Dwayne Perkins (born March 21, 1971) is an American stand-up comedian from
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
, New York, currently residing in Los Angeles. He has made appearances on ''
Conan
Conan may refer to:
People
* Saint Conan (died 684), bishop of the Isle of Man
* Conan of Cornwall (c. 930 – c. 950), bishop of Cornwall
* Conan I of Rennes (died 992), duke of Brythonic Brittany
* Conan II, Duke of Brittany (died 1066), duke ...
'',
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American Cable television in the United States, cable television channel, channel owned by Paramount Global through its Paramount Media Networks, network division's Paramount Media Networks#MTV Entertainment Group, MTV Ente ...
, and as a regular correspondent on ''
The Jay Leno Show
''The Jay Leno Show'' is an American prime time talk show hosted by Jay Leno that was broadcast by NBC from September 14, 2009, to February 9, 2010. The series was a spiritual successor to his previous late-night talk show ''The Tonight Show wit ...
''. In August 2012, he was selected by ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason.
The magazine was first known fo ...
'' magazine as one of their "Five Comics to Watch".
[
] In October 2015, he was the
artist-in-residence
Artist-in-residence (also Writer-in-residence), or artist residencies, encompass a wide spectrum of artistic programs that involve a collaboration between artists and hosting organisations, institutions, or communities. They are programs that pr ...
at the Rotterdam International Comedy Festival.
[
][
]
Stage
Perkins earned a
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...
degree from the
New York Institute of Technology
The New York Institute of Technology (NYIT or New York Tech) is a Private university, private research university, research university founded in 1955. It has two main campuses in New York (state), New York—one in Old Westbury, on Long I ...
.
After emceeing events in college, Perkins began performing at the Uptown Comedy Club
in
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...
.
[
] After graduation, he moved to
Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
in 1994.
[
] While performing at The Comedy Studio in Boston in 1999, he was scouted by ''
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show is the second installment of the ''Late Night (franchise), Late Night'' franchise originally established by David Letterman. Hosted by Conan O'Brie ...
'',
[
] and he made his television stand-up comedy debut on that show in July of the same year.
[
] During this period, he also appeared in the ''New Faces of Comedy'' showcase at the
Just for Laughs festival in
Montreal
Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
.
[
][
]
In 2003, Perkins moved to Los Angeles.
[
] He has indicated that his primary clubs in the area are
The Comedy & Magic Club
The Comedy & Magic Club is located in Hermosa Beach, California and opened in 1978 by Mike Lacey. The club's beachside location has made it a favorite destination for both comedians and audience members for a long time. Many of the top comics in th ...
and the
Laugh Factory
Laugh Factory is a chain of comedy clubs in the United States. The chain is owned by Laugh Factory Inc., and the founder and current chief executive is Jamie Masada.
Endurance record
The Laugh Factory keeps track of an endurance record for ...
.
[
] Other notable area clubs where he has performed include the
Hollywood Improv
The Improv is a comedy club franchise. It was founded as a single venue in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York City in 1963, and expanded into a chain of venues in the late 1970s.
History
Originally, it was a 50-seat single venue (whic ...
,
[
][
] The Comedy Store
The Comedy Store is an American comedy club opened in April 1972. It is located in West Hollywood, California, at 8433 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip. An associated club is located in La Jolla, San Diego, California.
History
The Comedy ...
,
and
The Ice House.
[
][
] Notable clubs outside Los Angeles where he has headlined include Gotham City Comedy Club
[
] in New York City and the Punch Line
[
][
] in San Francisco.
In addition to performing in the United States and Canada,
[
] Perkins has also performed in Europe,
the United Kingdom, South Africa,
[
] India,
[
] the United Arab Emirates,
[
] Hong Kong,
Singapore,
[
] and China.
[
][
]
Comedy style
Perkins has indicated that he prefers to appeal to broad audiences rather than to narrowly defined audience segments.
[
][
] His earliest stage time was in front of predominantly black audiences in Harlem, followed by a period in which he played to predominantly white audiences in Boston, and he credits both experiences with influencing his style.
He has also indicated that he prefers subtler material over more confrontational approaches.
[
] While he includes material about race in his act, he has indicated that it is not the central focus of his material.
His delivery style has been characterized as "likeable" and "matter-of-fact."
[
][
]
Television
References
External links
*
*
Dwayne Perkins "Off the Top" podcast
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perkins, Dwayne
1971 births
Living people
American stand-up comedians
American male comedians
African-American stand-up comedians
African-American male comedians
20th-century American comedians
21st-century American comedians
Comedians from Brooklyn
20th-century African-American people
21st-century African-American people
New York Institute of Technology alumni