Synopsis
Clarence (John Whoriskey Jr.) is tied up, blinded by a sack over his head and trying to escape his captors. But when he hitches a ride with Maggie (Aoife Clancy), an eccentric local, her indifference leads Clarence down a bizarre path he doesn't expect.
SCREENING INFO
7/16/16 – Baker Farm, Swansea, MA, 9 pm Complete Event Info
10/15/16 – West Texas Film Festival
westtexasfilm.org/schedule
1/28/17 - Freedom Shorts, Philadelphia
Schedule info
John Whoriskey Jr.
Co-Lead ‘Clarence’
Originally a (small town) Rochester, MA native, John Whoriskey, Jr. is a Musician/Actor/Filmmaker who nomadically splits time between Boston & NYC. His roots as a musician began at an early age but John has worked in the movie world since 2010 in various roles on projects ranging from Indie to big budget features such as Black Mass, Ted and The Americans. As a multi-faceted creative, his artistry maneuvers several mediums. ALWAYS STOP FOR RABBITS is his first appearance in a leading role.
AOIFE CLANCY
Co-Lead ‘Maggie’
Aoife, pronounced (Eefa) Clancy comes from Co Tipperary Ireland and is the daughter of Bobby Clancy of the Clancy Brothers. She is a professional singer and musician and plays the guitar and the Irish drum called a Bodhran (bow-raun). After moving to the States in 1992, Aoife joined the acclaimed group Cherish the Ladies out of NY and performed over 200 dates a year.
She has been a featured performer with Symphonies like the Boston Pops & Kansas Symphony as well as performing with Symphonies thoughout the States as part of Cherish the Ladies. In 1999 the group went on to record with the Boston Pops on the Grammy nominated Cd “The Celtic Album” under RCA Victor. Aoife has made many apprearances at festivals and performing Arts Centers thoughout the States, South America, Australia and Europe.
After graduating from High School Aoife studied Speech and Drama at the Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin Ireland under the direction of Joe Dowling. She has featured in a number of productions in both Ireland and the US and was nominated for a best actress award for her role as Claire Folliott in Dion Boucicault’s “The Shaughran”. While living in MA Aoife was a member of 2nd story theatre in Warren RI appearing both on stage and behind the scenes. She featured as the “picky” lucy in a run of the successful musical “Purr” written and directed by Barbara Phaniff of Massachusettes in 2009.
Aoife now resides in NC where she continues to be involved in acting as well as touring with her partner Bill Elliott as part of the band “Celtic Confusion.”
CHUCK DOHERTY
supporting
Chuck Doherty is a Providence-based actor and writer who has appeared in numerous major and independent motion pictures including 27 Dresses, Almost Human, and The Mind’s Eye. In addition, Chuck was a regular cast member in the Clean Livin’ web series and has appeared on stage in the Barplays series, as Juror #3 in Twelve Angry Men, and as a member of the touring cast of the long-running, off-Broadway show Tony & Tina’s Wedding in the role of Anthony Nunzio Sr., father of the groom.
Adam Katz
supporting / stunt coordinator
Born and raised in the seaside town of Fairhaven, MA, Adam Katz chased down a stunt career in Los Angeles, CA in 1997. He continues to coordinate, fight and fall down amongst other endeavors. Dreams of becoming an artist and stuntman have blossomed into directing / writing / stunt coordinating commercials, features and short films. Two projects he is proud of are stunt work on the feature film “Men of Honor” and the Sheryl Crow music video for the song “Steve McQueen.” Adam has collaborated with the talented team of Always Stop For Rabbits on multiple projects and stunt coordinates, acts and is tossed around in this latest short.
Don Burton
director / producer
Don is a filmmaker and digital media artist whose work explores issues of place, community and identity. He received his BFA in sculpture from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and MFA from the University of Connecticut. From 1998 to 2011 he worked in the Los Angeles entertainment industry as an editor and creative director with clients that include Twentieth Century Fox, NBC Universal Media, Pepsi and Microsoft.
