Anna Kimmel
Theatre, Creative Movement & Literacy
About the Artist
Anna Kimmell is an Asheville-based director, choreographer, and arts educator. A graduate of Elon University with a BFA in Musical Theatre, she has performed at theatres across the country and on the national tour of The Wizard of Oz. Her work as a director and choreographer has been featured in productions for professional theatres and universities nationwide. Recent credits include Footloose (Arkansas Repertory Theatre), Holiday Inn (Western Carolina University), Cabaret (UNC Asheville), A Christmas Story: The Musical (Argenta Contemporary Theatre), and A Charlie Brown Christmas (Flat Rock Playhouse). With more than 15 years of experience in theatre education, Anna has served as Director of Education at Mill Mountain Theatre, Arkansas Repertory Theatre, Flat Rock Playhouse, and the Wortham Center for Performing Arts. She has also taught as an adjunct professor at Hollins University and Western Carolina University. In Asheville, Anna serves as Education and Engagement Coordinator at NC Stage, teaches adult tap and Broadway dance classes at the Wortham Center, and teaches youth theatre classes with Playground Stage.
RESIDENCY OFFERING: POP-UP BOOKs
Bringing Stories to Life Through Movement and Theatre
K-2nd Grades
This arts-integrated workshop engages early elementary students as they retell stories through drama, music, and creative movement. Using selected classroom texts, students analyze key story elements—character, setting, action, conflict, and resolution—and translate them into dramatic arts.
Through structured improvisation, guided movement, storytelling, and collaborative performance, students develop foundational skills in theatre and dance while strengthening literacy comprehension, critical thinking, and expressive communication.
This pop-up workshop or multi-day residency fosters collaboration, self-awareness, and confidence, while providing multiple entry points for diverse learners to engage with content in meaningful and creative ways.
Residency Offering: SCENE WRITING & PERFORMANCE RESIDENCY
From Page to Stage
3rd-8th Grades
This immersive residency engages students in the process of writing and performing original scenes. Integrating literacy, reading comprehension, and performing arts, students explore how narrative structure, character development, and dialogue function across both written and performed texts. Emphasis is placed on collaboration, critical thinking, and creative problem-solving as students work together to generate, revise, and rehearse their own original scenes.
The residency progresses through a flexible, scaffolded sequence:
- Theatre Foundations: Introduction to ensemble building, focus, and expressive tools for performance
- Parts of a Story: Exploration of narrative structure, including character, setting, conflict, and resolution
- The Writers’ Room: Collaborative writing process with an emphasis on dialogue, voice, and revision
- Take the Stage: Rehearsal techniques, staging, and public speaking skills
- Final Sharing: Informal performance of original student work
This 5-day residency is adaptable to support cross-curricular goals and can be tailored to align with classroom content, literacy standards, and specific teacher objectives.
Residency Offering: DANCING THE CURRICULUM
Cross-Curricular Learning Through Movement
K-6th Grades
This accessible, standards-aligned dance workshop supports teachers in bringing core curriculum to life through movement. Students engage with content from science, social studies, history, or literature by translating key ideas into collaborative choreography, deepening comprehension through embodied learning.
Designed to reinforce critical thinking and creative problem solving, the workshop guides students through a scaffolded creative process—research, development, assembly, and sharing—while building skills in analysis, communication, and teamwork. Movement activities are student-centered and adaptable, ensuring all learners can participate meaningfully, regardless of prior dance experience.
This 3 to 5-day residency model supports diverse learning styles and offers teachers an engaging, arts-integrated approach to deepen student understanding and connection to the material.