Biography
Paul Perroni played Tom in Shadows, a stage adaptation of John Cassavetes' Beat Generation film about race relations in New York City. The production was presented by the Obie-winning company Hoi Polloi in Brooklyn and directed by Alec Duffy-a subsequent staging of the original New York Times Critics' Pick.
He appeared in a supporting role in Animals, an acclaimed independent film, written by David Dastmalchian and directed by Collin Schiffli, that earned several festival awards, including the SXSW Special Jury Award for Courage in Storytelling.
Perroni studied under Terry Schreiber at New York's T. Schreiber Studio and appeared in a range of New York productions, including Falling Out with Gregarian Tunks by Derek Lee McPhatter at the Bowery Poetry Club, along with plays at the Abingdon Theatre and Cell Theatre in Manhattan. Additionally, Perroni work-shopped The Atwater Project by Lucy Gillespie with terraNOVA Collective, Off-Broadway, in which he portrayed controversial political strategist Lee Atwater. He participated in a staged reading of Jack Kerouac's only known play, The Beat Generation, with the Drama Desk-winning The Labyrinth Theater Company, Off-Broadway, prompting a reading of Mentirosa by Paul Bakija, directed by Matthew Harrison, alongside Louisa Krause, Yul Vazquez, and Tony Plana.
On the West Coast, he portrayed Frank Sinatra opposite Tony-winner Anthony Crivello (as Louis Prima) in the LA Critics' Choice production of Louis & Keely: 'Live' at the Sahara, directed by Oscar-winner Taylor Hackford, at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles.
Perroni began his career in Chicago's vibrant storefront theatre scene. He went on to tour nationally in over 800 performances of the Broadway hit Defending the Caveman, appearing in cities including Austin, Las Vegas, and Providence. While on tour, he also performed at the Long Wharf Theatre in Connecticut and Pittsburgh CLO.
