SYNOPSIS: 3rd Shift is an independent feature film about a man named Michael who is battling his inner nature and instincts and trying to live somewhat of a normal life in a turbulent world. It revolves around him and his relationships with the people he works with, the people he loves as well as the ones he doesn't.
Marc Vos "Michael"
Marc is a native Bostonian and entered into the acting world at the early age of 11 when he was cast as the lead in the 5th grade production of "Pinocchio". He continued to act throughout grade school and into high school and on into college in such plays as "The Jury Room" and Georges Feydeau's farce "A Flea In Her Ear". He studied French literature and theater at the University of Paris VII Sorbonne and speaks French and Spanish fluently. He also has a working knowledge of Italian and Portuguese. Music and art in all forms have always been a big part of his life and he also arranges and composes music at his home studio under the simple moniker of VOS. After a hiatus from acting he reemerged onto the scene back in 2002 doing featured background work on such films as Clint Eastwood's 2003 box office hit "Mystic River", Coming this Summer and Fall of 2009, Richard Kelly's "The Box" with Cameron Diaz , Ricky Gervias' "The Invention of Lying" and the new Bruce Willis sci-fi summer blockbuster "The Surrogates" all slated to be released in the coming months. After cutting his teeth on huge Hollywood feature films, he realized that film acting is his true passion. His principal roles in Michael Abbott's "Four O'Clock" and two short films: Goldilocks Productions "Pear Me Up Buttercup" and Optic Sugar's "Manifest Breakfast" only fed his fire to go full force into film. Christopher D. Grace's "3rd Shift: Michael's Lament" is Marc's debut starring role as the character "Michael". Marc along with Christopher D. Grace, DESI, and Franz Strassmann have joined forces and created a new Boston based Film Production Company aptly titled the "ArtHaven Studio". He continues to live and work in Boston.
[ www.marcvos.com ]
Ally Tully "Clara"
Ally is originally from New York and new to the Boston area. She has studied at the Stella Adler Studio and attended NYU Tisch School of the Arts. She can most recently be seen in the horror movie "Beg" written and directed by Kevin Macdonald and has been singing and acting on stage for most of her life. She enjoys caffeinated beverages of all kinds, especially diet coke from the fountain. It has been an honor to work with the cast and crew of 3rd Shift! You all rock my face off, truth be told.
Franz Strassmann "Frank"
Franz is a native New Yorker but moved to the Boston area as an infant. Although the moniker, professional student, was frequently uttered, he believes that a Bachelor’s Degree in English with an exchange program at Trinity College, Oxford University, England; Master’s Degree in Business; and Law Degree have served him well. Doing quintuple duty as an attorney, police officer, landlord, compulsive baseball player and struggling actor/producer, he has found a combination of activities that keep him busy and interested in many of life’s lessons. His baseball and traveling interests led him to Germany and a reunification with his extended family leading to a dual citizenship. He speaks English and German and has a working knowledge of Greek. Franz played trumpet in various jazz bands for many years and did some local stage acting. Franz worked background on three major pictures in 2008 and is the Executive Producer and one of the principal actors in the independent film, "3rd Shift: Michael's Lament" written and directed by Christopher D. Grace.
Liz Eng "Marie"
Liz Eng is a film, television, and theatre actor who strongly believes in exploration and risk-taking, while portraying such varied roles as a spunky techie, a frustrated lipstick-lesbian, as "Eve" from the famous biblical story, and a victim of domestic violence. As a psychology major, a former competitive rower, an avid student of the Human Condition, and enjoys incorporating those talents into her roles. Liz has used her abilities in other media as well, she was cast by Puma to portray Michelle Yeoh (Memoirs of A Geisha, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon) for their website video game. In the game Liz applies her martial arts skills to fight off evil ninjas. This game is made available for your entertainment on Liz's website. Liz has a thirst for knowledge, even teaching herself how to use a butterfly knife for an audition. Liz discovered that her true passion for acting lies in its vivid storytelling, and the enormous potential to educate the audience. This was most impressed upon her when she was cast in Eve Ensler's play The Vagina Monologues, where she was given the opportunity to speak out about the realities of domestic violence against women. Bringing awareness to the issue and the endless cycle which is passed on from parent to child is the most empowering choice Liz has made in her career to date. As a student of psychology and the mind, Liz is always looking for opportunities to apply her deep understanding of the psyche in a role portraying a character with a cognitive disorder and / or a physical disability.
