The Esopus Creek Puppet Suite is Arm-of-the-Sea’s annual theatrical extravaganza at the Tidewater Center featuring 3 nights of original puppet theater with live music. For more than 24 years, the Puppet Suite has graced the shores of the Esopus Creek at Tina Chorvas Park in Saugerties with larger-than-life puppet figures, luminous masks and whirling performers depicting hand-made tales of local histories, ecologies, and dreams. The Puppet Suite invites local community volunteers to participate alongside company members to perform, embracing the centuries-old tradition of community theater that creates joy and strengthens bonds the collective act of theater-making.

Last year in 2025 we launched the Theater Arts Intensive, a puppet theater boot-camp in our distinctive style of theater-making that culminates in the performance the Esopus Creek Puppet Suite. This deep dive goes further than being a community volunteer, where Theater Arts participants learn the entire process of the making of the Puppet Suite, from production to performance.

Between company members, Theater Arts Intensive participants and our year-round company members, the Esopus Creek Puppet Suite provides the Saugerties community with a collaborative experience for collective dreaming, joy and insight.