Conor Burke is an Irish actor, playwright, and theatre-maker.

He holds a first-class MA degree from the Royal Central School of Speech & Drama and a BA in Drama from Queen Mary, University of London. He also trained at Bull Alley Theatre Training Company in Dublin, completing the Advanced Actor Training Course.

As an artist, Conor’s work has been programmed in a variety of venues across the UK and Ireland, and has been commissioned and developed by festivals, theatres, and artist development programmes in both countries. He is committed to creating joyful and engaging theatrical experiences that tell stories of today, often reflecting the public zeitgeist through a contemporary lens. His work frequently centres queer and working-class characters, giving voice to experiences that are often overlooked by the mainstream.

In 2015, Conor became the youngest artist to write and perform a solo show as part of the International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival with his play Leaving Narnia. Following the story of a young gay man on the verge of coming out to his parents in the lead-up to the marriage equality referendum, the play was nominated for the Oscar Wilde Award for Best New Writing. He returned to the festival in 2018 with Ethan and Evan & All They Know Now - a show exploring the lives of a young gay couple navigating a relationship in their twenties.

Conor’s second play, Sophie, Ben, and Other Problems, premiered at the Lion & Unicorn Theatre in London in 2017. Since then, it has been performed at numerous venues across the UK and Ireland, garnering critical acclaim and attracting sold-out audiences. In summer 2018, the play enjoyed a month-long run as part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival at Assembly Studios. In Ireland, it has been staged at the Riverbank Arts Centre, The Moat Theatre, and Smock Alley Boys’ School. In 2021, Conor adapted the play for the screen. Produced by OpenBin Media and directed by Tony Deehan, the short film marked Conor’s screenwriting debut, offering a fresh take on the original stage production. The play returned for its off-West End debut at The Chiswick Playhouse in 2022, with Everything Theatre calling it “quite simply one of the most charming pieces of theatre you will ever see”.

Conor received critical acclaim for his performance as Malachy in Everything is Grand, and I’m Completely Okay - a play that tells the story of a young man coming to terms with the sudden death of his brother. In 2023, he was nominated for the Micheál Mac Liammóir Award for Outstanding Lead Performance by an Actor in a Play at the 20th International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival. Reporting on the show, West End Wilma wrote that it features a performance that “will render you speechless”, with The Arts Review proclaiming: “You might well be seeing a star in the making”. The play was performed as part of the UN’s Global Queer Youth Network, at The Hope Theatre in London, Smock Alley’s Boys’ School, and as part of the 2024 Culture Night programme at The Moat Theatre.

In 2019, The Terms and Conditions of Me & My Ma premiered as a work-in-progress at Smock Alley Boys’ School as part of Scene + Heard: Festival of New Work. Set against the backdrop of a national tragedy, the play explored the unique dynamics between Irish mothers and their adult sons. It later received a full production at The Moat Theatre in 2023.

As part of Culture Night 2021, Conor was commissioned to stage Absolutely Fabulously Ridiculously Ugly - a comedic exploration of the distinctive friendship between two colleagues working in the cut-throat world of the fashion industry.

In February 2024, his play In Praise of Me, You, and All We’re Going Through premiered in The Main Space at Smock Alley as part of Scene + Heard: Festival of New Work. Later that year, his ten-minute play The Big Yellow Shiny Thing was selected for the Playground New Writing Festival at Glass Mask Theatre, programmed alongside writers including Rex Ryan, Eva-Jane Gaffney, John Doran, Jed Murray, Callum Maxwell, and David Rawle.

From 2022–2023, Conor was one of the Irish Theatre Institute’s Six in the Attic artists. As an actor, he is represented by Castaway Actors Agency in Ireland and BCCreative in the UK. Most recently, he wrapped an international campaign for On Running, starring alongside two-time Emmy® Award winner Zendaya.

He is currently developing Gleek of the Week - a one-person musical about fandom, the American TV show Glee, and the life-changing power of art. Created in collaboration with composer and lyricist Shauna Carrick and directed by Nessa Matthews, the show was first staged as part of the 2025 Scene + Heard Festival of New Work.