[ www.lizeng.net ]
Anny Rosario "Lucy"
Anny is a recent graduate of Salem State College with a B.F.A. in Performance. She was last seen in Emerson College's short film "The Spy" and Loco Production's "Talk". She has also played a variety of stage roles, including Mrs. Kendall in "The Elephant Man". Ruth in Raisin in the Sun, and Tituba in "The Crucible". She also had a blast performing in the Salem State Women's Center production of "The Vagina Monologues". Film acting is still very much a new venture to her and looks forward to portraying future roles on stage as well as on screen.
Gianna Simone "Patty"
Born and raised (for the most part) in Boston MA. At 19 years old Gianna Models and acts full time. It all started when she got her modeling portfolio done when she was 16years old. When she had gotten her modeling portfolio done she didn't want to act, only because modeling agency's would tell her to get into acting instead of modeling. So as time passed and she stayed persistent and determined to fulfill a growing, burning desire to model, she fell ironically in true love with acting. In reality Gianna started acting as soon as she came out of the womb! She didn't know it but was always becoming other people and enjoyed experiencing different mindsets of life. Ive experienced so much at only 19 I fell like Ive lived in this would for hundreds of years. Ive lived wild, crazy, good, bad, Heaven, hell, and all in between. When it was clear to me what I knew I had been put on this world to do, and what made me get up out of bed every morning, I will do for the rest of my life. Peace and Love.
[ www.giannasimone.com ]
Eric Eastman "Zito"
Eric has performed on the stages, of New England for 24 years. His fondest past dramatic/comedic stage roles are: the eldest Plantagenet son, "Richard", in Nashua Theater Guild's 1994 production of The Lion In Winter, "Jonathan" in NTG's 2000 production of Arsenic and Old Lace, "Eddie" in NTG's 1998 production of Sam Shepard's Fool for Love, "Bruce (James) Bond" in the ongoing Murder and Mayhem Mystery production of A Deadly Briefcase; the wannabe wise-guy gangster "Tony Pinella" in the farsical staged show The Senator Wore Pantyhose, and as dreamer/con artist "Bill Starbuck" in Bedford Off Broadway's 2008 production of the classic American play, The Rainmaker. Eric has frequently served as a cast/crew member with the "Shakespeare in the Park" Summer Series in Nashua, N.H. Examples of past memorable roles have been: "The Prince of Verona", in the 1999 production of Romeo and Juliet, "Lavatch the Clown", in the 2000 production of All's Well That Ends Well, "Banquo" in the 2001 prod. of Macbeth, "Don Adriano de Armado" in the 2006 prod. of Love's Labours Lost, and "Don John the Bastard" in our awarded 2007 offering, Much Ado About Nothing. Eric served as Co-Producer and Lead Actor in BRIDGE CRUSADER, an independent feature-length motion picture, which recently finished shooting throughout No. New England; it's set for release in the Fall of 2008.
[ www.ericeastman.com ]
Shelly Whittle "Marv"
Shelly is a relatively new comer to performing on stage and film. He is a stand-up comic by trade who’s been seen at Catch-A-Rising-Star in Lincoln, RI, New York Improv, Broadway Comedy Club in NYC and other various venues in RI and MA. Some of Shelly's other talents include impressions, voices and dialects. In addition Shelly's stage credits include Joseph and "The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat", "A Christmas Carol 2006" (Scrooge and Dickens), "James and The Giant Peach", also in Encore Repertory Co.'s "It’s A Wonderful Life", "A Radio Play" (voicing seven characters) and "West Side Story" with RI Stage Ensemble, and "Never Get Smart With an Angel". Shelly has been nominated for Best Supporting Actor for "The Female Odd Couple with TheaterWorks. His film credits include soon to be released 3rd Shift: Michael's Lament, and "Mailbox Fairy".
