Tiddalik the Musical is based on the popular Dreaming story, Tiddalik. It is written for primary schools and can be used for any primary year level/s. It can be adapted by schools for their number of students and classes.

The story of Tiddalik begins in the beauty of an Australian landscape. We are introduced to character groups including the Kangaroos, Emus, Frill-Necked Lizards, Eels, Wombats, Kookaburras and Tiddalik the Frog.

Tiddalik shares how thirsty they feel and decides to drink all the water in the land. As a result, the environment and animal groups start to suffer.

The animal groups call a meeting to discuss environmental sustainability and how to restore the balance. They decide to make Tiddalik laugh so the water can be released.

Each character group presents a scene in which they attempt to make Tiddalik laugh. Every scene includes a song and dialogue. The scenes and songs are charming and will delight audiences of all ages.

Tiddalik still won’t laugh until the Eels perform their groovy song and then finally the frog begins to laugh so hard that all the water is freed from their belly and the land is restored to its former balance and beauty. They all agree to share so the environment will thrive for thousands of years to come.

There is one principle character in this musical, Tiddalik, who can be selected for their ability to keep a serious face.  The rest of the cast will form the animal groups. The musical is structured so that each class or cast group will perform in a special scene of their own, as well as the opening and closing scenes. This format also allows individual classes / groups to have ‘ownership’ of their scene and can contribute to the set, choreography, props and costuming ideas.

Duration:

• The musical duration is approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Year levels:

• This musical suits Years 3 – 6 students or as a whole school musical.
• If doing a whole school musical, allocate easiest lines to younger year levels or have them join in with the singing and dancing only.

Curriculum:

As Tiddalik is a Dreaming story, this musical has excellent curriculum links to Indigenous Australian and Torres Strait Islander Cultures and Peoples across all year levels, as well as all Arts learning areas.