The end, however, does not necessarily mean obscurity. Education has been a key component of the group’s work, and its methods of collaboration will continue to influence those who are open to them. In the spirit of teaching, the group has dedicated its book Small Acts of Repair to their children and their students.

The best word to describe this guide is generous. Like a Goat Island performance, the book invites readers to plug into whatever elements they find most compelling. Readers are encouraged to construct their own experience by meandering through the letters, essays, fragments and anecdotes arranged around the themes of creative process, performance and teaching. The Goats are masters, but not aloof. They invite us to sit alongside them—or wherever we please—as we read.

“Understand who you are,” writes the company in a collective Letter to a Young Practitioner. “Understand who you could be. Understand the gap between the two. Sometimes close the gap. Become who you might be for a moment.” The Goats point to the importance of process over packaging and, above all, patience in the profoundly difficult yet exhilarating task of living and making live performance.