Blog – Vanessa Anton

Blog Rest

April 29, 2022 admin 1Comment

One thing I’ve realized is that even when you have a passion for something you’ve dedicated much of your life to, it’s okay to have periods of retreat and rest. Every few years I’ll hit a spot where I need to pull back. And lately I’ve pulled back more than I have in a long while. I have been really hard on myself over this. It’s so easy to feel like a failure when I’m not in constant motion with what I love doing. It feels like sitting on the sidelines while everyone else carries on moving forward and doing…

Blog England

March 31, 2022 admin

Thanks to the Improv Boost for the opportunity to teach two intensive weekends in England with Michelle Gilliam. Somewhere between omicron and BA2, we were able to make this happen. It was wonderful to head overseas again. It was lovely to see familiar faces from my last England visit and to meet folks in person that I’d only known through zoom improv! I wish I could have stretched out time and hit the magic life pause button so that I could hold onto these dear people for a bit longer. One thing I really noticed this time around is how changed we…

Birthday Another birthday

October 5, 2021 admin

I was blessed to bring in year 45 with 100+ friends at improv camp (everyone was vaxxed, COVID tested, and temperature checked. Thank you Improv Utopia). This last year I spent more time by myself than I ever have. I joke that I have fully embraced hermit life. But under the surface I have been afraid that I’ve lost the ability to connect with others. I was a bit worried that I may not have it in me to go to another camp. I’d been to seven camps before the pandemic and it felt like another version of me had…

Blog Workshop for All Made Up Improv!

May 10, 2021 admin

I’m so excited to team up with Kate Bell and All Made Up Improv to teach my Vulnerable Improv Workout workshop! I haven’t taught this workshop since Improv Fest Ireland in December 2019. I’m really looking forward to teaching this again! All the info is below. I’m so lucky to have met Kate Bell during the pandemic. She is hilarious and kind and I love attending anything that she is a part of. It means a lot to me that she’s having me run the first guest workshop for All Made Up Improv! Check out her workshops! Her energy is…

Blog Much Love to The Torch Theatre

April 4, 2021 admin

I’m so thankful to the folks at The Torch Theatre in Phoenix who have given me a home during this strange year. Once upon a time it was part of my weekly routine to meet up with my improv team, perform a show together and share great moments. I took this kind of normalcy for granted.My friends at The Torch have given me the gift of this joyful feeling again. It’s been wonderful playing with The Neighborhood on Saturday nights during this pandemic. And with the folks of Around the House, too! I also believe this time playing with everyone has made…

Blog One Year Later

March 14, 2021 admin 3Comment

A year later and there are so many feelings. It seems like there is a light at the end of this long and endless tunnel. There is a shift and the trending items on the socials are posts about vaccines. It’s like everyone is being injected with a feeling of freedom. A sigh of relief. People are just bursting to get back out. To life. To hugs. To friends. To living. Meanwhile, I’m looking out into this extra bit of daylight and I just feel terrified and sad. It’s like all the feelings that have accumulated from the last 365 days are rising…

Blog Teaching Improv In the Time of COVID

March 1, 2021 admin

I’m so thankful to be teaching during a time like this. It was a gift to be able to work with this group this weekend. I met Geraldine at Improv Camp. I met Kat when I taught a couple years ago in Liverpool. I met Paul in online drop ins with the Nursey Theatre at the beginning of the pandemic. I met Ruddy several years ago when he was a student in my class at Finest City Improv. I met Susan in online jams with MKE improv. I play with Chandra on a team that meets weekly online. I met…

Blog Improv shows in the time of COVID

February 20, 2021 admin

Let’s face it, going a year without performing on a real stage (or floor of any kind) with your friends is a drag. It’s not the same without the communal laughter, the hugs, the after show conversations. We’ve been missing so much. But I’m really impressed with the way that communities have soldiered on! There has been so much unexpected connection. And it’s been a huge joy to play with friends from all over the world. I was beyond delighted when my friend, Amanda Rountree, invited me to perform in a show with her and some of her favorite performers….

Blog Curious Comedy’s Lovefest!

February 12, 2021 admin

Tough times call for more creative ways to keep theatres alive. And Curious Comedy in Portland, Oregon is doing just that!! They’re hosting a 25 hours improv-a-thon fundraiser with 250 improvisors participating. SO FUN! I’m excited to join the virtual stage as the clock strikes midnight on Feb 13. I got to visit Curious Comedy in 2015 on a trip to Portland. It’s a great place and they need support to keep going. More info is on the facebook event link below that! Cheers to love and improv! You can make donations HERE! Click here to view the event on Facebook!

Blog When the Magic Happens

February 7, 2021 admin

Thank goodness I finally found my way to the good vibes felt in the improv jams hosted by Michelle Gilliam and MKE Improv. Should’ve happened sooner, but the new year finds me with a change in routine and structure in my calendar and headspace. So really, I think I made it at just the right time. The MKE jams have such great energy and I’m just sitting here at home going from anxious and blah to feeling like my cup was just filled within 75 minutes. And sometimes when you least expect it, there’s a moment of improv magic. The…