Liz Joyce, founder of the award-winning Goat on a Boat Puppet Theatre, has made it her priority this summer to create joy for kids both online and in person, and she could not have asked for more from Guild Hall at a time when few events are firing on all cylinders.
"They just took a lot into account and set up a nice situation. It's difficult to stay relevant when you can't do what you normally do, so it's a trick and they're going for it," she said.
Liz Joyce and A Couple of Puppets performed at Guild Hall last week and again Wednesday with a third show to be held next Wednesday. Last Thursday, the Southampton Arts Center also hosted Ms. Joyce. Even considering the limitations of Covid-19, she said, "It's been lovely. They have an outdoor space and have limited the amount of people who can come."
She herself will not be wearing a mask on Wednesday, "but the audience will be, as will they be six feet or more from the stage in groups of two to three people, all spread out." The Guild Hall space allows for up to 25 little cohorts.
In normal times, kids' summer shows, called KidFest, take place in the John Drew Theater and feature a variety of different performers. "This year, I am KidFest," said the puppeteer, laughing. The challenges of housing visiting performers, many of whom cannot travel anyway, has put Ms. Joyce at the center of Guild Hall's children's entertainment, and indirectly benefited local talent as well, she said. Guild Hall has "done a fabulous job supporting local artists. Normally, it's national and international."
Tomorrow, live over Zoom, Ms. Joyce performs "The Princess, the Frog, & the Pea" at the Amagansett Library, as part of the library's summer reading program. The "mixed-up tale" stars "a princess, a witch, an un-enchanted frog, a hoot owl, and a neurotic pea," she said. Next week's Guild Hall performance of "The Doubtful Sprout" features "Worm and Sprout, as they discover the mysterious life found inside soil. Along the way, kids help figure out the secrets that help Sprout grow."
In addition to her in-person shows, Ms. Joyce has conducted puppetry workshops over Zoom. Next week, from Monday through Friday, Aug. 28, she will head a "virtual puppet and variety camp" at Sag Harbor's Bay Street Theater. Ms. Joyce said she was happy to be able to hire her puppeteer friends to work for the camp, after their other work together was canceled in March. "We don't have all the safety net that other people have, but we have each other," she said. "Most of the puppet community is performing live, so you're not scrubbing through a video. On one hand [Zoom] is not a glossy or fancy-pants video, but it's the best alternative."
In camp, she said, "We take turns at performing. There's show and tell and then the main-stage show and tell. I love the variety format, so we can feel like we're not looking at screens, we're looking at theatre through that device, and we can transcend it."
"I'd love to connect with programs for underserved kids and local schools," said Ms. Joyce, "because even though we're online, people are looking for community. We're connected, sharing, creating new content, entertained, inspired, and creative during this time."