About Asa

Asa Leininger is an actor, writer, and educator who holds Bachelor of Arts degrees in Theatre and History from Missouri State University. He is passionate about using art as a space to encourage ethical development and self-introspection, as well as to spark meaningful debates and dialogues. "What I love most about the theatre is that, in its sacred profanity, it allows for the profoundly truthful and present expression of that which is so often labeled as inexplicable." When not creating, Asa enjoys travelling, baking tasty treats, backpacking by brooks and rivers, listening to 78s on his record player, dancing completely unabashedly in the kitchen, buying antique knick-knacks from charity shops, and gazing at the stars late at night, wondering at the marvel of existence.

  • Actor

    No stranger to the stage and recipient of multiple awards for his performances at Springfield Little Theatre, Asa has acted, danced, sung, and accompanied others on the piano in upwards of 30 musicals, plays, operas, interactive symphony concerts, and cabarets over the span of a decade. In that time, he has also performed in multiple regional commercial advertisements as well as both semi-professional and educational short films. Trained in Linklater voice and movement and adhering to the acting techniques first formulated by Konstantin Stanislavski, Asa strives to bring to light the inherent humanity of every role he plays with poetic gravitas and brutal honesty.

  • Writer

    Proficient in many types of literature, Asa has written award winning short stories, poems that have been published in poetry magazines, and plays that have been performed as parts of fringe festivals. His plays have been well regarded - with his most recent being praised for its clever writing and described as a cross between Shakespeare's King Lear and Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot. Likewise, he recently self-published his first collection of Sonnets with the help of KDP Amazon. In addition to these more creative endeavors, Asa has also written numerous historical research papers - mostly concerned with the Baltic and North Sea world during the Late Medieval Era - and been awarded for his dramaturgical research at Missouri State University. The foci of his works span from the incorrigible nature of humanity and the mechanisms of class warfare to the ever-elusive definition of love to the intersectional relationship between religion and economics in socio-political revolutions in Medieval Europe.

  • Educator

    Teaching in various capacities for nearly half a decade, Asa utilizes Cooperative and Active Learning methodologies to inform structure of his class offerings. In the theatre, he has crafted classes around the disciplines of music, dance, acting, stagecraft, stage combat, and theatrical and literary history that encourage students to actively engage their mimetic muscles, develop constructive social relationships with their peers, and engage in vital self-reflection and critical analysis of the world. As a former Registered Behavior Technician, he has utilized behavioral psychology strategies to effectively promote information retention, develop motor skills, and reinforce positive social behaviors. As teacher of English as foreign language, he has worked diligently to provide students with comprehensive language input in stimulating environments while simultaneously enabling them to use the tools necessary for the autonomous reproduction.