Triston P. Pullen is a multidisciplinary theatre artist, educator, and director from Sulphur Springs, Texas. He began performing at the age of seven and has since cultivated a career dedicated to reimagining classic works and creating bold, innovative productions influenced by Eastern performance traditions. A director, scenographer, playwright, and movement specialist, Pullen’s artistry bridges storytelling and physical expression to explore the ritual, rhythm, and spirituality of the human experience.

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At the collegiate and secondary levels, Pullen focuses on movement theatre and educational theatre, shaping the next generation of educators, performers, and designers. His students have gone on to teach and perform regionally and on Broadway. Pullen challenges students to use various theatre theories  as inspiration for work that speaks to both personal experience and community connection. His teaching philosophy emphasizes access, ensuring all students and communities have the opportunity to engage with art, film, and live performance.

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As a director, Pullen seeks to uncover the ritual and physical essence within text, treating each production as a form of modern ritual. Drawing from Viewpoints, Suzuki, Stanislavsky, and Eastern performance traditions, his work blends movement, design, and ensemble storytelling to create immersive, inclusive, and deeply human theatrical experiences.

In 2014, Pullen founded Studio 1621, a summer repertory theatre company in his hometown. Its mission is to expand arts access across rural Northeast Texas, foster arts education, and provide scholarship opportunities for emerging artists.

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Pullen has collaborated with numerous playwrights, including Aaron Levetmon, Rachel Robyn, and New York Timesbestselling author Colleen Hoover, to develop new and unconventional works. In partnership with the Walt Whitman Initiative in New York City, he created Songs of Memories: A Whitmanic Queer Discovery, a biographical drama exploring identity, love, and legacy.

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His directing work has been seen in Santa Fe, Northeast Texas, Memphis, and New York City, and he has had the honor of working with acclaimed artists such as:

• Robert Benedetti, three-time Emmy Award-winning producer

• Jon Jory, world-renowned director and mentor

• Alaina Warren Zachary and Kathy Morath, Broadway veterans

• E. Loren Meeker, opera director

• Shep Sobel, founder of The Pearl Theatre

• Bill Westbrooks, NYU professor

• Amanda Zarr, LA-based actress

• Sarah Brown, international actress and director

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In 2025, Pullen was recognized by Texas Thespians with the Trailblazer Award for Theatre Education, honoring his innovative contributions to theatre pedagogy and his dedication to shaping the future of arts education in Texas.

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He serves on the boards of The Walt Whitman Initiative, The Dairy Festival, Studio 1621, and Shadow Festival, and volunteers for Texas Thespians, TTAO, and other arts organizations.

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A Julie Taymor World Theatre Fellow Finalist, Pullen was selected to study ritual performance across the Middle East—exploring puppetry, gesture, and oral storytelling within Abrahamic traditions in Istanbul and Jerusalem. Though regional conflict postponed this research, the project continues to inform his artistic inquiry into spirituality, embodiment, and performance.

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Pullen earned his BFA in Acting and Minor in Design from Santa Fe University of Art and Design (2017) and his MFA in Directing from The University of Memphis (2021).