Eclipse Amaroo On November 14th 2012 North Queensland Australia experienced a Total Solar Eclipse with thousands of people flocking to the region to capture one of natures most amazing phenomena. Freeman Productions created and managed an event for 1300 astronomers. They built a pop up hotel for 130 complete with luxury tents, hot showers, toilets, timber beds complete with bed linen and stunning decor. Three gourmet meals in the dining marquee were complemented by nightly entertainment. An Indigenous welcome, a jazz band, and a percussion evening were enjoyed along with a full bar serving drinks at sunset and through the night. Nighly talks by world re-knowned eclipse authorities, films all took place in the full wi-fi area. They operated a small kiosk selling notions, souvenirs and tee shirts designed by them especially for the eclipse. On the night the 130 guests were joined by 1100 more astronomers who arrived in numerous 53 seat coaches, and took their seats on 5 beautifully lit hills. The most amazing thing about this event is that it took place on a 50 acre property miles from anywhere. It left no footprint and disappeared soon after it was created.
And God Created Tourism And on the 7th day the Almighty was tired and wanted to rest but had no idea of where to go so …..God Created Tourism. Performed as the opening function for the 2006 ATEC Symposium, this zany take on Genesis was hilarious and topical. The evening opens with a huge surround audio visual presentation that depicts the seven days of creation. Snow falls, and the environment takes you back to the time before the first man. Numerous food stall dot the outdoor venue. A specially written skit that involves many tourism industry personalities is performed on a main stage and followed by a laser show, fire works and other entertainment.		Gondwanaland Transported back 50,000 years you enter a time tunnel and are carried on a journey back to the beginning of Godwanaland (Australia) Bubbling mud ponds, a giant crocodile and mud men greet you in a prehistoric rainforest environment. Strange sounds are heard from beyond, a large camouflage door opens and a dinosaur bids you enter. Now in a rainforest amphitheatre you are bewildered by a strange dance performed by prehistoric animal dancers, followed by the world renowned Tjapukai. At the conclusion a tribe of warriors from a distant era deliver a feast fit for a king. At the conclusion of the feast the volcano erupts, complete with explosions and fire.
Dreamscape In its 5th season, Dreamscape is the creation of Clyde Newton, of Oscillating Entertainment. And takes place at Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park. Dance parties, a growing phenomenon of this decade take place all over the world and Cairns is no exception. Don Freeman, on the Board of Festival Cairns, wanted to give back to the local youth some of what he and Judy are all about. Coming from the dance party scene in Goa India they have been instrumental in keeping Dreamscape alive and given it their support each year.		Horror Shock and Roll On arrival you are surrounded by graves, fog and unusual characters including witches stirring a bubbling broth which is your welcome drink. Life like hands grasp the grass around you, as you enter the large dining room of an old mansion, complete with dance floor and projector screens. Horror films are playing as weird and wacky characters circulate. An explosion occurs, the power goes off and the room is dark. Motorbikes drive in escorting a hearse, from the rear of which a coffin emerges. Dracula crawls out and the cast do “Time Warp Again”. It all ends with a dance party.
Under The Sea The Great Barrier Reef is reproduced by local artists and craftsmen, and includes huge coral bommies and colourful fish. Enter through a shark’s mouth into a space that makes you feel like you are under the sea, complete with sand and bubbles. Drink at the Octopus’ Garden in an underwater cave. As you view the underwater ballet, The Dance of the Rasta Fish, The massive Neptune rise from the deep you cannot figure out where you are. Dance the night away with the magical undersea creatures.		School Sports Day You arrive in your school sports uniform from a long time passed, but see that everyone else has too. Drink those vodka cocktails through a straw in your popper, as you participate in your activities. It’s hot and the swimming pool provides a great party atmosphere for the swimming competition, as the blue and the red squad cheer each other on. Kylie Mole shows up (for real) and reminds you in a hilarious 20 minute set just what that period of your life was all about. When the sychronized swimming team dives in well…you can picture the hilarity of the rescue and the grand finale of fireworks. Dance the night away on the basketball court.
The Oddyssey You’ll Ever See This was the story of the coming of the white man to the Cape York peninsula. A very extravagant musical comedy, with elaborate costumes, revolving scenery, and it was the creative work of many people. Produced and directed by Don and Judy this work was months in the making and the biggest show ever undertaken in the area. Over 70 people took part in the scripting, music, choreography, costume and set design. People who had never been exposed to the theatre, worked on every aspect of Babylon, and it remains to this day a milestone in the Kuranda history. David Hudson took his first acting role in Oddyssey and gathered a group of local Aboriginal people, to play his tribe. From that experience the seeds of Tjapukai were planted. Don and Judy, David and Cindy Hudson and those who thought that the theatre was good fun created Australia’s first Aboriginal show for tourists		Where Do We Goa From Here Written and performed in Goa, India and performed with a cast of ex pats and local villagers, this was the combined creation of over 50 people speaking more than 7 languages A young village couple who live on an isolated island are destined for the sacrificial alter when they are confronted by a stranger from a different island - Manhattan and he tells them that it doesn’t have to be this way. They escape and discover the ways of the world with lots of singing and dancing along the way. The play culminates as a decade in the life of Goa unfolds using the pages of a giant calendar and ends on the very night of the show. Cast and audience dance the night away.
Babble On Babylon An adaptation of Where Do We Goa From Here, done by the local Kuranda-ites, and reflected the fabric that made this little Village in the Rainforest a community.		Star Trekking Across the Universe Walk down a meandering path hearing space noises to the left and right of you and enter the huge spaceship. Show your passport first. Machines dispense your “space food”. Countdown to blast off heralds the entry of the Mirror Girl who dances as the lasers shoot from her body. Your cast and crew appear in a haze of smoke. They swing straight into their song and dance act ”Star Trekking Across the Universe”, and get you up dancing as they swing the party into full dance mode.