The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer – A Curatorial Statement by Children’s Festival’s Artistic & Executive Director Katharine Carol

December 01, 2014

The PuSh Festival ventures into a new partnership with the Vancouver International Children’s Festival to present a spellbinding show from Australia that will delight all members of your family, young and old. The two organizations are thrilled to present this work of ingenious storytelling that combines charming puppetry and animation. We invited Katharine Carol, artistic and executive director of the Children’s Festival, to share her curatorial insights on The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik.

I first saw Tim Watt’s The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik at the International Performing Arts for Youth conference in Philadelphia in 2013. My immediate reaction was that this was a superb, magical work. I was fully engaged, as was the entire audience of adults and children alike.

What stood out most about this production was the high quality of the work and the respect it held for its audience. It is sophisticated, fun and clever—created in such a way that a young audience and the adults in their lives would love it equally. The puppetry and multimedia components tell an enthralling story that unfolds before your eyes, transporting you to another world. Once deep below the ocean, you witness Alvin’s story as he moves through his loss to become a hero.

Tim Watts, the creator of this delightful work, explores the very human themes of love, loss and hope, creating a universal story that will resonate with audiences of all ages. It is an amazing piece of theatre that deserves to be seen by as many people as possible. The story, the execution, and the production values make this one of the best shows l have seen in the past couple of years.

To present The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik in Vancouver provides the local cultural community the opportunity to see international work and therefore understand what artists who create work for young audiences are doing around the world.

The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik is a magical, thought-provoking and powerful show that reminds us all what it means to be human.

Katharine Carol
Artistic & Executive Director
Vancouver International Children’s Festival

Join us at The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik from January 22 to 24 at the Waterfront Theatre. Tickets are available to book on the PuSh Pass, Youth Passport, or as single tickets.