THE ADVENTURES OF ALVIN SPUTNIK:
DEEP SEA EXPLORER
May 1-2, 2026
Aronoff Center – Fifth Third Bank Theater
[Cincinnati, OH] – The deeply affecting, multi-award-winning, one-man micro-epic puppet show, The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer, that melds technology and multimedia into a touching story of enduring love and the end of the world, makes its Cincinnati debut at the Aronoff Center’s Fifth Third Bank Theater on Friday, May 1, 2026 at 7:00 PM and Saturday, May 2 at 3:00 PM & 7:00 PM. The show is part of the Cincinnati Arts Association’s CAA PRESENTS! 2025-26 Season.
Tickets are on sale now www.CincinnatiArts.org, (513) 621-ARTS [2787], and the Aronoff Center Ticket Office. Group discount tickets for 10 or more are available by calling (513) 977-4155.
Created by Tim Watts, The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer is a visually inspired solo show. Employing a unique blend of puppetry, live and recorded music, and animation, the show presents an exploration of the next and oldest frontier: the deep blue sea.
The seas have risen, billions have died, and those who are left live on farms atop skyscrapers, atop mountains. The scientists have tried everything. Floating islands sank, space probes found nothing, and effort to refreeze the icecaps failed. Now, science and humanity are turning to the oceans themselves. A last-ditch effort to save the human race requires journeying down through the mysterious depths of the deep blue sea to find a new place for us to live.
Alvin Sputnik, who has just lost his wife, accepts this perilous mission so that he may follow her soul down to the underworld to be together once more.
This exquisite one-man show is a unique and charming performance that is emotional, uplifting, touching, and funny – a heart-warming and beautiful experience that’s a remarkable pocket masterpiece of invention, staging, and performance.
Watts debuted The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer at Perth’s (Australia) Blue Room Theatre in May 2009 before presenting a highly successful season at the New York International Fringe Festival, where it was awarded “Outstanding Solo Show” and received rave reviews. The show has been performed over 400 times across the world including Korea, China, New Zealand, America, Canada, and the UK. Alvin is a very moving and touching piece, which has a deep emotional resonance with those who’ve seen it.
TIM WATTS (Show Creator/Performer)
Tim Watts is a performer, deviser, director, puppeteer, improvisor, and animator from Perth, Western Australia. He is a founding member of The Last Great Hunt and a Sidney Myer Fellowship recipient. He has a passion for creating and performing original, imaginatively engaging theatrical experiences born from improvisation and experimentation.
Since graduating from Notre Dame University, Fremantle, Western Australia, with a Bachelor of Performing Arts in 2005, he has participated in international workshops, including studying clown and physical comedy with Dell’Arte International in Blue Lake, CA, as well as Puppetry workshops with Spare Parts Puppet Theatre in Fremantle and Blind Summit in the UK. He has co-created and performed in a plethora of shows, some of which won awards and toured all over the world. These include: The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer (2009), It’s Dark Outside (2012), BRUCE (2014), Monroe and Associates (2015), New Owner (2016), The Irresistible (2017), Stay With Us (2018), Lé Nør [The Rain] (2019), Whistleblower (2021), and Cicada (2022).
Audience age range recommendation: 10+. Content advisory: themes of loss and death. While Alvin is suitable for (and enjoyed by) ages 10+, it’s not just for kids. It’s a show loved and enjoyed by adults and kids alike, combining childlike wonder and emotional complexity into a whimsical yet poignant experience for all ages.
“…akin to a theatrical Wall-E.” – The New York Times
“…an ingenious and beguiling blend of live action, puppetry, animation, music and film to tell a story of love, loss and quiet heroism…” – The Guardian (UK)
Cincinnati Arts Association SPONSORS
The Cincinnati Arts Association is supported [in part] by an investment of public funds from the Ohio Arts Council (OAC). The OAC is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally, and economically.
Season Sponsors: AMERITAS (Founding Season Sponsor), MIAMI UNIVERSITY, ARTSWAVE, LOCAL 12 WKRC-TV, The P&G FUND of The Greater Cincinnati Foundation, TRIHEALTH
SEASON PRESENTING SPONSORS: 21C Museum Hotel, altafiber, Bahl & Gaynor, Cincinnati Herald, CityBeat, Fairfield Inn & Suites Cincinnati Uptown/University Area, Harlan Graphics, Heidelberg Distributing, Kinley Cincinnati, Pepsi, Summerfair Cincinnati
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CALENDAR INFORMATION
WHAT: The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer
WHEN: Friday, May 1, 2026 – 7:00 PM
Saturday, May 2, 2026 – 3:00 PM & 7:00 PM
WHERE: Aronoff Center – Fifth Third Bank Theater
PRICE: $25, inclusive of all fees. Subject to change.
INFO: Created by Tim Watts, The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer is a visually inspired solo show. Employing a unique blend of puppetry, live and recorded music, and animation, the show presents an exploration of the next and oldest frontier: the deep blue sea. This unique and charming performance is emotional, uplifting, touching, and funny – a heart-warming and beautiful experience that’s a remarkable pocket masterpiece of invention, staging, and performance.
TICKET INFORMATION – on sale now
- www.CincinnatiArts.org
- (513) 621-ARTS [2787]
- Aronoff Center Ticket Office
- Group sales (10 or more): (513) 977-4155
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