Archives: Team Members

AUNDRIA TRANAY (she/her) makes her Victory Gardens Theater debut with cullud wattah. She began her career in the arts in high school, winning silver at the NAACP ACT-SO competition for drama in 2016. She holds a BFA degree in Acting from AMDA College of the Performing Arts NY/LA. She is represented by Lori Lins LTD.

MERRINA MILLSAPP (she/her) makes her Victory Gardens Theater debut with cullud wattah. A native Chicagoan, Merrina, began her acting adventure in Dublin, Ireland. USA credits include: School Girls; Or The African Mean Girls Play (Arkansas Rep), Her Honor Jane Byrne (Lookingglass Theatre Company), 2 X 2 (Haven Theatre Company), Landladies (Northlight Theatre Company). International credits include: Bacchae of Baghdad (The Abbey Theatre-Ireland), Monarch in Hollywood (Rough Magic Theatre Company), It Just Came Out (Druid Theatre Company-Galway), Nurse in Romeo and Juliet (Second Age Theatre Company-Dublin), Mystery 2000 (SFX/Dublin City Theatre). TV / Film credits include: Chicago MED (NBC), Trouble in Paradise (RTE/Ireland), Killinaskully (Eastway TV), Fair City (RTE), Ella Enchanted, In America, Incognitus, Speed Dating, Bad Karma and White. Merrina trained professionally at Liberties College Dublin, The Abbey Theatre (Ireland), Focus Theatre Dublin and The Second City (Chicago).

IREON ROACH (she/her) is a Chicago-bred writer, performer, and curator excited to make her Victory Gardens mainstage debut with cullud wattah. She was last seen at Victory Gardens in The Yard Theatre Company’s Snack Break II: Juicebox Bugaloo. Other Chicago theater credits include Blood At The Root with The Yard at Jackalope Theater and Haven Theater’s How We Got On (Jeff Award nominated). Regional theater credits include SpeakEasy Stage Company’s regional premiere of School Girls; or The African Mean Girls Play (Norton Award nominated). Film credits include Stephen Cone’s Princess Cyd, Nia DaCosta’s Candyman, and Jennifer Reeder’s Knives and Skin and upcoming project Perpetrator. She is currently on the new series 4400 (CW) as Keisha Taylor. Ireon earned her BFA from Boston University and is represented by Paonessa Talent.

DEMETRA DEE (she/herr) makes her Victory Gardens debut with cullud wattah. Other Chicago credits include: Relentless (Goodman/Timeline Theatre), The Last Pair of Earlies (Raven Theatre), Middle Passage (Lifeline Theatre), Be Here Now (Shattered Globe), Crumbs from the Table of Joy (Raven Theatre US/performed), Comfort Stew (ETA Creative Arts), The Colored Museum (Pegasus), The Greenbook (Chicago Dramatist), Migration (ETA Creative Arts). She is represented by DDO Chicago. www.demetradee.com

SYDNEY CHARLES (she/her) is grateful to be on the Victory Gardens stage! Selected Chicago credits include: Gem of the Ocean, I Hate It Here, Lottery Day and Father Comes Home From the Wars Parts 1, 2 & 3 (Goodman Theatre); Her Honor Jane Byrne (Lookingglass Theatre); Duchess! Duchess! Duchess! and Wally World (Steppenwolf Theatre); Theatre for One: Here We Are and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (Court Theatre); The Color Purple (Drury Lane); Nina Simone: Four Women (Northlight Theatre). Regional credits include I Hate it Here (Studio Theatre). Television credits include South Side, The Chi, Shameless, The T and The Haven. Her other work includes assistant director and dramaturg for Bug (Steppenwolf Theatre), associate director for His Shadow (16th Street Theater); and associate director for The Shipment (Red Tape Theatre). She is the recipient of 3Arts “Make a Wave” award, a Black Theater Alliance Award, Chicago Reader’s “Best Stage Performer” runner-up, a four-time Jeff Award nominee and has been featured twice as part of NewCity‘s “50 Players of the Year.” She is a proud and active member of AEA and SAG-AFTRA and is represented by Stewart Talent. www.sydneycharlesexp.com

BRIANNA BUCKLEY (she/they) makes her Victory Gardens Theatre debut with cullud wattah. Other Chicago credits include: The Last Match (Writers Theatre), The One and Only Ivan: tour (Lifeline Theatre), Romeo and Juliet (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre), Queen of the Mist (Firebrand Theatre) and more. Regional Credits: At the Wedding (TheatreSquared). Film Credits: Growing Pains (short). Awards: Jeff Award-Best Supporting Actor and 2019 Chicago Tribune, 2018 Hot New Faces. Bri also does ample voice over work, and is a teaching artist with Lifeline Theatre, Goodman Theatre and Silk Road Rising. Upcoming Projects: Night Sky (Amazon) and The Fly Honey Show. Represented by Gray Talent.