Yes. Kiwis. Mr. Jackson. It would be great for him to see general fandom thanks to following the films have generated.
Kiwis. I attend many venues throughout the year and must admit that the people who have worked on or in the film who have given more of themselves constantly and in any given situation are the Kiwis, those fantastic people from New Zealand. They were the heart and soul of the film and I would like to see more of them invited to the venues. We all know who they are. People with great 'aroha' like
Lawrence Makoare, Jed Brophy, Bruce Hopkins, Mana Hira D., Jonathan Harding, Shane Rangi, Sandro Kopp, Daniel Reeve, Sala Baker, Daniel Falconer, Brett Beattie, Paul Norell, Karl Urban, Gino Acevedo, Lori Dungey, Peter Lyons, Peter Tait, all just to name a few......and a couple who should always be included not just for their talent but for the hope and inspiration they have given to so many people, Richard and Tania Taylor. They may not come from NZ but not to be forgotten are Mr. Alan Lee and Mr. John Howe, the conceptual designers from the films who brought imagination to reality on screen.
Oh, and of course Craig Parker and Marc Ferguson....the only guys who can keep a show running over 3 days with intelligence, good fun and a lot of laughter.
But then how could you ever leave out people like Billy Boyd, a true gentleman, Dominic M., Elijah Wood.
Personal choices. To have an evening with someone like Ian Mckellan and Christopher Lee. Theatre and film history sits there as well as minds well versed in Tolkien lore.
Some suggestions then. I know there are many whom I have left out and a few left out purposely as they would never come to one of these conventions. Their loss. These aren't just fan conventions where everybody plays a part and dresses up for a weekend. Its a celebration of life, of hope for something better, total fun and games and learning along the way. A peek into the unknown. Curiosity satisfied. A new road to travel. I mean who wouldn't want to be an Aragorn or an Arwen. Or an Alan Lee or a Richard Taylor. Who wouldn't want to swing a sword or shoot a bow or wield a pencil or pen. Thank you Prof. Tolkien. AND thank you another show UK and DE for making it all possible!
