Biografia
Melissa DuPrey is a multidisciplinary artist originating from Humboldt Park, Chicago. After earning dual Bachelor's degrees from the University of Houston, she returned to Chicago to join Teatro Luna, an all-Latina theatre company. Her one-woman show, SEXomedy (2012), developed during their monthly series for women of color in the arts, earned a Chicago Reader Recommendation, a Member's Pick, and successfully debuted Off-Broadway in New York. The show's popularity led to a progressive sequel, SEXomedy 2.0, which premiered at Steppenwolf Theater in April 2019. Her second solo production, SUSHI-frito, received critical acclaim as part of MPAACT's Signature Series for solo artists. In 2014, she was chosen as a new talent for the ABC Diversity Showcase in New York City. DuPrey is also a community organizer and spiritualist who founded The Good Grief Project—an initiative extending the social justice themes from her play GOOD GRIEF by connecting communities of color with local, accessible, multidisciplinary mental and spiritual wellness practitioners of color. Her full-length play BRUJAJA was selected for 16th Street's New Play Pop Up Reading Series in 2019 and is scheduled for its world premiere in 2021 with UrbanTheater Company. She has performed stand-up comedy across Chicago, New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles. DuPrey is featured as an actor in the Emmy-nominated web series Brown Girls and holds numerous regional and non-regional theater credits in Chicago. Currently, she appears as Dr. Sara Ortiz on "Grey's Anatomy" (Seasons 17 and 18). Her television credits include a recurring role on "Empire" (FOX) and guest appearances on "The Resident" (FOX), "Chicago PD" (NBC), and "The Chi" (Showtime). Her film work includes Relative (2022), Long Division (2022), Cherry (2020), Two in the Bush (2017), The Way We Speak (2014), and Bromance (2014). As a musician and active community member, she is committed to preserving Puerto Rican culture through folkloric music, specifically Bomba y Plena, with Africaribe and Las BomPleneras. She currently serves as an Ensemble Member at UrbanTheater Company and as an Artistic Associate at Sideshow Theater.
