Kirsten is a professional performer with particular expertise in all genres of comedy. She has received acclaim for her work in theatre, film, television and radio across Canada and the U.S.
Kirsten is a founding member of Edmonton’s acclaimed Die-Nasty, a Canadian Comedy Award winning troupe in its 21st season. She starred in and co-produced five seasons of the wildly popular improv show Sin City at Toronto’s The Second City; Sin City received a Canadian Comedy Award nomination, headlined the prestigious Chicago Improv Festival, and was broadcast on CBC-TV as Liquid Soapz. Kirsten hosted the alternative comedy show Lucille’s Ball, and performed at March of Dames as well as many other comedy shows in Toronto.
As an actor, Kirsten has performed in more than forty plays in theatres across the country. Highlights include Quiet in the Land (Blyth Festival), Buz Gem Blues (Lighthouse Festival) , What Gives/All Ears (Teatro La Quindicina), Exit Othello(Workshop West), Animal Farm (Kaleidoscope), I Oughta Be In Pictures (Sunshine), and Alleycats the Musical (Hoarse Raven) for which she received an Ovation Award Nomination for Best Performance Female. Kirsten has written, performed and produced several solo plays: All My Day Jobs, Petunia in Peril, A Closetful of Navy Blues, and Desperate/Ridiculous. Kirsten was named L.A.’s Best Solo Comedy Artist for The Kirsten Van Ritzen Show.
Kirsten created, wrote and starred in four pilot episodes of the sitcom Always a Bridesmaid, taped live at Global Studios in Vancouver. Kirsten moved to Victoria in the fall of 2010 and has made her mark on the vibrant local arts scene. Along with Ian Ferguson, she created Sin City (Victoria), producing and starring in season One: Die-Nasty, and Season Two: Carnies. She acted in Kaleidoscope Theatre’s Hana’s Suitcase, directed Shadows at the Young Playwrights Festival, performed in the workshop of Smash A Plate! and the remount of All My Day Jobs. Kirsten teaches workshops in standup comedy and has unleashed numerous new comics onto the burgeoning amateur scene. She has hosted and performed numerous comedy shows, and is a regular performer at Phillips Comedy Night. She teaches acting and is the Acting Screen Program Coordinator at the Pacific Film & New Media Academy.
Kirsten is a member of Canadian Actors’ Equity, UBCP/ACTRA, the Playwrights Guild of Canada, and the Writers Guild of Canada.