John Perrotta's Bio
John Perrotta first took the stage, believe it or not, in 1983 at a talent night at an alcohol rehab center called Edgehill Newport in Newport, Rhode Island! John had the staff and his fellow patients in stitches! In 1983, John took the stage at an Open Mic night at Periwinkles Comedy Club in Providence, R.I. John did great his first time up but then bombed his following two times on stage. John then walked away from stand-up comedy.
In 1991, John had an itch to try performing one more time. He took a comedy class taught by R.I. comedian Frank O'Donnell. When John took the stage once more at Periwinkles Comedy Club in 1991, he had a great set! But once again, when John took the stage for the second time, he bombed horribly! John was at a crossroads; does he continue this journey or walk away once again? This time John decided to give it all he had.
John started to perform at many open mic nights throughout New England at such clubs as Periwinkles, Catch A Rising Star, Nick's Comedy Stop, Stitches Comedy Club, and the Comedy Connection. John worked with such comics as Bill Burr, Bob Marley, Tom Cotter, and others. In 1993, John and Rockin' Joe Hebert started The Comedy Factory, a traveling comedy club. John put together comedy shows at restaurants, clubs, and parties throughout New England! In 1991 John came in 2nd to Eddie Galvin in The Funniest Comic in R.I. Comedy Competition. In 1992 John made the top 10 in the Tonight Show Comedy Challenge Competition. John was now on his way!
In the early 1990s, John became involved with comedian Brian Deery, the owner of Funny Farm Comedy, a comedy booking agency. With the blessing from Brian Deery, John teamed up with fellow comedians Timothy Sullivan and Dave Watson. The 3 of them starting running a weekly comedy showcase every Saturday night at a restaurant in Warwick, R.I. called The Great Impasta. The Great Impasta quickly became a trendy spot for the local comedy scene, also drawing many Boston comics there to perform.
Eventually, from there, John came up with the idea to produce an "All You Can Eat-All You Can Laugh" Dinner-Comedy Show at a restaurant in Swansea, Massachusetts called Old McDonald's Chicken Farm. The Chicken Farm became a hit! Some of the comics performed there included Bill Burr, Tom Cotter, Bob Marley, Ed Regine, and many others!
Eventually, as Rockin' Joe Hebert became a fixture on the top-rated morning radio show "Mike Butts in the Morning" on 92 PRO FM, The Comedy Factory became known as John Perrotta's Comedy Factory. John continued to put comedy shows together along with running open mic comedy nights. John has prided himself on dedicating a big part of his career to helping both new and veteran comics get valuable stage time.
In 2003 John was asked to host a fantastic line-up of comics to benefit the Station Fire at the Providence Performing Arts Center in Providence; R.I. John worked that night with Dane Cook, Colin Quinn. Frank Santorelli, Stephanie Peters, Rich Aronovitch, and others!
John went on to win numerous comedy competitions, and in 2008 he was voted R.I.'s Funniest Comic in the Providence Phoenix Reader's Poll! John also had the thrill of performing in New York City comedy clubs; Dangerfield's, Gotham Comedy Club, and the Greenwich Village Comedy Club!
John continued to have much success producing comedy shows as the years went on. In 2017, John had the fortune of performing with national headliner Tammy Pescatelli. In August of 2017, Tammy asked John to be a part of her Italian-themed show at the Friar's Club in New York City. In August of that year, John closed Tammy's performance at the prestigious Friar's Club. John had a fantastic set, and it was a massive moment in his career!
Following that exciting night, John received a text from a comic that he had helped out years earlier, national headliner Bill Burr! Bill asked John if he would like to open for him in two shows at the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom in Hampton, New Hampshire! What a fantastic night for John as he stepped on stage before 2000 people! In October of 2017, John's friend Johnny Pizzi booked John to be a part of Komedy for a Kause to benefit the Wheel Chair Strong Foundation. John worked with Boston legend Lenny Clarke for the first time, along with Christine Hurley, Jimmie "JJ' Walker, and others! An exciting period in John's career.
As John enters his 30th year of both performing stand-up comedy & putting together comedy shows, he continues to have a passion for his craft!