There are many things in Kosovo that one might want to avoid today, but one of them is definitely not the New York raised American gem, Dwayne Perkins. On sabbatical from the Coronet Theatre’s musical comedy "Funny Business," Dwayne is in Kosovo performing for stationed U.S. Troops.

“I’m all about positive vibes. It’s my thing,” he said. This is a heartening contrast to the stereotype most New Yorkers are saddled with. And stereotype isn’t something new to Dwayne.

In "Funny Business," a play about the trials and tribulations of comedians trying to break into the entertainment industry, he plays Will Jackson. Dwayne describes Jackson as “a young African American, who’s a relatively smart comic. He’s streetwise but without the demeanor. And during his stand-up, he adopts a stereotypical ‘gangster-pimp’ character that gets a lot of laughs. But in the end, he has to choose between this character, which may bring him more accolades, or being true to himself.”  

Many parallels can be drawn between Dwayne and his character. When asked about possible similarities he said, “All the stand-up bits my character does are my own material. And I would say that the character is like me, but me four years ago. He’s more naïve.”

And that is easy to understand because while the character Jackson is a comic looking for recognition, Dwayne has already earned some of his own.

Dwayne’s credits include appearances on "Late Night with Conan O’Brien" and "The Late Show with Craig Kilborn." He has a CD titled, “She Ate My Hair Cut” available at cdbaby.com and has performed a half-hour show for Comedy Central that aired this April. He has starred in two independent films and a bevy of commercials. He also has some fans that he’s very modest about.

“My comedy is clean, which is a good thing because it makes me have to be more animated," he said.  "It’s not racially focused, although my character in the play deals with it.  I think that allows a wider age range of people to ‘get’ me.”

His future plans include writing scripts and screenplays, and he hopes to be billed in more notable films. When asked if he considers himself more of an actor or a comedian, he said, “I consider myself both. But I have more swagger when I say, 'I’m a comedian…' But I think being a comedian is a hybrid of actor, writer and even a director. So, I’d like one day to be known as one of the best comedians ever.”

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