We were lucky to catch up with Jonathan Burke recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jonathan, appreciate you joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I first knew that I wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally when I was in the 6th grade, at Cardinal Sheehan School (CSS) on Loch Raven Blvd. I had sung on my church choir and in church plays growing up, but it wasn’t until I began school at CSS when the drama and choir teacher, Kenyatta Hardison, noticed a special quality in me when I auditioned for the school’s choir. Ms. Hardison then encouraged me to audition for the school’s annual musical that she directed. This particular year she created an original musical production entitled “Motown Spectacular,” that featured songs from the great artists of Motown Records. I auditioned and was cast as Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson in the Jackson 5 era, as well as several other characters. It was ultimately the opening night performance in which I sang, “My Cherie Amour,” by Stevie Wonder, that the light bulb came on inside of me that performing would be what I pursued as my profession. Within the first 4 measures of the song, that beautiful “la la la la la la” intro of the song, the audience was screaming with joy, and by the end of the number, the entire audience was on their feet. It was at that very moment that I decided to dedicate myself to the arts. From that very moment on, I took my training extremely seriously. I studied the videos of the greats, in performances such as “The Wiz,” “Cats,” “Aint’ Misbehavin,” and ‘West Side Story,” and committed fully to professional artistic study at the Baltimore School for the Arts, majoring in acting. I tell this story to say, that it is never too early to being to pursue your dreams. In fact, the earlier the better. If a child finds something that they find to be their passion and joy, give them the space to fully explore and invest in that thing. You never know what may come of it!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

After graduating with a BFA in musical theatre from Ithaca College, I immediately went on tour with the musical, “Cats,” in which I played Mungojerrie. From there, I moved to New York City and made my Off-Broadway debut in an original musical about the life of Langston Hughes, entitled, “Langston in Harlem,” at Urban Stages. That production opened doors to so many opportunities in the entertainment industry. From there I went on to appear in numerous regional theaters across the country, such as the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Goodspeed Opera House, and Syracuse Stage (for which I won a SALT Award for Leading Actor in a Musical as ‘Bert’ in “Mary Poppins”), The Muny, Portland Center Stage, Baltimore Center Stage, the Studio Theatre, the Hangar Theatre, the MGR Playhouse, the Broad Stage, and the Virginia Stage Company, to name a few. Throughout those years, I also continued to perform in the national tours of several musicals, including “Mary Poppins,” “A Christmas Story: The Musical,” and “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” I was seen Off-Broadway as ‘Jordan’ in “Patience” at Second Stage Theater, as ‘Elzie’ in “Toni Stone” at the Roundabout Theatre Company’s Laura Pels Theatre, and as ‘Priest/Judge’ in “Joan of Arc: Into the Fire” at the Public Theater. I can be seen as ‘Eric’ on seasons 1 and 2 of Prime Video’s “Harlem” and have been seen on NBC’s “New Amsterdam,” Hulu’s “Only Murders in the Building,” and EPIX’s “Bridge and Tunnel.” I am the co-creator/co-executive producer/co-writer/co-star of a series in development, “Not Looking.” On Broadway, I appeared in the leading role, ‘Pharus Jonathan Young,’ in the closing company of “Choir Boy,” as ‘Young Man 5/Toby’s Agent/Charles Wilcox’ in the Original Broadway Cast of the Best Play Tony Award-winning “The Inheritance,” and was a member of the Original Broadway Cast of “Tuck Everlasting.” I am currently playing ‘Jeff’ in the world premiere, Off-Broadway production of “Love + Science,” at New York City Center Stage II, through July 6, 2023. The main goal of my career is to represent the breadth of experience of Black people in the world, especially Black, queer people. As a Black, gay man, I feel it is a privilege and responsibility to shed a light on my community’s experiences and to show that we are not monolithic. There are endless amounts of stories about Black queer people that deserve to be told, so that other Black queer people can feel that they are seen and that they are not alone in the world.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Society can best supports artists and creatives by seeing artists’ work! Many people believe that art should be given for free, but one must understand that artists need to live as well, which requires financial sustainability. Please support artists by buying tickets to their shows, movies, concerts, dance concerts, gallery showings, purchasing their books, etc. If you believe in the power of art, encourage the development of art in schools, because it is at that young age that people’s relationship to art and its value can be truly honed. The arts can truly save lives. It provides an outlet for people to express themselves and to inspire and encourage others. If you have the means to produce artistic projects, please do not hesitate to do so, especially if you are a person of color. We need people of color on the decision making side of the industry so that stories about people of color continue to be told and funded.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is being able to make social change. I truly see art as a means of social activism. It is through art that society is reflected back to itself, and in that reflection, society is able to see the good, bad, and in between, and make a choice to do something about what they see. Whenever I have the opportunity to portray a character, I think of the person watching who may for the first time be seeing themselves represented in art, and how that may inspire confidence in them and inspire them to pursue their dreams.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.notlookingtheseries.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsjonathanburke/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/itsjonathanburke
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/itsjonburke