BWW Interviews: The Adventures of Tim Watts, Environmental Theatrical Creator

One of the most notable shows to come out of last summer's Fringe Festival was also one of the least likely: a humble one-man multimedia/puppetry presentation about the end of the world and the search for lost love in which almost all electronic equipment was run by battery. (Whew.) After earning raves in its few Fringe performances (and lines around the block for tickets), The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik, Deep Sea Explorer is back in New York for another quick stop this weekend before continuing on a world tour. It's been a whirlwind of a journey for writer/actor/puppeteer/programmer/director Tim Watts, but that's certainly not a bad thing.

"I have been overwhelmed by the response to the show, and yes, I guess surprised, too, he acknowledges. "I really did not know how New Yorkers were going to feel about the show last year, and the response was incredible. A lot has come out of that season, and before the run was over I already had plans to return this year."

The show, which blends just about every kind of media there is into a lovely and lyrical post-apocalyptic fantasy (and how often do those words go together?), follows the titular adventures of the titular explorer as he tries to find his wife's soul at the bottom of the ocean. Watts uses one man's personal loss to mirror a global environmental tragedy, and lets the audience reach its own conclusions about the play's meaning. There is no preaching about the environment or green efforts-but the way in which Watts created and presents the show speaks volumes about his concerns. Using a few everyday objects as puppets and with projections from a laptop computer, Watts makes the play very eco-conscious as well as entertaining.

The play's origins go back nearly two years, when Watts, a native of Perth, Australia, and his co-collaborator Arielle Gray went east to the Great Barrier Reef for a vacation. "I was just blown away by the experience," he remembers. "There was a moment which is burned into my brain, of looking out through the clear blue water into an endless blue ocean, and I was overwhelmed with fear and awe at the sheer size and mystery of [it]. And I started making sketches of a diver out alone in the deep blue sea, swimming with a huge whale, just trying to capture that feeling of being so tiny."

Part of the reason Watts went to the Great Barrier Reef was that he wanted to see it before it all died. "Which is happening due to climate change, and oil spills, etc.," he adds. "So that, as well, was a huge... inspiration is maybe the wrong word, because it sounds too positive, but a driving force behind making this show. I can't speak for anyone but myself, but I find myself continually overwhelmed by the whole environmental situation." It is difficult for people to know what to eat, what to buy, what to throw away or how to travel without causing environmental damage, he says. "It's a huge problem, and it's really tough not to become paralyzed by it. So in making this show I felt I needed to acknowledge that in some way. But I did not-repeat, DID NOT-want to lecture people about it. I am in no way an expert. The environmental themes sit more like a backdrop for the story, giving weight and context for the story."

With that in mind, he began creating his show, figuring out ways to minimize its environmental impact while maximizing its emotional impact. "The dream was to someday have a show that ran off batteries," he remembers. "Also, I wanted to bring with me and operate all the lights myself so I could control the visuals as much as possible in whatever venue I was in. Theatre lights are bright, and use a lot of power, so I was skeptical that I was going to be able to get enough brightness out of LED lights. But after a bunch of experiments and tests it has worked out that I run all my lights and effects off rechargeable 12V batteries. I also have a solar panel to recharge those batteries when they get low, and for future seasons I want to set up a bike in the foyer so that the audience can recharge the batteries."

With concept firmly in place, the story had to be designed to fit. The first element was the puppet of Alvin himself, created (quite appropriately) from a buoy. Watts and collaborator Arielle Gray would play around with what the puppet could do, and devised little skits with him. "From this, we got feedback of what the story was about, and where people wanted it to go." A rough plot and world developed from there, and Alvin's journey got a context. "The animation really became useful in showing the scale of the world, advancing the plot, and tying all the scenes together in a non-verbal, visual way.

"It was very difficult to write a scene and then try and execute it with the puppet, and it would often end up being boring and confusing," he continues. To help come up with ideas, Watts would play some music and let the puppet play with an object, and then refine it into beat, by beat, physical action. "Or we would find the seed for a scene, and then get my dad (Anthony Watts and gadget man) to build us a device that did what we wanted, and then once it was built, play with that."

With such a fascinating conception and a high-minded premise, what does Watts hope audiences get out of the show? "Firstly, and above all, I want them to have fun, to leave punching the air with joy, like Bastian riding Falcore in The Neverending Story," he says. "Beyond that, I would love for them to feel inspired, and moved by this simple story of a simple little puppet. If people can be moved to tears by a buoy and a white glove, then I think that says a lot about the awesome power of the human imagination. The show is also about grief, the end of the world, and about the power of enduring love, even in the most tragic of contexts. If I have in any way helped anyone process or deal with these timeless themes, then I am very satisfied."

Still, between the story and its execution, there is a larger message at stake: "Even in the most extreme conditions, life exists," Watts says. "I think [that] is the prevailing 'message' of the show. Life will continue, a lot of life might/will die, and we need to do everything we can to stop that, but apathy and despair will get us nowhere. We need hope, and humor, and everything human to get us out of this mess."

After its New York return engagement, Alvin Sputnik will be touring all over the world. Watts has gigs lined up all over Australia, India, Korea, China, England, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, France and New Zealand for the rest of this year and next. But for now, he is happy to be back in the New York City, and to bring back the hit show. "I really love New York, and I would love to establish such a relationship with this city that I can return with this show-and others-at least once a year," he says, then adds, "Hopefully, not always in the summer!"

 

 

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