2017

 2017 was probably the most action-packed year of my life, professionally speaking.

On the animation front, I:

• adapted, directed, and animated three book-to-film adaptations for Scholastic/Weston Woods: “Mother Bruce”, “Leo: A Ghost Story”, and “Du Iz Tak?”. For this latter film, I actually got to meet the book's author/illustrator Carson Ellis, which was a rare treat.

• conceived, designed, and animated the new motion graphics for NPT’s “Arts Break” segments.

• flew to Vegas to help my friend Brian Maffitt give an innovative keynote speech utilizing Adobe’s new Character Animator software.

• created animated scenic projections for the shows at The Little Engine Playhouse in Dollywood, directed by Brian Hull. This also involved creating (and narrating) opening video segments about Dolly’s Imagination Library program.

On the performing front, I:

• played Leontes in “The Winter’s Tale” for Nashville Shakespeare Festival, as well as Lepidus and the Soothsayer in their “Antony and Cleopatra”.

• played nine different roles in “Mr. Popper’s Penguins” at Nashville Children’s Theatre.

• was the standby for all three actors in “The Final Days of Wolfe Tone” at TPAC (and also sang a brief offstage solo).

• learned and recorded two great “Disney Villain” roles for Music Theatre International's official reference recordings: Claude Frollo in “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” and Joseph Pulitzer in “Newsies”.

• participated in readings/workshops for four other shows.

I got to meet longtime playwriting idol Christopher Durang when Nashville Rep brought him in as part of the Ingram New Works Festival!

Burton went to Nashville School of the Arts in the choral program, although truly guitar had become a much stronger interest for him. And he started driving himself to school!

Whites Creek Flower Farm continued to grow beautiful things!

That's 2017!