The Constituent
ABOUT
Written and directed by On Golden Pond Academy Award winner Ernest Thompson, this short film is adapted from his one-act play by the same name. In it, Chas Potter, a small-town New Hampshire voter, for decades has written no-holds-barred letters to his senator in Washington, D.C. The content of his missives may be more profane than profound but there’s no mistaking the constituent’s patriotic concern, culminating in an uproarious confrontation when the senator has finally had enough and comes calling. The story is more timely than ever. And even funnier. And it’s crazy funny. And unexpectedly moving. And even reassuringly optimistic, proving that authentic human connection can still trump our political differences. Well, maybe not trump, but at least can serve as an invitation to cross the mythical bridge and reassure us that we have more in common than we realize. Filmed on a paper-thin budget on location in rural New Hampshire, The Constituent stars two veteran theatre, film and television actors, Ernest Thompson and NYPD Blue Emmy winner Gordon Clapp (in roles Burgess Meredith and Ned Beatty originally played on TV), with a lovely and tender cameo by Ernest’s frequent costar Lisa Bostnar.
DIRECTOR’S NOTE
Nearly half a century ago, when I wrote The Constituent as a one-act play, I couldn’t have imagined how prescient it would turn out to be, how timely at this perilous moment in our history. It’s been performed frequently in the ensuing decades, most famously as a TV special with Ned Beatty and Burgess Meredith playing the roles Gordon Clapp and I have now taken on. In the story, the constituent has written 1,209 letters to his senator, who’s finally had enough and shows up at the guy’s door. What transpires is a study in speaking our minds and staying true to our principles but also in crossing bridges when we have the stamina to. I love how outrageous and blunt the characters are and how fall on the floor funny the film is, but I love, too, how moving it is and how it really is possible for folks with nothing in common to find common ground. It gives one hope.
CAST
GORDON CLAPP | Senator William Shay Blane
Gordon Clapp grew up in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. He graduated from Williams College and wandered the continent for 40 years enjoying an extensive career in theatre, film and television. Theatre highlights include five seasons with Canada’s National Arts Centre Theatre Company, Broadway roles including Glengarry Glen Ross, for which he received a Tony Nomination and Theatre World Award, and To Kill a Mockingbird. Film highlights include Return of the Secaucus 7, Eight Men Out, Matewan and Flags of Our Fathers. But it was his 12-year Emmy-winning stint as Detective Greg Medavoy on ABC’s NYPD Blue that gave him household recognition. He also recurred on Chicago Fire and Damages. Since settling back in New England in 2014, he continues to “bard around” in his favorite role, Robert Frost, in Robert Frost: This Verse Business.
ERNEST THOMPSON | Chas Potter
Playwright, screenwriter, novelist and prolific songwriter, Ernest Thompson’s work has won an Academy Award, two Golden Globes, Writers Guild and Broadway Drama Guild Awards and been nominated for a Tony, an Emmy and a British Academy Award. His plays have been seen in theatres around the world, his most enduring, On Golden Pond, translated into 30 languages and presented in more than 40 countries. Current projects include an On Golden Pond Broadway revival, directed by and starring the author, true also of his new one-man play, Archie Parish’s Parting Words, now on tour in the Northeast, the short film The Constituent, and the long-awaited sequel, Home On Golden Pond. His novel Out Clause arrives on October 7th, 2025. With his writer wife Kerrin Thompson, he established Rescind Recidivism, a prison writing program giving inmates a chance to feel creative as well as human, capable and worthy.
LISA BOSTNAR | Lucille Mogul
Award-winning actress of the stage, screen and television as well as voice-overs, Lisa Bostnar’s stage work has won her a myriad of rave reviews from The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe and many more. She has guest starred in many episodes of Law & Order, Blacklist, Blindspot, Criminal Intent, Conviction, FBI Most Wanted and Pan Am. Film work is numerous, but never so joyful as working with good friends like Ernest and Gordon.
MUSIC
The film’s heart-and-soul anthem “Cross The Bridge” was written by Ernest Thompson, Joe Deleault and Griffin William Sherry, whose irrepressible voice takes The Constituent to a whole nother level.
JOE DELEAULT | Composer
Joe Deleault is an award winning international performer, composer, and session pianist. Recording credits include Jon Bon Jovi, Carly Simon, Joan Osborne, Natalie MacMaster, Mighty Sam McClain, CJ Chenier, and many more. His television and film credits include Grown Ups II, Dawson’s Creek, PBS’s Roadtrip Nation, NH Chronicle, On Golden Pond, Time and Charges, Heavenly Angle, and many more. His music composed for stage credits include On Golden Pond, Political Suicide, POEms, Shakespeare’s the Tempest, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and many more. Joe’s piano can be heard nightly on the opening theme to NH Chronicle on ABC. His composing projects include work with Academy Award winner Ernest Thompson, filmmaker Ken Burns, and StoryFirst. Joe won the 2023 Telly Award.
GRIFFIN WILLIAM SHERRY | Singer Songwriter
Griffin William Sherry, the Maine-born singer, songwriter, and guitarist, is known for his ability to craft stories that resonate deeply, whether they’re shared around a campfire or at a summer festival. After spending twelve years fronting The Ghost of Paul Revere, Griffin steps into the spotlight as a solo artist with his debut album, Hundred Mile Wilderness. His music, characterized by a powerful vocal delivery, no-frills instrumentation, stories about the joys and challenges of small-town life, and the personal journeys of self-discovery. Through songs filled with raw honesty and eloquent lyricism, Griffin continues to explore life’s big questions, inviting listeners to pause and appreciate the moment. Now, with a new chapter unfolding, he’s more determined than ever to tell his story in his own voice.
On Set: Gordon Clapp and Ernest Thompson, shown right with Lisa Bostnar and camera man Jack Axelrod.
