The Center for Puppetry Arts will hold its second Puppets for Puppetry dinner and show on Saturday, May 5th, 2018, at The Jim Henson Company’s historic lot in Hollywood. The benefit event will be hosted by comedian Chris Hardwick (The Wall, Talking Dead) and feature special guests Jack McBrayer (30 Rock, Wreck It Ralph), Bobby Moynihan (SNL, Inside Out), and Grammy Award-winner Jason Mraz (“I’m Yours”).
The unique fundraising event will honor the beloved puppeteer Caroll Spinney, best known to fans around the world as the performer of the iconic Sesame Street characters Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch. Favorite characters from the series and special surprises will also be a part of the unforgettable evening. Bill Barretta, Leslie Carrara-Rudolph, Brian Henson, Eric Jacobson, and Matt Vogel are just some of the incredible puppeteers confirmed to participate.
A limited number of tickets are still available at www.puppetsforpuppetry.com. The site also includes an online auction with collectible items including artwork from Caroll Spinney and Jim Henson, and a quilt from artists at Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. Puppets for Puppetry is presented with generous support from Joan Ganz Cooney, The Jim Henson Company, Sesame Workshop, and Tyler Perry Studios, among others.
“We are so honored to have such incredible talent join us for this year’s Puppets for Puppetry event. In his roles as Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch, Caroll Spinney has shown how the art of puppetry can bring all kinds of people together and this not-to-be-missed performance, with such gifted and generous special guests, will be truly one of a kind. Just like our honoree!” said Vincent Anthony, The Barbara and Bill Wylly Executive Director at the Center for Puppetry Arts. “We can’t wait to share this exciting performance with our audience!”
The mission of the Center for Puppetry Arts is to inspire imagination, education, and community through the global art of puppetry. This Atlanta-based nonprofit is the nation’s only resource of its kind, featuring an international puppetry collection, a vibrant theatre space, and workshops and performances that develop puppetry talent; it also houses more than 500 puppets and props donated by the family of Jim Henson and The Jim Henson Company in its permanent exhibit, The Jim Henson Collection. The Center’s educational programs serve schools nationwide, complementing national curriculum standards in language arts, social studies, science, math, and other areas. In the Center’s most recently-completed fiscal year, visitors came from all 50 states. The Center’s Distance Learning program has also reached all 50 states and nine countries with live and interactive workshops and performances, delivered through videoconferencing.
Individual tickets start at $250, with tables and sponsorship packages beginning at $7,500. Special pricing is available for members of the Center for Puppetry Arts and Puppeteers of America.
For additional information please visit: www.puppetsforpuppetry.com.
This article originally appeared on Look to the Stars.