In 2011, Don established an Emmy Award winning studio in New Bedford, Massachusetts. His independent films have screened at the Providence Underground Film Festival in Rhode Island, the CineTrofa Festival of Literature & Cinema in Portugal, the Czong Institute of Contemporary Art in South Korea and EchoFluxx Festival of New Media, Music and Art in Prague.
Tommy Whalen
screenwriter / producer
Tommy Whalen is an educator and filmmaker with a diverse array of talents and experience. Since 2004, Tommy has been involved with filmmaking and has worked on everything from short films to Hollywood productions. After working on no-budget productions locally as a student at UMASS Dartmouth, he relocated to California and took film-based extension classes at UCLA and attended graduate film school at Loyola Marymount University. After working at 20th Century FOX and Benderspink (Producers of “The Hangover”) he returned to southeastern Massachusetts to work as a teacher and part-time independent film writer/producer.
On an educational level, Tommy is a certified Massachusetts teacher with licenses in Middle and High School English, Instructional Technology and Educational Leadership. In addition to teaching High School Video Production and AP Computer Science Principles, he runs film workshops for students and Professional Development for Educators with his business Innocation FP.
Most recently, Tommy has been working closely as a writer/producer with Directors, Don Burton and John Whoriskey on a variety of short films in the Southern New England area and Rhode Island.
When Tommy isn’t teaching or working on films, you can find him skiing in the winters or backpacking the world on photo tours in the summer.
For more information you can e-mail tommywhalenfilm@gmail.com
Don Burton Media & Tommy Whalen Films
present
ALWAYS STOP FOR RABBITS
produced and directed by DON BURTON
written and produced by TOMMY WHALEN
story by
DON BURTON
TOMMY WHALEN
starring
JOHN WHORISKEY JR. as Clarence
AOIFE CLANCY as Maggie
CHUCK DOHERTY
and
ADAM KATZ
as the Farmers
DONALD BURTON SR. as Fred
TOM SEITER as the ice cream server
Ice Cream Patrons
MELINDA ABREU
ALEX ABSI
SHELLEY BAKER
PATRICIA BURTON
BILL ELLIOT
NOLAN KEARNEY
AARON MANCHESTER
HANA TABIT
RICK TABIT
ADDISON TEVES
BEN TEVES
MIKE TEVES
TOMMY WHALEN
special makeup effect and prop construction
MELINDA ABREU
stunt coordinator
ADAM KATZ
key grip / 1st camera assistant
BILL ELLIOTT
grip / second camera assistant
AARON MANCHESTER
production sound mixer
NOLAN KEARNEY
data wrangler
TOM AMARAL
production assistant
HANA TABIT
production assistant
JULIA MORTE
catering and craft services
JACK WHALEN
director of photography and editor
DON BURTON
production manager and assistant director
TOMMY WHALEN
‘ARMADILLO WALTZ’
written and performed by EDDIE DILLON
www.eddiedillon.com
special thanks
KENNY & SHELLEY BAKER and KENNY BAKER JR.
Baker Farm, Swansea Massachusetts
TOM & JOCELYN SEITER
The Ice Cream Barn, Swansea, Massachusetts
CURT WORDEN & GLORIA BAILEN
JEFF & SANDREA DIAS
Pine Hill Gas & Convenience, Westport, Massachusetts
PHILLIP ABRAM
ASON ADAMS
PAULINE BATISTA
DAN BERG
KEVIN BROOKS
MICHAEL BRUNO
AMANDA BULGER
PATRICIA BURTON
ELYSHA GERLACH
CHUCK HAGAN
ROBERT HUGHES
COLLEEN & JOHN KEARNEY
YUREK & MARYANNE KEPINSKI
KATHY MELLO
KELSEY MILLER
KATHRYN MYERS
JAMES NEE
SAMANTHA OLSCHAN
ALISON PAUL
MICHAEL POWER
BARRY ROSENBERG
LARA SAQUE
ANTHONY SIMPSON
JOAN SOUSA
SWANSEA SCHOOLS
CHARLES SYLVIA
KAMAR THOMAS
SHOBHA VENKATRAMAN
ROBIN WHALEN
ROBIN WILLIAMS
Always Stop For Rabbits © 2016 Don Burton Media and Tommy Whalen Films
All Rights Reserved