MELISSA DUPREY
FEATURED SHOWS
10.7 The Headliner Show
Don’t miss a special headlining performance of the winner of the 2021 NY Latino Film Festival Latino Stand Up Comedy Competition, Chicago’s very own, Gwen La Roka. She is the first Latina from Chicago to make her comedy special debut on HBO Max. Catch her streaming now on “Entre Nos: The Winners 3” which also features Ralph Barbosa and was directed by Aida Rodriguez.
The show will also feature headlining talent from across the country who have been featured on Comedy Central, Stand Up NBC, and comedy clubs and festivals across the country. This is a special showcase in an intimate venue. We expect this showcase to sell out! Please note for this show, one cocktail or mocktail (no shake drinks) is included in the ticket price.
Also Performing: Aniria Turney (Que Funny Comedy), Christina Galston (Comedy Central), Glorelys Mora (Mitu TV), Irma Ruiz (MindTwist Comedy), Molina Molina (Kitchen Sink Comedy), Nana Rodriguez (Pa Fuera Productions), Natasha Samreny (The Improv), Soli Santos (Zanies), Shari Diaz (HBO Max), Amy Colon (Caroline’s), Bren Vila (Laugh Factory Chicago), Chona E (@Chonae on Tik Tok), Hilary Jimenez (Limestone Comedy Festival), Janice Rodriguez (Las Locas Comedy), Jesnaira Baez (Improv), Jess Martinez (Lincoln Lodge), Melissa DuPrey (Grey’s Anatomy), Michelle Cantu (LOL San Antonio) & Mysia Chabert (Houston Improv).
After earning double Bachelor degrees from the University of Houston, she returned to Chicago to join the all-Latina theatre company, Teatro Luna. Her one-woman show, SEXomedy, was developed during their monthly series for women of color in the arts and received a Chicago Reader Recommendation, a Member’s Pick, and had a successful debut Off-Broadway in New York. Her second solo show, SUSHI-frito, has also been critically acclaimed as part of MPAACT’s Signature Series for solo artists.Her subsequent solo works SEXomedy 2.0 and Good Grief are currently in development. She was selected as a new talent for the 2014 ABC Diversity Showcase in New York City. She has performed stand-up comedy in Chicago, New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles. She is a featured actor in the Emmy-nominated web-series Brown Girls. Regional Theatre credits include: Tilikum (Sideshow Theater Company), The Compass (Steppenwolf Theatre) and Luna Gale(Goodman Theatre). Other theatre credits include American Beauty Shop (Chicago Dramatist), SUSHI-frito (Free Street Theatre), Adoration of the Old Woman (Urban Theatre Company), and A Citizen’s Anthology (Inconvenience Theatre), Forecast(ICAH/MCA), and PUTAS! (Teatro Luna). Film credits include: Two in the Bush (2017), The Way We Speak(2014), and Bromance(2014). TV credits include appearances on “Chicago PD” (NBC), and “The Chi” (Showtime). She is currently an Ensemble Member at UrbanTheater Company, and the Director of Production and Community Relations at Free Street Theater.
As a stand-up comic, Ms. DuPrey has performed in New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, and various reputable venues throughout Chicago such as Zanies, Riddles, Second City’s UP Comedy Club, Mikey O Comedy Show, and The Abbey Pub. Ms. DuPrey has also been a regular guest on WGN’s late-night radio show hosted by Comedian Patti Vasquez and a guest performer/panelist at the National Hispanic Leadership Summit. As a musician and active member of her community, she is dedicated to the preservation of Puerto Rican culture by way of the folkloric music, Bomba y Plena, with Africaribe and Las BomPleneras. She is blessed to have the continuous support of her family and friends, and hopes to continue creating and producing projects that fuse elements of theatrical storytelling with stand-up comedy.