Annella Kaine

Annella Kaine is starting to make her mark in the acting world with her nomination by the Richmond Theatre, “Promising Newcomer.” She is an alumnus of Appomattox Regional Governor’s School’s class of 2013. Kaine has been writing and directing independent films and television series with a colleague from college. Not only does she write, direct, and act on the big screen, but she acts on stage as well. “I’m fascinated with the role that storytelling has always played in human culture, the ritual of it,” Kaine says.

Kaine had a liking for theater through most of her life. At first, thinking it was only a lot of fun. Her mindset changed when she came to ARGS and went to see the play Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? for an assignment. She realized theatre was more than just fun for her— it was a way of life. She began to find community and purpose within the theater world. “I liken my attraction to theater to whatever draws my parents to church. They’re moved by scripture. I’m moved by Shakespeare.” After finishing her education at ARGS, she obtained her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drama at New York University.

At the moment, Kaine is influenced by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, the writer and star of BBC television series Fleabag. The other actress she’s inspired by is Danai Gurira who wrote the Tony award winning play Eclipsed and acted in a role in the movie Black Panther as Okoye and currently acts on television series The Walking Dead as Michonne. “There is so much and so many people in this world to be inspired by. Not just actors or playwrights, but all across the arts and social justice movements,” Kaine says. Her inspirations change daily as she grows as a writer and performer.

As Kaine starts to make stepping stones in her on screen career and establishing herself as an independent writer and director, she gives credit to what happened within the four years at ARGS. She believes that her largest influences came from this school, teaching her the importance of the learning process for both academics and the arts. Kaine says, “Ms. Warren, Mr. Piersol, Mr. Campbell, Mr. Deiss, Mr. Becker. [These are the] people who helped me find my community early on and showed me the potential for what theater could be.” Annella Kaine can be seen in Scream: The Tv Series, season three, episode six on the channel Music Television (MTV). Kaine leaves with a few words for newer actors, “[The arts] can be your sole focus; you can have a day job; the arts could be your side gig, or just an occasional hobby. It all counts, and none of it is mutually exclusive.”