Victoria Nugent "Lana"
Victoria's career began with a simple choice, to follow her dream. After spending years going back and forth between sports and theatre, at the age of sixteen she finally decided what mattered to her most, a life in front of the camera. She first found her spotlight working on the web series "Oldbury Hill" where she played the shows heroine Maggie Phelps. The show ran for 5 months and gave her the small push she needed to persue other avenues into the world of film acting. During this time she also participated in school productions, walking into her high school's drama program as a first time senior, she was part of the show "Cabaret". Victoria plans to attend college next year where she hopes to recieve her Bacherlor of Fine Arts in Acting. She still is anticipating acceptance into Emerson College, or the Tisch School at New York University. During college she still plans to be a part of film and stage productions and hopes to some day appear in major films around the world.
Kachina Dechert "Silver"
Kachina was born in London, England where she lived with mother and sister. She spent her childhood traveling around the world with bands from the time she was 2 weeks old, alongside her mother, who is a percussionist. She played with tons of people, including Elton John, The Who, and Tom Jones. Kachina loves being around musicians, gigs and instruments and seeing different places and cultures. When she was 9, her sister and her moved to Ontario, Canada for school, where they lived with her father, who is a musician as well. He played keyboards for lots of people including Bad Company and David Gilmore. After finishing high school, she decided she needed a change from the cows and pigs, and moved to Boston. She took a job with a small construction company, doing all sorts of things ranging from wood-work and painting to building stone walls and driving excavators. Watching her parents go out there, and entertain their fans with such incredible energy and love, got her wanting to do something like that as well! She had been thinking about getting into acting for a while, so when she saw an ad for an introductory acting class, she was inspired to go. She's been acting for about a year and a half now in everything from small commercials to film. She loves performing stunts, playing sports, loves animals, and enjoys doing anything outdoors, and also is quite fond of music. Kachina currently lives in Boston and continues to pursue a career in film.
[ www.kachinadechert.webs.com ]
Michael Reed "Male Victim"
Michael was born in Chandler, Arizona, in 1976. The year of the Dragon. Chosen by the Gods to be the runt in a traveling band of gypsies. Spent his youth in Arizona, Texas, Virginia, Germany and the cold university towns of Michigan. Early years marked by a mammoth collection of GI-Joes, He-Man figures, a Huffy bike, and a wardrobe full of hand-me-down rayon shirts.Bestowed with honors by his high school theater classes and, it should be noted, the recipient of several competitive acting awards. To his dismay these achievements were over-shadowed by a few lowly weekend football games. Vowing revenge, Michael took refuge in a series of epic claymation movies and one-man garage performances which have recently been released by PentaWorks as the 'Pause and Record' series. Traveled the byways America in a cramped yet homey pull-camper, hoping to find himself, but instead found heavy drinking and several great locations for deliberate isolation. Took a brief repose in Michigan, where he studied theater, graphic illustration, and design while starring as a book store guy, a temp, a waiter, and a painter. Michael continues to act in film and can be seen in features such as Evil Genius Entertainment's 'Living Dead World', Solipsist Media Group's 'Zombie Allegiance', and Scorpio Film Releasing's 'Beyond the Dunwich Horror' and 'Nun of That.' One might also catch him in myriad shorts, a few of which include: Optic Sugar's 'Manifest Breakfast', Bakerstreet Production's 48hr submission 'Blink', and Roundtable Films' webseries 'Gavin Lance.' Michael is currently a resident of Riverside, Rhode Island.
