Meet Mel House

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Mel House a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Mel, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
When I was six years old, I saw Anton Chekhov’s play “Uncle Vanya.” You might be surprised to learn that someone would take a six-year-old to see a Chekhov play–his plays are not intended for children. In fact, most productions fail to capture the humor in his writing, and only paint a world of absolute despair. But what is also surprising, and very fortunate for me, is that I was completely captivated. “Uncle Vanya” inspired me to declare my purpose in life–I would become (or maybe I already was) an actor.

Thinking back, I wonder what captured my six-year-old imagination? Perhaps it was the idea that grown-ups could play dress up for a living and act out stories in a magical space. Maybe I was fascinated by the invitation to explore the darker edges of reality, gaining access to truths that adults try to keep hidden. Or perhaps I felt empathy for the characters who didn’t live out their dreams, lost love and were miserable with regret, and so determined that I would not fall to the same fate. I didn’t grow up in a household of artists and didn’t know anyone who worked in theatre, but on that day, the seeds were planted for my life-long obsession. An obsession or passion that has provided a throughline of meaning, especially during the darkest times in my life.

Like many young would-be artists, adults treated my career goal as a cute dream. And then in the tween years, it was tolerated with a kind of eye-roll. But by the time I got to high school, I was advised to pick a more realistic career for someone from my background. I grew up in working class Baltimore, with a single mom who struggled with mental health challenges, and eventually became a Ward of the State. Becoming an actor was likened to winning the lottery, becoming a professional NBA player or…the tooth fairy.

But rather than allowing this to discourage me, I became fiercely determined. I enrolled in a theatre program at a small liberal arts college in Maryland and became the first member of my family to graduate from college. While in school, I studied abroad four times in Greece, Australia, at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London and then for a year at the University of Exeter’s School of Drama in the UK. During that time, I became so enamored with the potential of theatre to create a more just world that I pursued a Master’s Degree in Applied Drama (Prison theatre, Dramatherapy, and T.I.E.). That original seed of a desire, rooted in hope, caused me to risk going outside of familiar spaces and patterns. And it has led to a deeply fulfilling career and life.

I’m currently a New York City based actress, creator and voice coach with 20+ years in theater, film and tv. My career doesn’t look the way I imagined it would as a child. I’m not famous or wealthy. And the glamorous-appearing bits, like Red Carpets and Opening Night Parties, are my least favorite parts of the work. I’ve sometimes had to take other work to consistently earn enough income to raise a family in New York. And along the way, much like a Chekhovian character, I have had moments (even seasons) when I couldn’t feel my own fortune, when my desires felt impossible to realize, and when I gave into despair.

For me, resilience has come from hope and the belief in what could be… It is a skill that is actually developed through practice in any art form. Failure isn’t an end. When something doesn’t work out, it’s an opportunity to get curious. To learn from what is and to consider what else could be. It is an invitation to see something new. What is so beautiful and painful and funny about Chekhov’s characters is that they are so full of hope, and yet they fail to follow through with action. They are haunted by what they haven’t done and fearful of doing something new. They often repeat patterns without really changing. It’s so deeply human!

Resilience is the ability to get back up and try again. Sometimes we need a little time and space to mourn what can feel like failure. Sometimes we need to be still and wait for a new path or inspiration to emerge. But once we have a desire, and give ourselves permission to follow our desires, a path will emerge if we can be brave enough to follow it.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am the writer/creator, executive producer and I play the Mom in HOT ANGRY MOM–a feminist punk rock comedy series about a people-pleasing mom who discovers that anger just might be her superpower, after a video of her having an epic meltdown goes viral. Set in 2018, the day after Dr. Blasey Ford testified about being sexually assaulted by Brett Kavanaugh, Mom is ANGRY and at her wits end. When her teenage son plays a prank, she loses her shit and he films it. And then he puts it on the internet. As Mom tries to get the job of a lifetime, this video goes viral, turning her world upside down and creating a surprising and chaotically unforgettable morning.

