the first actress in The Netherlands. She made her debut on stage in 1655 at the Amsterdam Schouwburg (Amsterdam Theater) in a play by Jan Jacobsz. Schipper which accidentally bore her name ‘Onvergelijkelijke Ariana’ (‘Incomparable Ariana’). She may have learnt the craft at a very early age. It was quite common for women and children in travelling th...

the first actress in The Netherlands. She made her debut on stage in 1655 at the Amsterdam Schouwburg (Amsterdam Theater) in a play by Jan Jacobsz. Schipper which accidentally bore her name ‘Onvergelijkelijke Ariana’ (‘Incomparable Ariana’). She may have learnt the craft at a very early age. It was quite common for women and children in travelling theatre companies to appear on stage as these groups often consisted of actors’ families. Later on, she possibly joined the troupe of Jan Baptist van Fornenbergh.