Just For Kids!

Sag Harbor’s Goat on A Boat Theater

Sag Harbor is known for its beauty, elegance and the many famous writers and performers who call the small town home. It’s also where Liz Joyce, renowned puppeteer, brings her puppets to life. She and her puppets set up house on East Union Street at the Goat on the Boat Puppet Theater and perform a series of classic puppet shows with a twist and some original works as well. The Goat on the Boat Puppet Theater is the place to see dynamic performances and to learn the art of puppetry. While having mass appeal to the younger generation, parents and grandparents love it as well.

Joyce attended the Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia and trained to be an art educator. She fell into puppetry almost accidentally. She “started making puppets as gifts for Christmas.” When she took some of them to a job interview at a children’s museum, her beautiful puppets caught the eye of the interviewer, who encouraged her to put together shows.

What began as a hobby, has turned into Joyce’s dream job. She has received many awards and has served as President of the Puppetry Guild of Greater New York, as well as been a member of the board of Puppetry International magazine. She has participated in the Puppet Lab at Arts at St. Ann’s, curated puppetry events and performed during the 2000 Henson International Festival of Puppet Theatre. Joyce has been a recipient of grants from The Puppeteers of America’s Endowment Fund and the Jim Henson Foundation. She’s established herself as someone to know in the world of puppetry.

So what does it take to put on a live performance for audiences spanning many different generations? A tremendous amount of thought goes into creating each show and designing the intricate puppets. Joyce says that she enjoys “reworking classics” like Little Red Riding Hood, Goldilocks and The Three Bears, and The Three Little Pigs. In Joyce’s version of The Three Little Pigs, the slogan asks, “you know this classic story... or do you?” Joyce’s shows are full of originality and creativity. You might think you know which direction she’s going in, but Joyce and her puppets are full of surprises. With sensitivity and an awareness of who the performance is for, Joyce organizes her puppet shows with her entire audience in mind. While children certainly enjoy the performances, parents will as well. Only a good performer could understand the complicated parent/child relationship and know how important it is to entertain everyone in the audience. Joyce believes that “puppet theater is an introduction to live theater” and hopes that she is instilling a “lifelong love for the theater” in her young audience members. Enjoy the intimacy of the theater and the creativity of Joyce and her puppets. It’s worth the trip.

Every Saturday, the Goat on The Boat Theater comes alive when Joyce and her two hands become quite busy hosting live shows at both 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. In addition to these performances, Joyce offers Puppet Playgroups for children under 3 years old, accompanied by an adult. This program is available on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays at 9:30 a.m., with an additional playgroup on Tuesdays at 3:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults, $9 for grandparents and $5 for children under 3. For more information, to reserve tickets or for the full schedule of upcoming shows, call (631) 725-4193 or visit www.goatonaboat.org.