ACTRA | CAEA | SAG Eligible
Wayne Burns (he/him) is an actor, writer and producer born on the unceded land of Wagobagitik/Truro, Nova Scotia.
A graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada, Wayne is a two-time recipient of the Theatre Nova Scotia Award, an ACTRA Award Nominee and selected as a breakthrough artist by NOW Magazine for his performance in Michael Ross Albert’s, Miss. Wayne may be most recognized for playing Lykos on Syfy’s original series, Olympus, and is currently featured on the award-winning OUTtv series’ Avocado Toast and Slo Pitch.
As a creator, Wayne's work has garnered support from the National Film Board of Canada, Inside Out Film Festival, Toronto Arts Council and Swallow-a-Bicycle Theatre, with projects going on to play at festivals and art spaces worldwide. His latest short film, LIAR, made its World Premiere at the 2020 FilmPride Festival in Brighton, UK, and has been licensed by CBC for their “Canadian Reflections” program.
Wayne is the co-founder, producer and host of Toronto’s longest-running intersectional conversation series, Dark Nights, which held live conversations with over 40 artists across 13 disciplines at some of the most prestigious arts organizations in Canada, including The Gladstone Hotel, The Theatre Centre and the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. He has facilitated discussions for Toronto's Independent Short Film Festival and Theatre Ontario and has been featured on panels at NewFest, PRIDE Toronto, Theatre Ontario and the Natural Element Podcast.
Wayne’s work has been featured in Variety Magazine, The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, Playback Magazine, the A.V Club, Logo’s NewNowNext, The Toronto Star and Intermission Magazine with his personal blog, An Actor’s Life, being awarded one of the Top 20 Acting Blogs on the Internet by Feedspot.com
A dual-citizen of Canada and the US, Wayne continues to live and work as a settler in Tkaronto/Toronto.