photo by J Stevens
Wayne is a classically trained stage and film actor.
A graduate of the prestigious National Theatre School of Canada, he has worked across the country with companies like Neptune Theatre, Winnipeg Jewish Theatre and Ship’s Company Theatre, to name a few.
In Toronto, he has worked with indie theatre companies Bloodpact Theatre, Pure Carbon Theatre, Shakespeare in the Ruff, and others. In 2017, Wayne was chosen as a “Breakthrough Theatre Artist” by NOW Magazine for his performance in Michael Ross Albert’s critically acclaimed, Miss, at The Assembly Theatre.
He made his film debut in Jason Buxton’s award-winning feature, Blackbird, opposite Connor Jessup and Alex Ozerov and has appeared on television in CBC’s “Murdoch Mysteries”, “Mr. D, and “The Baroness Von Sketch Show”, as well as Global’s “Remedy”, IFC’s “Slo Pitch”, OUTtv’s “Avocado Toast” and FX’s “What We Do In The Shadows”. Wayne may be most recognized for playing Lykos, The Prince of Athens, in the limited Syfy series “Olympus”.
As an artist, Wayne’s work continues to be supported by The Canada Council for the Arts, The Toronto Arts Council, The Ontario Arts Council and The National Film Board of Canada. His last film, LIAR, premiered at the 2020 FilmPride Festival in Brighton, UK, won Best Actor at the 2021 ACTRA Maritimes Award and is licensed by CBC for their long-running short film series, “Canadian Reflections”.
His solo work has been presented by Fluid Fest, Eastern Front Theatre, In The Soil Arts Festival, Solo-icious Solo Festival and Swallow-a-Bicycle Theatre. As a writer, Wayne’s personal blog, The Life of an Actor, was awarded “One of the Top 20 Acting Blogs on the Internet” by Feedspot.com
He is the co-founder, producer and host of Toronto’s longest-running intersectional conversation series “Dark Nights” which ran from 2015-18. During that time, Wayne facilitated live conversations with over 40 artists across 13 disciplines at some of the most prestigious arts organizations in Ontario including The Gladstone Hotel, The Theatre Centre and the National Arts Centre in Ottawa.
As a film producer, Wayne has created work with The City of Toronto, Soulpepper Theatre, Fall for Dance North, Esie Mensah Creations and others. Notable projects include A Revolution of Love, TESSEL, Body So Fluorescent and the forthcoming A Queer’s Guide to Spiritual Living supported through the Inside Out Film Festival + OUTtv Outspoken Documentary Fund.
Up next: He can be seen in the feature films The Players written and directed by Sarah Galea-Davis and Longing written and directed by Savi Gabizon where he plays opposite Golden Globe © Winner Richard Gere. Wayne is currently adapting his solo show, fastLOVE, into a short film set to premiere in 2024.
Wayne was born on the unceded territory of the Mi'kmaq people in Wagobatik/Truro, Nova Scotia. A dual citizen (Canada & USA), he splits his time between Toronto and New York City.