Uncategorized – Vanessa Anton

Cuban Five Weeks

July 27, 2023 admin

Today I’ve left Miami, five weeks from arriving for a short visit to see my dad. We knew his cancer had become more challenging but did not expect the decline that occurred after my arrival. In just a few days he was in the hospital. Then five days later in hospice. About nine days later we were preparing funeral arrangements. It all flew by us. In those last weeks my dad was never alone. One of us was with him day or night. Cousins and friends came to see him. His partner and her family. His granddaughter. Her fiancé. My…

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…

Community Route 11

February 27, 2022 admin

As we transition into different stages of the pandemic, I think of people that I spent time with during all of that aloneness. Many folks were completely zoomed out. But I was really thankful for Thursday nights. That’s when I got to see a group of people that brought me so much joy during such a strange time. From the moment we met for my first coaching session, I felt such warmth. And what was meant to be temporary guest coaching, turned into almost a year. Through the toughest parts of the pandemic. Elections, insurrections, holidays alone etc. We kept…

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…

Uncategorized On Stage in MKE

August 28, 2021 admin

This month I performed on stage for the first time since Feb 2020 with friends that I didn’t even know before the pandemic. And in Milwaukee, a city I’d never been to! It was all so special, not just to be getting on stage, but to be uniting with people that kept me going during this strange time. To me it’s been more about the connection than the stage time. And I’ve been so thankful that so many courageous people took improv to the internet when this pandemic began. It kept me from spiraling into the darkest of places. I’m so…

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…

Improv Back to the Stage

May 9, 2021 admin

This weekend I found my way back to an improv stage for the first time since February 2020. An outdoor amphitheater at a high school was not the stage I expected. And just a few weeks ago I had no idea I’d be here. But as we’ve learned this year and in improv in general, you stay open to what’s ahead and enjoy the discoveries. Before COVID shut everything down last year, I was coaching the Del Norte HS improv team and prepping them for their end of year show. Like so much else in 2020 their show was canceled…

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 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!