Dwayne Kennedy is a writer, actor, standup comedian and a 2019 Emmy Award winner for the CNN original series “United Shades of America.” The Chicago Tribune calls him “Legendary.” We call him funny, introspective and just plain a cool cat for taking time to talk to us for Take 5.
You’ve got serious cred in the comedy space, having performed on Letterman, Conan, Jimmy Kimmel and others. What kind of pressure do you face before those types of performances?
I’m pretty confident in the material I’m going to do generally. I’ve gone over the material, I do deep breathing and relaxing, I don’t leave it up to faith and hope. I have to do something mechanical. And also, I try to remember that everyone who is at that show, they want you to succeed. They don’t want you to suck.
You’ve also been on some classic TV shows, including “Seinfeld,” “Martin,” “227” and “Amen.” What were those experiences like?
227 was funny. That was the first one I was ever on. I was in Chicago and the casting director called me to audition. They were looking for a particular actor. It was my first time doing a sitcom and learning the mechanics of it. One thing cool they did is they allowed me to improvise in the rehearsals and some lines I ripped in rehearsal, they kept.
What do you think – big venues or intimate venues?
Intimate venues, no question. Absolutely. My ideal situation would be doing a coffee house for 30 people and making $10,000. Or $100,000. There’s a different energy, a different focus, people can see you better.
Tell us about your album “Who the Hell is Dwayne Kennedy?” How did it come together and what challenges did it provide?
It came together because a few people I know wanted to make an album. This was 2018 and I was in San Francisco at the Punch Line. I think I did five shows and they recorded all five shows. For me, it wasn’t really hard. I think it was harder for Aham Oluo, he was the producer and sound engineer, because I didn’t stick to a set list. There were a few bits that I would do consistently, but for the most part I was all over the place.
What are your thoughts on the current state of the comedy industry as a whole?
Well, I say this, the factor that has changed everything is the Internet. It has removed a lot of gatekeepers, so it has allowed a lot of people to get seen and get in the game. I don’t know that there is a downside, but people can build a huge following before they’ve built an act or developed the performance chops.
Dwayne’s performing at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday at The Plex, with doors opening at 7 p.m. both nights. You’ve got a bunch of ways to check him out pre-game, including his website and YouTube.
Take 5: DWAYNE KENNEDY