Kildare playwright's work to feature at Dublin Fringe Festival
Naas Playwright and Actor, Conor Burke
FOR PLAYWRIGHT Conor Burke, growing up gay in Naas meant finding comfort in an unlikely place: , a television show about a high school choir.
As a closeted student of Naas CBS, became more than just entertainment – it was an expression of his own identity.
At a time when LGBTQ+ representation on television was still rare, the hit musical series offered something he had never seen before – the idea that being yourself is something to embrace.
Now, at 31, Conor has transformed that deeply personal experience into Gleek of the Week, a one-person musical that will show at this year's Dublin Fringe Festival.
Blending comedy and heartfelt storytelling, the show explores identity, growing up in Ireland and the unexpected ways art can shape a person's life.
"It completely changed my life," Conor said about watching Glee as a teenager.
"When I was 14, there weren't gay characters in every television show like there are now. Glee centred people like me and showed that the only way to find happiness was to be yourself. Looking back, I genuinely believe it gave me the courage to come out."
Conor came out when he was 17, something he now considers himself fortunate to have been able to do.
"I look back now and realise I was one of the lucky ones. There are still people who don't feel able to come out until much later in life.” Growing up in Naas, theatre quickly became his passion. While many teenagers spent their weekends underage drinking, Conor and his friends were busy staging plays.
"The theatre was our life," he said. "There was such an innocence to it.” After training at drama school in London, Conor established himself as a playwright, creating works that mix humour with emotional honesty. He describes his writing as an attempt to understand the questions that have shaped his own life.
"I write about things I don't understand," he explained. "Identity, being young and Irish, figuring out who you are. I always want audiences to laugh first, but then leave thinking about something they maybe hadn't considered before."
Gleek of the Week is his most personal work yet. Unlike his previous plays, this production sees him playing himself, revisiting his teenage years and asking what he would say if his 17-year-old self walked into the room today.
"That's really what the show is about," he said. "It's about telling your younger self that things won't always be easy, but they'll be okay. You don't say goodbye to that younger version of yourself – you carry them with you."
Although inspired by Glee, Conor insists audiences don't need to have watched a single episode to enjoy the performance.
"The show isn't really about Glee," he said. "It's about how the art we love when we're young shapes who we become.” Alongside the play, Conor has also remained immersed in the world of Glee through the popular Gleek of the Week podcast, where he and his friend debate the show's greatest musical performances. Years after the series ended, the enthusiasm of its fanbase continues to surprise him.
For Conor, the Fringe Festival represents another milestone in a career built on telling contemporary Irish stories with warmth, wit and optimism.
At a time when many television dramas and stage productions lean towards darker themes, he hopes Gleek of the Week offers audiences something different.
"I just want people to have a laugh," he said. "Life is hard enough. Theatre should entertain people, bring them together and remind them we've got more in common than we think."
Gleek of the Week runs at the Glass Mask Theatre, Dublin, from September 7 to September 12 as part of the Dublin Fringe Festival.
