Season 4 | Episode 1

More Than Rice and Beans Podcast®

Meet Melissa DuPrey: Afro-Latina Artist Creating Meaningful Connections

Episode Description:

We’re back! To celebrate our season 4 premiere, we’re joined by Afro-Latina multidisciplinary artist, producer, and playwright Melissa DuPrey. You may know her as Dr. Sara Ortiz on Grey’s Anatomy, but did you know she’s also a stand-up comedian, a community organizer, and a theatrical performer with over a decade of experience performing in full-length solo plays?! We dig into her career, advocacy, experiences, and of course, food! Plus, Melissa shares why she loves her hometown of Chicago so much and what she’s working on next. You don’t want to miss this one!

Highlights include:

Tania and Miguel are joined by performer and producer Melissa DuPrey, known for her work on shows like Grey’s Anatomy, Empire, Chicago PD, and more.

• Melissa tells us what it was like to work on Grey’s Anatomy after watching it for years.
• We chatted about the importance of representation in popular media and why the role of Dr. Sara Ortiz was so special.
• Melissa tells us about her experiences working alongside some of the most influential and inspiring actors in Hollywood.
• We talk about hometowns and how the neighborhoods we grew up in shape us for the rest of our lives.
• We discussed Melissa’s mental health advocacy work and the importance of giving back to our communities.

About the guest:

Melissa DuPrey is a multidisciplinary artist, producer, and playwright from Humboldt Park, Chicago. She is a critically acclaimed solo artist whose work spans over a decade with 5 full-length solo plays highlighting the intersections of Blackness, queerness, healing, and sexuality. DuPrey is also a community organizer and spiritualist who launched The Good Grief Project in 2020- an extension of the social justice component from her solo play GOOD GRIEF, where communities of color are connected to local, accessible, and multidisciplinary mental and spiritual wellness practitioners of color.

She has performed stand-up comedy in Chicago, New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles. She was recently seen as “Dr. Sara Ortiz” on Grey’s Anatomy (Seasons 17 and 18). She’s also been seen on Empire, The Resident, Chicago PD, and The Chi. Her theater credits include works at Court Theater, The Goodman Theater, Steppenwolf, Free Street Theater, Urban Theater Company, Victory Gardens, The Greenhouse Theater, Oracle Theater, and Teatro Luna. She is currently an Ensemble Member at Urban Theater Company and Africaribe.

Links:

Visit our webpage: https://coquithechef.com/podcast/

Follow us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/morethanriceandbeans

Check out our cooking classes: https://coquithechef.com/

Support our show here: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/morethanriceandbeans/support

Follow Melissa DuPrey 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boomboomduprey/?hl=en

Visit Melissa’s website: https://www.melissaduprey.com/

Download Show Notes