An evening of dinosaur delights

Triassic Night at TMAG

The Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG) and Beaker Street are delighted to continue their partnership to bring you Triassic Night, an evening of dinosaur delights for adults, commencing at 6:00 pm tonight.

Beaker Street, best known for presenting pop-up science bar BeakerStreet@TMAG, has created a program packed full of pre-historic wonders and fun. It is also a chance to check out the Dinosaur rEvolution: Secrets of Survival exhibition after-dark and enjoy an extravagant cocktail or two!

The evening features a range of fascinating talks by some of Tasmania’s top earth science and new technology experts. Curious about how T-Rexes did the deed? Let the University of Tasmania’s Dr Karin Orth fill you in on the sex lives of dinosaurs. Lie awake at night wondering when the big one will strike the Earth? Brittany Trubody will shed some light on past impact strikes and extinction events, which may or may not put your mind at ease. You’ll also get a chance to learn more about Tasmania during the Triassic with geological gurus Dr Clive Calver and Philip Sansom, and discover how a Tasmanian company brought a dinosaur to life with David Shering, founder of Handbuilt Creative. MC for the evening is local performer Anna Kidd.

Following the talks, settle into the Central Gallery for the cult silent film, The Lost World, with live musical accompaniment by legendary local musician Michael Fortescue. Enjoy Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic novel brought to life with pioneering stop motion special effects that thrilled audiences in the 1920s.

Explore the Dinosaur rEvolution: Secrets of Survival exhibition with improvisational dinosaur duets by Michael Fortescue to set the mood, and hone your drawing skills with the TMAGgots, using ancient life as your muse. Out in the Courtyard will be live music by local musicians the Sharma Duo and Ian Murtagh playing throughout the evening, as well as food by Get Curry India to keep you nourished with carnivore and herbivore options available.

A highlight of the evening’s events will be the Dinosaur Dance Battle. Get into the action by donning an inflatable dinosaur suit and battling it out with epic moves on the dance floor against a rival; only the best dancer will be victorious!

Triassic Night would not be complete without pre-historic cocktails, designed by mixologist Lachie Gulland, that include a herbivore spritz or espresso tar-tini. Beaker Street’s founder, Dr Margo Adler has also been collaborating with Tasmania’s Antarctic Ice Company to create the perfect ice cube to cool your G&T-Rex. Jurassic Park was the inspiration for the saffron-infused amber ice, complete with encased mosquito, which will be available exclusively at the pre-historic cocktail bars on the evening.

Margo, who was recently recognised as the Tasmanian STEM Communicator of the Year at the 2018 Tasmanian STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Excellence Awards, said she is excited to be back at TMAG presenting an amazing line-up of scientific treats for Triassic Night.

“Anyone who thinks dinosaurs are just for kids is in for a surprise. Triassic Night is an adult dinosaur extravaganza, and a fantastic night out at the museum. You’ll find you haven’t really lived until you engage in an inflatable dinosaur suit dance battle, then celebrate with a G&T-Rex!”, Ms Adler said.

With parading dinosaur projections, virtual reality tours, microscopes and good company, Triassic Night promises to be the social event of the Geologic Calendar. Be there or be extinct.

Tickets available at the gates or online at www.beakerstreet.com.au/triassic

Program

6:00 pm – Gates open

Central Gallery:
6:20 pm – Brittany Trubody
When Space and Earth Collide: Impact strikes and extinction events

7:00 pm – Dr Clive Calver and Philip Sansom
Life in Triassic Tasmania

7:30 pm – Dr Karin Orth
Did the Earth Move for You Too? What we know about dinosaur sex and reproduction

8:00 pm – David Shering
Computers as the New Tech Dinosaurs: Augmented Reality and its role in invisible computing

9:00 pm – The Lost World, a cult classic film from 1925
with live musical accompaniment by Michael Fortescue

Watergate Courtyard:
6:00 pm - 8:30 pm – Sharma Duo gypsy jazz

6:00 pm - 8:30 pm – An inside look at Rosie the Raptor 

All night (until the batteries run out) – Push Start VR dinosaur tours

8:30 pm – Dinosaur Dance-Off (That means you!)

9:00pm – 11:00pm – Ian Murtagh singer-songwriter

Dinosaur rEvolution Gallery:
6:00 pm - 8:30 pm – Michael Fortascue’s Dinosaur Duets

6:00 pm - 10:00 pm – TMAGgots present Ancient Life Drawing

6:50 pm - 8:30 pm – Hack Tours of Dinosaur rEvolution with Jeremy Olivieri 
(leaving after each Central Gallery talk – 6:50pm, 7:20pm, 7:50pm, 8:20pm)