Desiree Burch at TEDxBayArea Ignite

Desiree Burch is a New York-based solo performance artist, comedian, writer, actress, and educator. Desiree's work investigates raw humanity through psychologically charged performances that combine humor, guts, honesty, intimacy, autobiography, and audience participation. As a performing artist, she seeks connection and authenticity for herself, her work and her audiences. Comedy and bare expression are her conduits for confrontation and change, and Desiree picks the meat clean from her own skeleton before inviting her audiences to do the same.

Desiree earned a BA in Theater Studies from Yale University. She continued her theater education in New York, performing through organizations such as Dixon Place, P.S. 122, Galapagos Art Space, NYU's E.T.W., Columbia School of Theater, Gorilla Rep, The New Museum, and WNYC's The Greene Space. Her comedy has been seen at Caroline's, Gotham and Highlights, as well as on MTV, VH1, Comedy Central, NBC and Channel 4. She was a writer/director/performer in, and original member of, the New York New York NeoFuturists, performing regularly in Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind. She also co-created and performed in the full-frontal feminist collaboration The Soup Show.

Desiree's full-length solo performances include Greatest Hits, Careless and The Sit Down Show, 52 Man Pickup and Tar Baby, which have been performed at Joe's Pub, 59E59, Ars Nova, La MaMa, Brava Theater, and International Fringe Festivals in Edinburgh, New York, New Orleans, London and Hollywood. She is one of New York Magazine's "Ten New Comedians that Funny People Find Funny", and in 2008, she created The Hysterical Festival for women in comedy.