Dewayne Perkins (born November 5, 1990)
is an American comedian, writer, actor, and producer. Born and raised in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, he received improv training at
The Second City
The Second City is an improvisational comedy enterprise and is the oldest ongoing improvisational theater troupe to be continually based in Chicago, with training programs and live theatres in Toronto and Los Angeles. The Second City Theatre o ...
and also worked for
iO Theater
iO, or iO Chicago, (formerly known as "ImprovOlympic") is an improv theater and training center in central Chicago, with a former branch in Los Angeles, called iO West and in Raleigh, North Carolina called iO South. The theater taught and hosted ...
. His stand-up comedy was recommended by ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' magazine and
Just for Laughs comedy festival. He has appeared on ''
Wild 'n Out
''Wild 'N Out'' is an American sketch comedy and improv game show series that was created and is hosted by musician and comedian Nick Cannon currently airing on VH1. It debuted on July 28, 2005 on MTV.
In April 2019, the series had been rene ...
'' and ''
The Upshaws
''The Upshaws'' is an American sitcom created by Regina Y. Hicks and Wanda Sykes. The series stars Sykes, Mike Epps, Kim Fields, Page Kennedy, Diamond Lyons, Khali Spraggins, Jermelle Simon, Gabrielle Dennis, and Journey Christine. The series ...
''. Perkins was on the writing staff for ''
The Break with Michelle Wolf'', the ''
Saved by the Bell
''Saved by the Bell'' is an American television sitcom created by Sam Bobrick for NBC. The series premiered, in primetime, on August 20, 1989, a Sunday night. Targeted at kids and teens, ''Saved by the Bell'' was broadcast in the United States ...
'' reboot, and ''
Brooklyn Nine-Nine'', and he is a staff writer for ''
The Amber Ruffin Show
''The Amber Ruffin Show'' is an American comedy late-night talk show. Produced by Universal Television and Sethmaker Shoemeyers Productions and starring Amber Ruffin, it features a mix of sketches and monologues. The series was ordered for nin ...
'', for which he was nominated for a
Primetime Emmy Award.
Early life and education
Perkins was born in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
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, subdivision_name ...
, Illinois
and was raised on the
south side near
Marquette Park.
He attended Hearst Elementary School and graduated from
Curie High School.
He was the first African American male student to receive an
International Baccalaureate Diploma
The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) is a two-year Curriculum, educational programme primarily aimed at 16-to-19-year-olds in 140 countries around the world. The programme provides an internationally accepted qualification fo ...
from his high school.
Perkins developed his interest in performing through musical theater and improv classes in high school.
He attended
The Theatre School at DePaul University
The Theatre School at DePaul University, previously the Goodman School of Drama (also known as TTS and GSD, respectively) is the drama school of DePaul University. Founded with its first class conducted at the Art Institute of Chicago on January 5 ...
but was cut after his first year and changed his major to film and animation, where he was introduced to
The Second City
The Second City is an improvisational comedy enterprise and is the oldest ongoing improvisational theater troupe to be continually based in Chicago, with training programs and live theatres in Toronto and Los Angeles. The Second City Theatre o ...
by his best friend and writing partner Aasia Lashay Bullock.
They were hired there after a producer saw his and Bullock's original show ''Uncle Tom & Jerry Curl: A Black History Month Experience''.
Perkins received his bachelor's degree from DePaul.
Career
2016–2019: Stand-up and television writing
After college Perkins continued to work at Second City and as a performer at
iO theater
iO, or iO Chicago, (formerly known as "ImprovOlympic") is an improv theater and training center in central Chicago, with a former branch in Los Angeles, called iO West and in Raleigh, North Carolina called iO South. The theater taught and hosted ...
, and was a member of the improv trio 3Peat. In 2016, he wrote and performed ''Black Side of the Moon'' at
Woolly Mammoth Theater in D.C.
He left Second City in 2017 to pursue stand-up.
When he transitioned to stand-up, he stated that using Twitter improved his joke writing.
His work frequently covers issues of identity such as his race and sexuality.
In April 2018, 3Peat's sketch ''The Blackening'' was released online on Comedy Central, about "an all-Black group of friends (who ain't got no business camping) as they get chased by a serial killer."
The sketch originated from a variety show sketch Perkins produced at Second City.
He was hired to write for the sole season of ''
The Break with Michelle Wolf'' in 2018.
He later relocated to Los Angeles and joined the writing staff for season seven of ''
Brooklyn Nine-Nine''.
In both writer's rooms he was the only Black writer.
2020–present: Television production and ''The Blackening''
In January 2020, it was announced that ''
The Blackening
''The Blackening'' is the sixth album by American heavy metal band Machine Head. Released on March 27, 2007, in the United States, ''The Blackening'' sold 16,000 units in its first week, and became Machine Head's third highest charting release a ...
'' would be adapted into a full-length film, to be co-written with
Tracy Oliver and developed by MRC Film and The Story Company.
