Oscar Winner Auctions Rare LORD OF THE RINGS Collectible to Support New Zealand Show at Edinburgh Fringe

Lord Of The Rings Oscar winner and Wētā Workshop founder Sir Richard Taylor is auctioning a unique piece of Wētā memorabilia to support a fledgling New Zealand show during its first run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. In the video he shares the reason why he's placed the rare and valuable Paint Master of Saruman the White at Dol Guldur up for auction on TradeMe, New Zealand's version of EBay, in order to help out Femme Natale, an hilarious revue show about the perils of parenting.

With a starting bid of just 100NZD and a closing date of Thursday 17 August, this hugely desirable piece of memorabilia is set to ignite a fierce bidding war among fans of the Peter Jackson directed movie trilogy.

With their show run starting on Tuesday 15 August, Femme Natale are optimistic about both the auction and their prospects in Edinburgh.

"We simply couldn't do this trip without the support we've received from Sir Richard,

and other champions along the way. It's a big gig, we are leaving our families at home,

and taking a punt. We've performed this show at many centres and festivals around NZ

over the last five years. This will be our international debut - a fantastic opportunity to

get in one of the top five comedy festivals worldwide and we've achieved this

independently. We've already had interest from other international Fringe Festivals, and

we are attending many networking events whilst in Edinburgh." Says Director Fingal

Pollock.

More on Femme Natale

Femme Natale

Femme Natale

Dates: Aug 15th - 20th 22nd - 27th

Times: 21.05 (1h)

Venue: Just the Tonic/Cask Room

Fiercely truthful, Femme Natale is an unapologetic comic peek into the world of parenting. Femme Natale covers the world of parenting from before, during and after, in an hilarious mix of original songs, sketches, and physical comedy.

Sketches are created and performed by working parents in this astounding actor ensemble from New Zealand bringing laughs to everyone - parents or not.

According to the group, "UK viewers who've seen us have urged GET THIS TO EDFRINGE - so here we come!"

Femme Natale reminds us that there is something wholly selfless about becoming a Mum, even if it's just a brief out of character episode.

CREATIVE TEAM

Conceived & Directed by Fingal Pollock
Writers
Fingal Pollock, April Phillips, Tracey Savage and other guest writers
Performers
Fingal Pollock, April Phillips, Jeremy Nelson,Tracey Savage
Guest Edinburgh Performer Sonja Doubleday

PERFORMANCE DETAILS

Femme Natale

Femme Natale

Just the Tonic/Cask Room

August 15th - 20th 22nd - 27th

21.05 (1h)

£7 - £9

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

Sir Richard Taylor is a founder of Wētā Workshop, which rose to international fame after providing all the props, costumes, prosthetics and miniatures for New Zealand Director Peter Jackson's epic Lord Of The Rings movie trilogy. He and his team have been nominated for six Oscars in Make Up, Visual Effects and Costume Design, winning five.

Femme Natale are a collective of art-makers who work beautifully together to hit the mark between truth, fun and relatability. All parents themselves, the regular performers and guest artists work as actors throughout New Zealand in film, theatre and stage.

"Right on the G-Spot...hilariously X-rated, Femme Natale is a slick skit-based show based on various experiences of parenthood. From conception through to the confessions of a less-than-ideal mum, a talented and agile cast who cavort gleefully through the cleverly contrived sketches. Opens with a climax and grows better from there." Richard Mays (Stuff NZ)

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