PRESS
With Host, Zazil Pereira
In the episode we talk about:
Mental health practices
Chakra-based healing
Mindful acting using the chakras
Bioenergetic grounding to recalibrate the energetic body
Navigating cycles of Anxiety and Depression using the chakra system
Healing your inner child using the wisdom and teachings of the chakras.
With Savonna Spracklin, Marc LeBlanc, Tom Belding, Missy Cross, and Mattie Shisko
“Our special guest, Missy Cross, is an award nominated actor, director and producer based out of Vancouver, BC, Canada and she also sings in the blues rock band, Wooden Horsemen.
In 2012 Missy began teaching Chakra based acting and creativity classes through a series of workshops she created, called “Mindful Actor Workshops”.
She is deeply passionate about bridging people's mental health and self development practices with their expression and artistic work.
Together, Missy and I dive deep into how we have used the knowledge, wisdom, and teachings of the Chakras to heal our energetic bodies through gaining a deeper understanding of our emotional states and using that information to help cultivate a mental health practice that supports us in our day to day lives.
I hope that today's conversation sparks some interesting thoughts and AHA! moments for you.
My belief is that we are our own best and most qualified teacher, but in order to discover that skill, we must be willing to take the time to be a curious student of our SELF.”
Actor. Producer. Director. Musician. Teacher. Vancouver’s Missy Cross does it all.
To say Cross is a quintuple-threat would be to minimize all that she encompasses, so perhaps “threat” isn’t the word for her at all. Her energy as she comes through the Loose Lips office doors is anything but threatening. It’s radiant, ebullient, non-judgemental and welcoming. That may be in part to the chakra work she does with her acting workshop called The Mindful Actor Workshops which uses Yogic principles, and it may be in part to the high energy that her many roles require.
Currently, the five-time theatre producer is at the helm of the latest iteration of The House of Yes, based on the 1990 play by Wendy MacLeod. Some may remember it as the 1997 Hollywood adaptation starring Parker Posey, Rachael Leigh-Cook and Freddie Prinze Jr, however.
This time around, the dark comedy is directed by Leo Award nominated Matt Fentiman, and self-financed by Cross. The story goes like this: it’s Thanksgiving, and Marty’s arrival home is greatly anticipated by his twin sister Jackie-O, his mother Mrs. Pascal, and his younger brother, Anthony.
He arrives during a hurricane, but worse than the storm is the fact that Marty brought his new fiancée. Mental illness, alcoholism, incest, gun violence and the JFK assassination are all part of the dysfunctional world that MacLeod weaves seamlessly together in this black comedy.
The play is described as toeing the line somewhere between Long Day’s Journey into Night and The Addams Family. The House of Yes follows a damaged family when the introduction of a stranger brings its secrets crawling into the light.
So what drew Cross to The House Of Yes?
“I’m a woman who creates her own work, and this play has three incredible female characters in it,” she tells Loose Lips. That’s not even to mention its original playwright.
Those female characters are played by herself as Jackie-O, Mattie Shisko as Mrs. Pascal and Savonna Spracklin as Lesly, Marty’s fiancee. And Cross is no stranger to championing women+ in the arts. She hosts monthly meet-ups for women called Performance Boutique, in which women+ are invited to share their original works based on a theme without fear of judgement.
“More and more women keep coming to these events, and it’s not that we aren’t inclusive, but it’s amazing to be able to hold space for women, creatively,” she says.
And with The House of Yes running, that female-energy will be held onstage at Studio 1393 on Granville Island all week.
Written by: Kristy Alexandra
The mystic of the American South has long been a source of musical inspiration for decades of songwriters. Grab any legendary rockstar’s autobiography and there will likely be a chapter on the artist’s affinity with the kaleidoscope of sounds and blue collar, working class stories that came from this region.