Directed by
Tim Story
Timothy Kevin Story (born March 13, 1970) is an African American film director. He is best known for '' Barbershop'' (2002), the '' Fantastic Four'' (2005) and the ''Ride Along'' franchise. He has been nominated for two NAACP Image Awards for O ...
and starring Perkins,
Antoinette Robertson
Antoinette Robertson is an American actress, known for her roles in the Oprah Winfrey Network prime time soap opera, '' The Haves and the Have Nots'' (2014–18), and Netflix comedy-drama series '' Dear White People'' (2017–2021).
Life and car ...
,
Jermaine Fowler
Jermaine Fowler is an American actor, comedian, producer and writer. He is perhaps best known for his role as King Akeem Joffer's long-lost son Lavelle Junson in the 2021 romantic comedy film ''Coming 2 America'' and Franco Wicks on the CBS sit ...
,
Yvonne Orji
Yvonne Anuli Orji (born 2 December 1983) is a Nigerian-American actress and comedian. She is best known for her role in the television series '' Insecure'' (2016–2021), for which she has been nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award and three NAAC ...
, and
Jay Pharoah
Jared Antonio Farrow (born October 14, 1987), better known by his stage name Jay Pharoah, is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and impressionist. Pharoah was a cast member on NBC's sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' from 2010 to 201 ...
, the film wrapped production in December 2021.
The film was released at
TIFF
Tag Image File Format, abbreviated TIFF or TIF, is an image file format for storing raster graphics images, popular among graphic artists, the publishing industry, and photographers. TIFF is widely supported by scanning, faxing, word process ...
in September 2022.
Perkins is a writer for ''
The Amber Ruffin Show
''The Amber Ruffin Show'' is an American comedy late-night talk show. Produced by Universal Television and Sethmaker Shoemeyers Productions and starring Amber Ruffin, it features a mix of sketches and monologues. The series was ordered for nin ...
'' and was also a writer for the ''
Saved By the Bell
''Saved by the Bell'' is an American television sitcom created by Sam Bobrick for NBC. The series premiered, in primetime, on August 20, 1989, a Sunday night. Targeted at kids and teens, ''Saved by the Bell'' was broadcast in the United States ...
'' reboot, both released on
Peacock
Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera '' Pavo'' and '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female peafowl are r ...
in 2020.
In June 2020, Perkins posted a viral Twitter thread alleging institutional racism during his time at
The Second City
The Second City is an improvisational comedy enterprise and is the oldest ongoing improvisational theater troupe to be continually based in Chicago, with training programs and live theatres in Toronto and Los Angeles. The Second City Theatre o ...
.
He "criticized Second City prior’s reluctance to fundraise for the
Black Lives Matter
Black Lives Matter (abbreviated BLM) is a decentralized political and social movement that seeks to highlight racism, discrimination, and racial inequality experienced by black people. Its primary concerns are incidents of police br ...
movement without also financially supporting police-related causes."
He alleged that he and other Black performers were required to see a dialect coach to make their speaking voices more "palatable."
He further stated in an interview with ''The New York Times'' that he had heard directors use anti-Black slurs, and was traumatized by his overall experience.
Several other Black performers replied to the thread.
The next day, Second City co-owner Andrew Alexander resigned.
Perkins will write and executive produce the workplace sitcom ''Chopped & Screwed'' for
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
in collaboration with
Phoebe Robinson
Phoebe Robinson (born September 28, 1984) is an American comedian, New York Times best-selling writer, and actress based in New York City.
Early life and education
Robinson grew up in Bedford Heights and Solon, Ohio. She attended high school a ...
.
The show is a multi-camera sitcom centered on a Black barbershop and beauty salon that must come together as one entity to serve the superficial and therapeutic needs of their customers and community.
In 2022 it was announced that Perkins will executive produce and write ''Clue'', an animated television series adaptation based on
the 1985 film. Tim Story will also co-executive produce the series for Fox and
Bento Box Entertainment
Bento Box Entertainment (also known as Bento Box Animation) is an American animation studio located in the North Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 2009 by executive producers Scott Greenberg, Joel Kuwahara, and ...
.
Personal life
Perkins is gay.
Accolades
* 2017 – Best Short-Form Digital Project,
New York Television Festival
The New York Television Festival (NYTVF) is a yearly festival
A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often mark ...
- for ''Starving Artists'' in collaboration with Aasia Lashay Bullock
*2019 – New Faces of Comedy,
Just for Laughs
* 2020 – 10 Comics to Watch, ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
''
Filmography
Television
Film
Awards and nominations
References
External links
Official website*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perkins, Dewayne
Living people
African-American actors
African-American stand-up comedians
American stand-up comedians
African-American screenwriters
LGBT African Americans
American LGBT actors
Writers from Chicago
Male actors from Chicago
Comedians from Illinois
DePaul University alumni
American stage actors
21st-century American male writers
African-American male comedians
American male comedians
Entertainers from Illinois
1990 births
African-American television producers