From Stage Dreams to National Spotlight: Gabby Burton’s Historic Theatre Journey

By: Makayla Varner

STATESBORO— Normally, when Gabrielle Burton walked up on stage, the senior theatre major at Georgia Southern University did it for a character she played. 

However, when she walked up on stage in Greensboro, North Carolina, on Feb. 8, she had done it for a much different reason. 

She had just won the Irene Ryans regional award. However, she isn’t stopping there—Burton will soon be heading off to compete in nationals in Washington, D.C.

As if this wasn’t exciting enough, Burton will be the first GSU theatre student to go forward to the national level after winning the Irene Ryans Scholarship award, both an outstanding and remarkable accomplishment.

“Honestly, I'm excited to meet the seven other finalists from different regions,” said Burton, sharing her excitement on the upcoming trip to nationals. “And I'm very excited to just see like how the Kennedy Center operates and how all the workshops will go.”

Her success didn’t come without hard work—Burton worked consistently to make this happen and never let anything bring her down. Her devotion and love for acting started long before college and has been something that she has been working on ever since middle school.

Where Her Love for Acting was Born

When Burton grew up in Augusta, she started her journey in the arts in middle school, doing musical theatre and workshops in her community.  

Burton’s love for theatre followed her through her middle school and high school years, continuing well into her college years. Often, her love for acting was so great that she would fall asleep with the thought of theatre still on her mind.

“Because it is something that I love so much and that I value so much and want to be good at,” said Burton. “I am usually thinking about it.”

When it was time for Burton to begin high school, she auditioned for a seat at a performing arts school that focused heavily on both visual and fine arts, Burton remembered 0fondly, adding she was so excited she made it into the school. Some categories that her high school specialized in include dance, musicals, drama, band and theater. 

Burton’s acting history in middle and high school solidified her love for acting, she said. However, despite her newfound passion, she didn’t begin as a theater major once she enrolled at GSU—she actually began in secondary education.

The time she spent in secondary education wasn’t for nothing though, she said. Burton soon realized that she wanted to learn all she could in theater so that one day she might be able to come back and share her knowledge with her own students.

“I hope to learn as much as I can about the industry and, you know, make my own work,” said Burton. “Then come back and teach it, kind of give it back to people.”

Burton changed her major during her freshman year and committed the remainder of her college years to acting and theater where her talent truly began to flourish.

The Performances That Shaped Her

In her senior year, Burton has performed in eight different plays throughout her time at GSU. Her very first performance was during her freshman year and was called Tartuffe. 

This act follows Tartuffe, a man who deceives Orgon, who is utterly infatuated with him and his family. Burton played a bubbly, young blonde woman eager to marry—a role Burton hadn’t initially seen herself in, having only played sidekick or group characters as a young black woman. 

However, the director knew Burton was capable of playing greater roles. Professor Nick Newell, her director for this show and many after, admitted to assigning her roles that challenged her.

“If I’ve done anything to help her grow,” said Newell. “I think it was simply to put her in roles that she would not typically be typed in.”

Burton said the roles she was cast in in middle and high school were roles she typically saw black actors cast in. However, the professors at GSU often saw these characters differently, which was shown when going into Tartuffe, Burton was blown away by this new and unfamiliar role she was assigned.

This performance played a crucial role in Burton’s development as an actress, affirming that she was capable of portraying lively and upbeat characters and not limited to sidekick roles, she said.

Burton continued to perform through her college years, where she also made numerous connections, one of which was her friendship with Jordan Applin, whom she met during her junior year.

Applin and Burton share an incredible connection; one made possible by their meeting at Theatre South, a student organization at GSU that focuses on theater, workshops, promoting productions, and more. 

They got to know each other better when they started working on the play Marian (or the True Tale of Robin Hood) together. This play is a reimagining of the classic Robin Hood story, in which many of the male characters are actually female.

In this production, Burton played the role of Marian and Robbin Hood, who were both played by the same person. Applin, who played Little John, said Little John was in love with this story’s version of Robin Hood/Marian.

“Even in the audition, he was just so hilarious and honest and bold,” said Burton, referring to her very first production with Applin. “I think every time that we perform together, I’m reminded to be those three things,” said Burton, referencing to the three traits she used to describe Applin.

Their friendship has continued to thrive ever since their first meeting and has been instrumental in Burton’s growth as an actress.

During her senior year, Burton performed her first professional production with the help of Newell who had been contacted by Low Country Shakespeare, a performing arts company that presents productions of Shakespeare’s plays.

Newell said he had recommended several of the brightest students at alumni in our theatre program to the company. The company saw the same bright thespian, earning Burton her a role in Romeo and Juliet with other professional performers.

“I saw somebody who was very energized by the new experience,” said Newell, recalling the time he spent with Burton on stage.

Burton has been guided by many influential figures in her life, including Newell and her close friend Applin, all of whom played a huge role in her success at regionals, she said.

Regionals and Nationals

The Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) hosts a regional competition covering eight different regions. Students have the opportunity to showcase their hard work, see some of the finest regional productions, and attend workshops.

There are three different rounds: preliminary, semifinal, and final. Each competitor has four minutes to showcase both a scene and a monologue. Burton selected a monologue from Clare Barron's Dance Nation and a scene from Shakespeare's Measure for Measure.

Burton competed in region four, which started with 122 participants. The number of participants dropped to 36 after the preliminary round, 16 after the semifinals, and only one remained after the final round: Gabby Burton.

“I think it’s hard for me to get nervous yet,” said Burton. “Right now, I don’t feel too much fear, but I think it’s because we’re not right at the crunch time yet.”

Burton was awarded the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship totaling $500 and an invitation to nationals, which will take place from April 15-19 in Washington D.C. 

Lisa Abbott, a theatre professor at GSU, said that while the prize money isn’t necessarily life-changing, the industry connections that can be made in D.C. are. Competitors will have the opportunity to network not only with those who teach theatre but also with other performers.

There will only be eight competitors in nationals, but the competition process will still be very similar to regionals: competitors will have to perform the same monologue and scene within a four-minute time frame.

Besides the competition, Burton said she is most excited about the opportunity to engage in workshops, to see productions in D.C., and to connect with other peers across the country.

Applin was her performing partner throughout regionals and will perform alongside her once again in nationals. This achievement makes her the first GSU theatre student to advance to nationals after winning the Irene Ryans regional award, a remarkable accomplishment for both GSU and Burton.

“I love what the Kennedy Center has been trying to do for years,” said Burton. “It’s an absolute honor and I’m very excited.”