Inspired by my real life family and journey to renegotiate my relationship with anger, HOT ANGRY MOM is for moms, theatre nerds, those impacted by #MeToo and anyone who has ever struggled with their rage. We ask, “what does healthy anger look like? And how can we transform it into a source of power?”

HOT ANGRY MOM premiered on the festival circuit in 2023 at prestigious festivals including the Oscar qualifying Hollyshorts Film Festival, Berlin TV Festival, Dances with Films: Los Angeles and New York, Big Apple Film Festival, the NYC TV Festival and more. It has been nominated for 45 awards and had 18 wins, including Best TV Pilot, Best Dramedy, Best Director, Best Actress, and Best Ensemble Cast.

Reviewers love HOT ANGRY MOM!

AndersonVision says, “‘Hot Angry Mom’ intertwines elements of ‘Fleabag’ and ‘I May Destroy You’, offering a raw portrayal of a mother’s life. It humorously yet powerfully guides the audience through Marie’s self-discovery, as she learns to acknowledge her anger and sexual power, aspects she was previously conditioned to suppress.”

Film Threat says, “Tonally, Hot Angry Mom finds a good balance between the comedic nature of Marie’s story and finding authentic touchpoints to moments of rage women face every day. In turn, Mel House gives an empathetic performance in the serious moments without ever letting the comedy undermine her story.”

OC Movie Reviews says, ““Wonderful animated and graphic elements add a stylistic flair to the pilot which really stood out. If you remember the movies Tank Girl or Scott Pilgrim Vs The World, this fun animation is similar to that.”

As a first time writer/creator and producer of a narrative series, HOT ANGRY MOM has been a labor of love and a dream come true. But it’s also an indie series and we need your help! We need to connect with and build our audience, so we can show networks that we made something that people want to watch. Subscribe at www.hotangrymom.com and follow us on IG and FB @hotangrymom for news about our launch in 2024 and how you can watch HOT ANGRY MOM for free.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I really value my liberal arts education. I wish I had known when I was a student that every course would be useful to me as an actress, including Russian history, the Philosophy of Religion, even Math! Often the market demands that we be specialists, and I only wanted to study what I thought would be useful for my career goals, but the more knowledge that you have, the better prepared you are to make connections across disciplines and to connect with a broad range of people. And if you’re an actress, you will likely portray people who lived in different time periods, and historical contexts, who speak with different dialects or languages, who have skills very different from your own. At the very least, you need to be able to teach yourself how to research, how to learn new skills, and have a deep relish for language and curiosity about our world. My undergraduate education gave me a strong foundation for my career and life!

If you’re an actor, or anyone who wants to increase your presence, confidence, clarity and communication skills, study voice and speech! I didn’t really do a deep exploration of voicework until my late 30’s and have since become a certified teacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework. This approach to voicework has deepened my presence, access to a more free and compelling instrument–both a body that is open with breath and less tension, and a voice that is resonant and flexible. Voicework is also about discovering your own unique voice–not just the sounds that you make, but what you have to say and why it matters. Developing clarity and confidence around this is empowering!

Relationships are key in this business! Be a person of your word. Show up when you say you will. Be curious about others and listen to what they are passionate about and be open to what you might learn. Be genuine. Follow up with Thank You notes or emails. Keep a database of contacts. Stay in contact in appropriate and genuine ways. If you’re unsure, ask. Be generous. Focus on what you can contribute and what you can learn, rather than on what you can get. Show up for others, and they will likely show up for you.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?
If you have a podcast or know of a great podcast whose audience would love HOT ANGRY MOM, let’s connect! I’d love to talk about the story of making our series, why we made it, why mom rage is so real, and how women, and moms in particular, might let go of shame around our anger and discover more of our inherent power.

I’m also looking to connect with Bloggers who are passionate about anger, female empowerment and/or Moms–I’d love to share about our launch in 2024 and collab with you!

And if you are a savvy social media user, who is interested in marketing, PR and creating/producing comedic TikTok vids, and HOT ANGRY MOM sounds like a show you’d love to binge, let’s connect. We’re seeking support for our team.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
All stills are production stills – credit: Niav Conty (Director of Photography) The poster design was created by Joshua Strauss of PolarForce Creative

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