Dewayne Perkins facts for kids

Dewayne Perkins (born November 5, 1990) is an American comedian, writer, actor, and producer. He was born and grew up in Chicago, Illinois. Dewayne learned comedy skills like improv at famous places such as The Second City and iO Theater.

His stand-up comedy has been praised by Variety magazine and the Just for Laughs comedy festival. You might have seen him on TV shows like Wild 'n Out and The Upshaws. Dewayne has also worked as a writer for many TV shows, including The Break with Michelle Wolf, the Saved by the Bell reboot, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. He is a staff writer for The Amber Ruffin Show, which earned him a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award. Dewayne is also the co-writer and a star of the horror-comedy movie The Blackening.

Growing Up and Learning

Dewayne Perkins was born in Chicago, Illinois, and grew up on the south side of the city, near Marquette Park. He went to Hearst Elementary School and later graduated from Curie High School. He was the first African American male student at his high school to earn an International Baccalaureate Diploma. This is a special certificate for students who complete a challenging academic program.

Dewayne became interested in performing through musical theater and improv classes he took in high school. He started at The Theatre School at DePaul University but later changed his major to film and animation. There, his best friend and writing partner, Aasia Lashay Bullock, introduced him to The Second City. They were hired after a producer saw their show, Uncle Tom & Jerry Curl: A Black History Month Experience. Dewayne earned his bachelor's degree from DePaul University.

Dewayne's Career Journey

Early Stand-up and TV Writing

After college, Dewayne continued to work at Second City and performed at iO theater. He was also part of an improv group called 3Peat. In 2016, he wrote and performed a show called Black Side of the Moon at the Woolly Mammoth Theater in Washington, D.C.

In 2017, he left Second City to focus on stand-up comedy. He found that using Twitter helped him improve his joke writing. He was hired as a writer for The Break with Michelle Wolf in 2018. Later, he moved to Los Angeles and joined the writing team for season seven of Brooklyn Nine-Nine. In both of these writing rooms, he was the only Black writer.

Movies and TV Shows

In January 2020, it was announced that Dewayne's sketch The Blackening would become a full-length movie. He co-wrote the film with Tracy Oliver. The movie was directed by Tim Story and stars Dewayne himself, along with Antoinette Robertson, Jermaine Fowler, Yvonne Orji, and Jay Pharoah. Filming finished in December 2021, and the movie was shown at the TIFF in September 2022.

Dewayne is a writer for The Amber Ruffin Show. He also wrote for the Saved By the Bell reboot. Both shows were released on Peacock in 2020.

In June 2020, Dewayne shared on Twitter some concerns about his past experiences at The Second City. He spoke about how he felt the company was slow to support the Black Lives Matter movement. He also mentioned that Black performers were sometimes asked to change their speaking voices. The day after he shared his thoughts, one of Second City's co-owners resigned.

Dewayne will also write and produce a new TV show called Chopped & Screwed for ABC. This show is a comedy about a Black barbershop and beauty salon. He will also write and produce Clue, an animated TV series based on the 1985 movie.

The Blackening was released in theaters in June 2023. It made $17.7 million, which is a lot for a movie that cost only $5 million to make. In November 2023, it was announced that Dewayne and Tracy Oliver are working on a sequel. Dewayne also has a recurring role in Seth Rogen's upcoming Apple TV+ comedy series, The Studio.

Awards and Recognitions

Dewayne Perkins has received several awards and nominations for his work:

• 2017 – Best Short-Form Digital Project, New York Television Festival - for Starving Artists (with Aasia Lashay Bullock)
• 2019 – New Faces of Comedy, Just for Laughs
• 2020 – 10 Comics to Watch, Variety

Filmography

Television Shows

Movies

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Dewayne Perkins para niños