Melissa Dunphy was born in Brisbane, Australia, to a Chinese mother and a Greek father. She began piano lessons at three, and violin lessons at seven; in her teens, she dabbled in drum kit, French horn and flute. Her current instrument of choice is cello. At sixteen, she graduated high school with the highest marks in Queensland in music performance, and soon afterwards toured to Asia and the United States with two youth orchestras as a violist. Since then, Melissa has played in bands of all types from folk to funk to cyberpunk, and is now pursuing a Bachelor of Music at West Chester University.

While attending Somerville House school for girls, Melissa received one-on-one speech and drama coaching for ten years, acquiring an Associate Diploma in Speech and Drama from Trinity College of London and a lifelong love for Shakespeare. Since moving to Pennsylvania in 2003, she has appeared on stage, television, film, and radio, and been a full-time company member of Gamut Theatre in Harrisburg and the Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival.

2008 Lucine, Another Man's Son , PlayPenn Philadelphia, PA
  Juliet, Romeo & Juliet, Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival Philadelphia, PA
  Marina, Pericles, Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival Philadelphia, PA
2006 Perdita, The Winter's Tale, Theater of the Seventh Sister, Shakespeare in Long's Park Lancaster, PA
  The Fool, King Lear, Harrisburg Shakespeare Festival Harrisburg, PA
  Cat, The Brementown Musicians, Popcorn Hat Players Children's Theatre Harrisburg, PA
  Ophelia/Horatio/Guildenstern, Hamlet, Gamut Theatre Educational Tour Harrisburg, PA
  Elizabeth Ann McGillicuddy, The Frog Prince, Popcorn Hat Players Children's Theatre Harrisburg, PA
  Musical director/Bird/Mouse/Squirrel/Mole, A Year with Frog and Toad, Gamut Theatre Harrisburg, PA
  Bonita, Beauty and the Beast, Popcorn Hat Players Children's Theatre Harrisburg, PA
  Juliet, Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare Face to Face Lancaster, PA
2005 Katherine DuPont, Twas the Night Before Christmas, Popcorn Hat Players Children's Theatre Harrisburg, PA
  Hotspur/Mowbray/Justice Silence, Henry IV, Harrisburg Shakespeare Festival Harrisburg, PA
  Various characters, Aesop's Fables Too!, Popcorn Hat Players Children's Theatre Harrisburg, PA
  Little Red, Little Red Riding Hood, Popcorn Hat Players Children's Theatre Harrisburg, PA
  Betsy Lou/Griselda, Jack and the Beanstalk, Popcorn Hat Players Children's Theatre Harrisburg, PA
  Montjoy/Cambridge/Jamy, Henry V, Harrisburg Shakespeare Festival Harrisburg, PA
  Juliet, Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare Face to Face Lancaster, PA
2004 Ariel, The Tempest, Harrisburg Shakespeare Festival Harrisburg, PA
  Juliet, Romeo and Juliet, Theater of the Seventh Sister, Shakespeare in Long's Park Lancaster, PA
  Cobweb/Musical Director, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Harrisburg Shakespeare Festival Harrisburg, PA
  Margot Frank, The Diary of Anne Frank, Open Stage of Harrisburg Harrisburg, PA
  Juliet, Romeo and Juliet, Theater of the Seventh Sister Lancaster, PA
1999 University of New South Wales Theatrical Society:
• Director, Amadeus (major production)
• Director, Rhinoceros, (minor production)
• Mrs Peterson, Biird(e)
Sydney, Australia
1998 University of New South Wales Theatrical Society:
• Master Terry, Sting the Bee Back
• Mrs Peterson, Bye Bye Birdie
• Girl, Tempests (a recontextualisation of Shakespeare’s The Tempest)
• Musician, An Unfinished Song
Sydney, Australia
  Member of the Lindrum Theatre Company,
performing at the Australian International Shakespearean Festival
Sydney, Australia
1997 University of New South Wales Theatrical Society:
• Two roles in student-written shorts, SPASMS
Sydney, Australia
  McDonald's Performing Arts Challenge Speech and Drama Open Champion
Sydney, Australia
1996 The Sorceress, Dido and Aeneas, Somerville House
Brisbane, Australia
  Brisbane Speech and Drama Eisteddfod Senior Champion
Brisbane, Australia
2006 Shippensburg University television commercial, First Generation Video Harrisburg, PA
2005 Featured extra, Bobby Rahal Honda commercial Harrisburg, PA
  Pengy, Some Kind of Justice, Pocket Change Productions Harrisburg, PA
  Tanner, No Sanctuary, Mythic Image Media Lancaster, PA
  Evil Elf, Two Front Teeth, Roast Beast, LLC Baltimore, MD
2004 Nurse Aide, Industrial Training Video, Aurora Films Lancaster, PA
  Juliet (and interview as self), Two on the Aisle, Blue Ridge Cable Ephrata, PA
  On-air talent, WITF-TV Kids Pledge Campaign Harrisburg, PA
  On-air talent, WITF-FM Pledge Campaign Harrisburg, PA
  Voiceover, The Harman Agency, Infomax Harrisburg, PA
2003 Voiceover, WITF-TV "Retrain Your Brain," Antiques Roadshow commercial Harrisburg, PA
2001 Finalist, Channel [V] Reporter Search
Appeared on Australia’s premier music television station for three weeks, hosting music video programs and interviewing international acts such as A Perfect Circle.
