Wayne Burns (he/him) is a Toronto-based actor, producer, director, writer, and host. A graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada’s Acting Program, he is a two-time Theatre Nova Scotia Award winner and an ACTRA Award nominee. He was named a “Breakthrough Artist” by NOW Magazine for his contributions to Toronto’s cultural fabric.

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Wayne has starred opposite Golden Globe® winner Richard Gere in Savi Gabizon’s Longing, Emmy® Award winner Ben Foster in Jason Buxton’s Sharp Corner, and the late Corey Monteith (Glee) in Gia Milani’s All the Wrong Reasons. He may be best known for his role as Lykos, the Prince of Athens, in SyFy’s limited series Olympus, created by BAFTA® nominee Nick Willing. His television appearances include CBC’s Murdoch Mysteries, The Baroness Von Sketch Show, and Mr. D; FX’s What We Do in the Shadows; Global’s Remedy; and IFC’s Slo Pitch. 

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On stage, he was nominated for “Best Actor” at the My Entertainment Awards for his performance in Michael Ross Albert’s Miss at the Assembly Theatre. He has originated roles in Tough Case (David S. Craig), The Last Show on Earth (™)! (Breton Lalama), DOCK MOTHER GOD SOCIETY (Bryce Hodgson), Summer of Semitism (Ori Black), and the Dora-Award-winning, Mad Madge (Rose Napoli). ​

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Wayne’s solo work has been developed at Eastern Front Theatre, The Theatre Centre, and Swallow-a-Bicycle Theatre, and showcased at The Soloicious Solo Festival, The Rhubarb Festival, Fluid Fest, In the Soil Arts Festival and the SummerWorks Performance Festival. These pieces, often durational, incorporate textile, projection, and music to examine themes of loneliness, existentialism, and sexuality.

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Since establishing his production company, Dresser Drawer Productions, in 2015, Wayne has contributed to over 20 film projects. Notable works include: Greenhorn (winner of "Best Performance in a Short" and the Canadian Film Festival, and "Best Screenwriting" at the Future of Film Showcase), Body So Fluorescent (Winner, “Emerging Canadian Artist” Award at Inside Out),  The Gift Giver (Telefilm Talent to Watch recipient), A Revolution of Love (Winner, “Lieutenant Governor’s Ontario Heritage Award for Community Leadership”), LIAR (Winner, “Best Performance” at ACTRA Maritimes Awards), and A Queer’s Guide to Spiritual Living (Special Presentation at 2023 Inside Out). 

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His films, supported by Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, Toronto Arts Council, and National Film Board of Canada, have been distributed through OUTtv, CBC and CMFDC. His work has been called “gripping and unsettling” by James Kleinmann of The Queer Review and often explores characters on the peripheries of society undergoing personal transformation.

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As a curator and facilitator, Wayne co-founded Dark Nights, Toronto’s longest-running intersectional conversation series. The series archived over 40 conversations with artists across 13 disciplines, held residencies at The Theatre Centre and the (formerly) Gladstone Hotel, and culminated in a sold-out intergenerational discussion on the future of Canadian art at the 2018 PACT Conference at the National Arts Centre. 

 

​​Wayne’s blog, An Actor’s Life, was named one of the “Top 20 Acting Blogs” by Feedspot. As a writer, he has contributed articles to Intermission and Canopy Magazine. He is currently writing on Substack. 

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Wayne has directed work for Page One Theatre in Halifax and the short films LIAR (CBC), fastLOVE and EEL, the latter set to premiere in 2025. 

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He currently hosts Direct Address, a salon focused on artistic sustainability, and is the Administrative + Producing Associate at Impulse Theatre in Victoria, BC. 

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A dual citizen, Wayne was born on the unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq in Nova Scotia. He divides his time between Toronto and New York City and mentors emerging artists at Covenant House.