA ( Judas, dir. Robert Icke). Since then, Ties has appeared as an actor in notable Dutch- and English-speaking productions in The Netherlands, such as Zin in Zappelin LIVE (BazarMedia Productions), Heathers: the Musical (HEA Productions), and La Cage Aux Folles (QETC, dir. Carolien Canters and starring Louis van Beek and Barrie Stevens). In July 2023, Ties also played the role of Rich and was Assistant Director in the very first Dutch production of the hit musical Be More Chill (HEA Productions). Since then, he’s continued to direct. Notable credits include R+H Cinderella (HEA Productions, BroadwayWorld Netherlands Award for Best Direction of a Musical), Urinetown (Musical Association DOS), and the upcoming Torch Song (Cauldron Performing Arts). Ties is now Director-In-Residence with Musical Association DOS (Amsterdam) and Studententoneelvereniging Amsterdam (STA!). Notable film credits include  Bledders  (dir. Erwin van den Eshof) and  Blocked  (dir. Pieter Hussaarts), the latter of which has been selected for the 2026 Madrid Film Awards Festival.

Ties is currently Treasurer of Ensemble Nieuwe Theaterwerkers (ENT), and has produced the last three iterations of the annual ENT Members’ Symposium. He also helped organize the very first Springtij Festival (Karavaan, Alkmaar) and the 2023 Over het IJ Festival (as sub-coordinator).

Ties strives to incorporate his American upbringing into his artistic work and to collaborate with other artists from diverse backgrounds. In his free time, Ties runs marathons, learns French and Spanish, enjoys meal prepping, and listens to as much hip-hop as possible at the gym.