Meet Teaching Artist Anna Larranaga
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Anna Larranaga is a comedy writer, editor, and actor from Chanhassen, Minnesota. She is a founding editor of The Nordly and has edited hundreds of articles in her over three years working for the site. As a writer, she has worked on Minnesota Tonight, The Broadway Beat, Rinky Dink Operations, Smartmouth Comedy, and The Nordly. Anna also works as a writer for the comedy podcast Fraudsters, and you can hear her work when their second season premieres in 2022.
To see Anna's current classes, visit her artist bio page.
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When did you start teaching? What path—career or otherwise—brought you here?
I am one of the founding editors of The Nordly, a Minnesota centric satire site, and for the past three years I have been coaching writers in crafting the funniest comedy articles possible. A couple years ago I suggested we start holding workshops so newer writers could get an idea of what we as editors were looking for, and I have been leading those workshops ever since. I have also worked as a teaching artist in theatre and improv.
How would you describe your teaching style?
Collaborative! My favorite part of the teaching process is sitting with a writer and digging into a draft. To me, seeing the principles of what makes good comedy applied to your work makes more far more effective learning than simply being lectured. The way I see the teaching/editing process is that a writer is bringing their work to the table and my job is not to approve or disapprove but to bring my insights to the table so we can work together to make an excellent final draft.
What's the ideal environment for your classroom? What atmosphere are you hoping to establish?
Despite the virtual nature of the class, I would love to develop a communal environment. I want folks to feel like they're in a writer's room, all with the goal of helping each other create the best work possible.
Regardless of what your class is specifically focusing on, what's the main goal you have for your students?
One of my goals is to help eliminate impostor syndrome in my students. I know when I was first writing comedy I felt out of my depth and like I had no business doing what I was doing, and I want to keep others from feeling that way. I hope my students can walk away from this class feeling encouraged and thinking "I can do this."
What are goals you have for yourself? These could be teaching goals, writing goals, career goals, community goals, etc.
My goal as teacher—especially for this class—is to be adaptable and meet everyone where they're at. I want to help each person on their writing journey and make personal connections as well as I can over Zoom.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
You can take this class if you've never done comedy before or never been a writer before! Beginners are encouraged.