Sydney, Australia
1998 Actor, dramatic re-enactment, Australia’s Most Wanted Sydney, Australia
  Extra, McDonald’s commercial
Sydney, Australia
2008 Music captain, Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival Philadelphia, PA
2007 Cellist, West Chester University Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Ensemble, Le Chat Noir String Quartet West Chester, PA
  Musical Director, A Year with Frog and Toad, Gamut Theatre Harrisburg, PA
2006 Composed/recorded The Frail Variations West Chester, PA
  Cellist, West Chester University Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Ensemble, Quartet West Chester, PA
  Solo Soprano, And What Alice Found There ... Music of Ross Care Harrisburg, PA
  Musical director, The Glass Menagerie, Gamut Theatre Harrisburg, PA
  Musical director/Bird/Mouse/Squirrel/Mole, A Year with Frog and Toad, Gamut Theatre Harrisburg, PA
2005 Tears for Agnes Shui (vocals, viola, piano, 5-string violin) Harrisburg, PA
  Musical director, The Glass Menagerie, Gamut Theater Harrisburg, PA
2004 Electric Violinist, Second Sky Lancaster, PA
  Musical Director, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Harrisburg Shakespeare Festival Harrisburg, PA
2003 Synth/vocalist, Dead Inside the Chrysalis
(Cyberpunk Electroclash band), appearing in the film clip 'The Invisible'
Sydney, Australia
2002 Synth/vocalist, Dead Inside the Chrysalis Sydney, Australia
  Violist/electric violinist, The Monstars (Alt rock band) Sydney, Australia
2001 Violist, Akradia (Alt rock band)
Sydney, Australia
  Finalist, Channel [V] Reporter Search
Appeared on Australia’s premier music television station for three weeks, hosting music video programs and interviewing international acts such as A Perfect Circle.
Sydney, Australia
1999 Violist/Keyboardist, Hover (Alt rock band)
Sydney, Australia
1998 Principal violist, Sydney Youth Orchestra
Sydney, Australia
  Viola, Tuta Runas (South American folk band) , performing at the Newtown Music Festival Sydney, Australia
  University of New South Wales Theatrical Society:
• Mrs Peterson, Bye Bye Birdie
• Musician, An Unfinished Song
Sydney, Australia
1997 Musician, Linnaeus, Prince of Flowers, Theatre of Plants, performing in the Sydney Botanical Gardens
Sydney, Australia
  Viola, Sydney Youth Orchestra International Tour West Coast USA
  Viola, Queensland Youth Symphony Orchestra International Tour Japan/Korea
1996 The Sorceress, Dido and Aeneas, Somerville House
Brisbane, Australia
  Accepted into Lyric Opera of Queensland Children’s Chorus Brisbane, Australia
2006 Runner up, Harrisburg Magazine cover model contest Harrisburg, PA
2004 Featured model, What is Goth?, Voltaire New York, NY
  Promotional model for GMR Marketing Harrisburg, PA
2001 Model for photographer Emma Ryan Sydney, Australia
  Model for Totally Pierced Sydney, Australia
  Catwalk model, Synergy Hair annual show Sydney, Australia