String Fling and Online Auction 2026

Saturday, March 21

Featuring Special Guest Julio Torres – Tickets Now LIVE!

As the first gala in a new anniversary series, String Fling 2026 will bring friends of puppetry together to celebrate the theme of “the Spark of Imagination,” toast the past, and shape the future that we will create together.

Join us for a bold, playful, and unforgettable night as the Center for Puppetry Arts kicks off a very special countdown to our 50th Anniversary in 2028. 

Join us in person at String Fling Benefit Gala on March 21, 2026 at Guardian Works in Atlanta, GA, to show your support for the arts for a bold, playful, and unforgettable night as the Center for Puppetry Arts kicks off a very special countdown to our 50th Anniversary in 2028. 

Can’t make it to Atlanta? Follow along through our auction!

What is String Fling?

String Fling is the annual fundraising event for the Center for Puppetry Arts, raising nearly $350,000 each year to support the Center’s operations, including theatrical productions, museum exhibitions, and arts-infused educational programming.

Each year, the evening brings together arts supporters, contributors to the field of puppetry, and friends from across the country for a night of spectacle and support. The Center’s popular online auction (Call to Auction) culminates on the evening of String Fling. Anyone can participate in the auction – near and far – and support the Center!

After 47 years, the Center continues to distinguish itself as a unique treasure in Atlanta with innovative performances, workshops, and exhibitions showcasing local to international artists and featuring timely stories to popular culture favorites. The organization produces 500 fully-staged puppetry performances per year through its Family Series, favorites for school groups, children, and their guardians, and its New Directions Series, for teen to adult cultural consumers. The Center has significant impact in the performing arts, with alumni working at Disney, The Jim Henson Company, Sesame Street, and in theaters on Broadway and around the world, as well as in the film industry.

In addition to 2 permanent galleries that house our Global Collection and the Jim Henson Collection, the museum presents 3-4 rotating exhibitions, and pop-up displays each year. Our educational efforts include online and in-person workshops, teaching artist-led activities, master classes and lectures, outreach programs, field trips, and accessibility initiatives that strive to ensure everyone can enjoy the magic of puppetry. As a pioneer in the field of web-based learning for the past 20 years, the Center develops award-winning curriculum-based interactive online experiences, reaching all 50 states and nearly 90 countries around the world.

Center for Puppetry Arts is thrilled to announce Emmy®-nominated, Peabody-winning and WGA-winning writer, director, and comedian Julio Torres as the new Special Celebrity Guest for String Fling 2026, the Center’s annual fundraising gala celebrating creativity, imagination, and the transformative power of puppetry. 

Torres is an award-winning Brooklyn-based writer, director, and comedian from El Salvador. His work on “Saturday Night Live” earned four Emmy® nominations and received wide acclaim. His first solo hour, “My Favorite Shapes” by Julio Torres, received rave reviews and was released as an HBO comedy special in 2019. Torres co-created and starred in HBO’s Peabody Award–winning series “Los Espookys” alongside Fred Armisen and Ana Fabrega, and created, wrote, directed, and starred in HBO’s “Fantasmas”. Most recently, his one-man show “Color Theories” was filmed during its sold-out Off-Broadway run and will soon be released as an HBO comedy special. Torres made his feature directorial debut with A24’s “Problemista”, which he wrote and starred alongside Tilda Swinton. His first book, “I Want to Be a Vase”, was published by Simon & Schuster in 2023. 

Torres’ work consistently elevates objects, characters, and ideas that might otherwise be dismissed—infusing them with wonder, personality, and meaning. That sensibility has made Torres an especially beloved figure among fans. His recurring robot assistant, “Bibo,” introduced in HBO’s “Fantasmas” and later reappearing in his one-man show “Color Theories”, is equal parts companion and comic foil, serving as a perfect reminder of how Torres uses humor and craft to transform unconventional ideas into something emotionally resonant. 

Your attendance and support through String Fling help make all of this possible, and keep puppetry alive and thriving! Please consider donating or getting involved!

For more event information about 2026 String Fling, please contact:

Stephanie Carter, Development Manager

StephanieCarter@puppet.org

A few memories from String Flings of the past….

2026 Sponsors & Patrons

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Warner Bros. Discovery

SUPPORTER
Inspire Brands | Juxtapose Studio | King & Spalding | Perkins&Will | Printpack and the Love Family Foundation | Mr. and Mrs. H. Bronson Smith | Tower Beer, Wine & Spirits Tower Lights

CONTRIBUTOR
Acuity Brands and Pride ERG | Bennett Thrasher | Build Technology Group | Georgia Tech College of Design | Get Engaged Media | Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP | SouthState Bank | Tom and Penny Clements | Sherrod DeGrippo | Cal and George Jennison | Beth and Ross Schiavo

PUPPETEER
Atlanta Braves | Vanessa and Jeffrey Blake | Judy and Ed Garland | Sydney and Joel Langdon | The Realff Family | Ryan C. Smith | Kathy Waller and Kenneth Goggins

MARIONETTE
Arnall Golden Gregory LLP | Coxe Curry & Associates | Go West Creative | Margo Brinton and Eldon Park | Gail and John Chandler | Shelley Hoffmann & Scott Bendzlowicz | Vir and Lucy Nanda | Allen W. Yee

2026 Event Committee

Iymaani Aytes

Joseph Brooks 

Sherrod DeGrippo

Alison Gooch

Thom Henkel

Shelley Hoffmann

Janet King

Sophie Merven

Betsy Oliver

Amy Rees

Addison Thornton