On their latest record Past Lives, Vancouver
outfit Wooden Horsemen romanticize their own version of Americana. “It’s the most passionate music ever recorded,” declares singer Steven Beddall. Fellow singer, Missy Cross adds, “There’s something deeply mysterious about some of the themes that I love.” Together the two vocalists intertwine personal spiritual
reflections and stitch soulful, gospel harmonies to their signature gritty, rhythm and blues rompers. But don’t let these lyrical meditations on divinity fool you, Wooden Horsemen ain’t no Sunday School band.
“I grew up in the Church, but I’m not a religious person now,” confesses Cross. “But it shaped me and gave me the tools to ask the questions of, ‘What is spirituality? What do I believe in?’” Beddall, also once a childhood patron of religion, bears the same feelings.“[Past Lives] is not necessarily a Christian record, I’m not trying to espouse a strictly Christian outlook in the music,” he says. “It’s largely an acknowledgement of the past.”
This allusion to days gone by is carefully crafted through the narrative of Past Lives. From the opening declaration in “Lies,” to the final, delicate harmonies of “I’ve Been Changed,” Beddall and Cross guide us on an emotional journey through their deepest inspirations, while never allowing the instrumentation to get too messy or convoluted with so many moving parts. Having originally been conceived as a three piece, Beddall explains, “Stylistically I have to keep in mind that the sound is going to be much larger and more intense. Its changed my approach to [songwriting] in a positive way. It’s a challenge for me.”
At the core of the record, Past Lives once again capitalizes on the band’s ability to get the people shakin’. “I feel a little self conscious or self aware when it’s too quiet and I’m sitting down,” reveals Beddall. Cross, never short on infectious dance moves, laughs, “I always call myself the hype girl because I look over and make sure everyone is having fun.” As the Wooden Horsemen’s sound grows, so too does their congregation.
Written by: Jeevin Johal
The House of Yes - Vancouver - Savonna Spracklin, Marc LeBlanc, Mattie Shisko, Missy Cross and Tom Belding. Directed by Matt Fentiman. Produced by Missy as Yes Collective.
The House of Yes is about our need to be loved and accepted
Existing somewhere between Long Day’s Journey into Night and The Addams Family, the aptly-named Yes Collective presents Wendy MacLeod’s black comedy, The House of Yes.
It’s Thanksgiving, and Marty’s return home is greatly anticipated by his twin sister, Jackie-O, his mother, and his younger brother. Arriving during a hurricane, the real storm brews inside the family home as dark secrets are revealed when Marty shows up with his new fiancée, Lesly.
You and the cast do a lot of film work. Why is it important to produce and act in theatre as well?
Cross: My love of acting began in theatre, so it’s vital to me to be able to continue to play and explore the art in that arena. I think producing and acting in theatre gives me as an actor more control over my career in regard to the roles I get to play and the stories I tell. Doing a play is like taking a master class. The rehearsal process stretches you and having to maintain your energy through the entire show rather than just a couple minutes like you do in film is very cathartic.
What has been the biggest challenge in playing Jackie-O?
Cross: It has been first in finding her proper mental diagnosis and essentially finding the balance in her imbalance. I want the audience to both love and hate her. It was a challenge to find a way to allow her to have many different qualities. On paper, she could be perceived as purely a negative and mean person; I still want her to have a heart underneath it all.
What has been the best part of rehearsal?
Cross: The best part of rehearsal has been working with the language of the text and witnessing my cast mates in their process. I feel very fortunate to have gathered a dream team family for this show. They all bring so much emotional depth and comedy to the scenes, we laugh so much in rehearsals. Working with Matt on his first theatre directing gig has also been awesome, he’s such a natural, having done so much theatre as an actor himself. He’s companionate, playful and guides the way brilliantly.
What do you think the audience is going to experience?
Cross: I hope that the audience feels conflicted. Without giving too much away, there are relationship triangles that walk the line of ethics and morals, and so I hope people flip-flop between who they are rooting for, and have a laugh while doing so. It is such a well written play; the language and wit is so fun to follow. I think the audience will be tickled, surprised and even maybe a little horrified.
The House of Yes plays Studio 1398 on Granville Island from February 6-11.
Written By: David C. Jones