Nicole Trychon "Female Victim"
Nicole Trychon (AFTRAe) grew up in Sutton, MA and received a BA at the University of Rhode Island in Communications and Audio Engineering striving for a hopeful career in the entertainment industry. Soon after graduating college she took a side job as a professional model for runway and print ads to earn extra money. Suddenly she found herself in front of the camera acting in various roles for indie films and even assisted the hair and make-up artist on the film, "Boston Girls." Sparking a further interest in film and television she followed her ambition and appeared on various television shows and day time soap operas, including "All My Children" and pilot episodes for potential sitcoms. Earning various credits on IMDb she felt compelled to further her resume by dedicating the next few years of her life to a full fledged acting career. Soon after she found herself in lead roles, supporting roles and even, on occasion performing minor stunts for film and stage ranging from martial arts, acrobatics and dramatic falls. The challenge to succeed is what intrigues her curiosity and continues to push her to develop and hone the skills of her craft. She has trained with well respected casting directors from Los Angeles, Boston and New York. Her experiences as an actress continue to flourish with every new character she portrays from horror, drama, to comedy. Her resume includes an extensive list of credits ranging from film, television and even music videos. Nicole has a variety of background interests involving Dance, Shotokan Karate (1st degree Brown belt), equestrian jumping, as well as stunt training, specifically Fighting for Film for her new role in the upcoming feature film, "A Tiger in the Dark: The Drew Evans Story" where she portrays the role of, "Samantha Arrington" Her continued commitment to her craft ensures that she will succeed and inevitably become a role model for those like her aspiring for a career in the entertainment industry.
Cory Rassmussen "Daddy"
Cory hails from central Wyoming. After appearing in a number of stage plays and a summer tour with the Wyoming Shakespeare Festival Company, he ventured to Los Angeles to make the jump from stage to film. There he teamed up with local improv groups and found his way to several non speaking roles on a handful of popular television shows, "Heroes," "The Office," "Ghost Whisperer," and "Las Vegas," and feature films including "Prom Night," "Iron Man," and "Semi Pro." In 2007, he again made another big move, this time to Boston. Since moving to the east coast, he has worked on several commercial and industrial ads as well as the feature film, "The Proposal." On the side he and develops screenplays. His intense optimism and knack for creating a character on the spot led him to his role in "3rd Shift."
Sabina Sydney "Honey"
Sabina is a theater major studing at Massasoit Community College. Performing in south shore community theater having been in several productions of Shakespeare. Sabina's most memorable performance was playing the nurse in "Romeo and Juliet". Sabina has also performed with Ryan Landry and The Gold Dust Orphans playing the Fairy in "How Mrs. Grinch Stole Christmas" and the part of Tori Spelling in Ryan Landry's "Charlie's Angels and the Case of the Tobacco Heiress". Sabina is a former Miss Gay Boston 1999, Miss Gay Baystate 2000 and Miss Gay East coast 2003. Sabina was also production cordinator at Avalon and Axis for 15years. Sabina was born in Boston of Arab-American and Latin decent. I love the beach and long walks through the city.
07.03.09 Check out the new 60 sec teaser trailer [ here ]
05.24.09 Kyle Walton has joined the post-production team to aid in the editing process.
04.21.09 Wrapped up principal photography at 3:22AM! On to post-production for the next several months with the goal of submitting 3rd Shift to key film festivals in September, including but not limited to Toronto International Film Festival and Tribeca Film Festival.
04.18.09 Imagine Magazine interviewed Christopher Grace (Director/Writer), Leo Kei Angelos (Director of Photography), DESI (Art Director), Marc Vos (Michael), and Franz Strassmann (Frank) for an article on their feature film in the upcoming issue. Look for the publication in newsstands!
03.21.09 Paul Santo, renowned composer/producer/engineer behind such hit-making artists as Aerosmith, Kid Rock, Ozzy Osbourne, Ringo Starr, and Eric Clapton, is onboard to write scores for 3rd Shift, along with Marc Vos and Christopher Grace.
See what it's like behind the camera and on the set.
See movie stills [ here ]