ALUMNI PROFILE
Name: T. Fulton Burns '99
Residence: Greenville, South Carolina
Degree: Theatre performance
Occupation: Educator, South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities
Imagine the most epic fight scene from your favorite movie or theatrical production.
The perfect punch, kick or illusionary slap — known as stage combat — is intricately choreographed by professionals like T. Fulton Burns '99.
The Winthrop alumnus, now an educator with the South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities, didn't know when he first came to Winthrop University that he would become a theatre
teacher or even a teacher at all.
"I originally came to Winthrop with the idea of being a history major and then going
on to become a lawyer. This was after I had worked as a professional dancer and felt
that going to college was about getting a specific kind of career. I thought that
great jobs had to come outside of the arts," Fulton explained.
As an undergraduate, a theatre appreciation class with Blair Beasley ignited two things: his passion for the arts and his interest in teaching.
"I realized I was a child of the arts and this was where my passion truly was," said
Fulton, who later shared with Marc Powers, a previous chair of the theatre and dance department, that he wanted to become an
educator. Other influential faculty include: Anna Sartin, Alex Starr, Mary Beth D. Thompson and Anne Fletcher.
Fulton said the experiences as a theater major/dance minor were about figuring himself
out and coming into his own.
"It was the fact that the entire department was focused on serving the students' professional
goals not just mine," Fulton said.
His theatre professors supported many of his goals, including a pivotal one during
his senior year at Winthrop when he directed the production of "The Serpent" in the Johnson Studio Theatre.
"I still hold the entire cast and creative team in such high regard. They all trusted
where we could go with the show and this paid off with not only sold out performances
but we added an additional show which was a huge honor for us all," Fulton recalled.
He has carried that creative high with him throughout his busy career. He obtained
his M.F.A. from Western Illinois University and has garnered several teacher certifications
(Society of American Fight Directors, Expressive Actor Technique, National Michael
Chekhov Association) that have led him to teach fight directing, stage combat and movement at schools
and universities in California, Montana, Illinois and Alabama.
And in 2017, his career came full circle when he was able to return to South Carolina,
more specifically to Winthrop, to teach theatre majors — 18 students became certified
in stage combat — in the very space he discovered his passion.
"That was a very proud moment for me as both an instructor and an alumnus," said Fulton,
who came back to support Winthrop productions of "Hamlet," "Extremities," and most recently this past April, "She Kills Monsters."
Whether he's teaching students at Winthrop or the Governor's School of the Arts —
in addition to being a certified yoga instructor — Fulton said his biggest sense of
pride comes from watching his students succeed in their craft.
"I love watching a TV show or movie and seeing someone that had been in one of my
classes succeeding in their goals. This is why I teach for their needs, which is what
I learned from Winthrop University," he said. "[Winthrop] is an amazingly supportive
community that truly fosters students' ideas and helps us to become better versions
of what we want to become and accomplish," Fulton added.
Fulton has worked as an assistant director with playwright Moises Kaufman, collaborated and performed with the Living Theatre, danced with Charleston Ballet
Theater and Greenville Ballet, and has worked with Cirque du Soleil's production of "Quidam."